What is the best way to start a movie the first time your app starts

Question

I want to have a movie start the first time my app is launched to train users on its use, say a 50 second clip.

How would I go about doing this in an iPad app?

(I am building a very complex platform that has hooks into the web and need users to be aware of that. The video will explain that users can go to the website for different features. When the app starts for the FIRST TIME only I want the video to play.)

Answer 1

Don't force users to sit thru a 50 second movie when the app starts. Your user interface should be obvious enough that they can figure out the basics without watching a training video. If you want to offer it, provide a help button, where they can watch it when they choose to.

See the iPhone HIG section Minimal User Help, which says:

A hallmark of the design of iPhone OS–based devices is ease of use, so it’s crucial that you meet users’ expectations and make the use of your application immediately obvious.

EDIT -- The simplest way to keep track would be to store a flag indicating whether or not you have shown the video by using NSUserDefaults. Check if it's set at startup, set it after showing the video the first time.