This week’s Screencast Monday is a throwback from last year. It illustrates one way – some may say an unconventional way, but one that is still functional – of creating custom feedback layers in Articulate Storyline. This approach does not involve using Feedback Masters, and may be effective in situations where you want to use multiple styles for multiple questions without having to create multiple feedback masters.
Instructional Design
5 Reasons I Love Articulate Storyline 2
It is no secret that I’ve been having a love affair with Articulate Storyline 2 for the past couple of years, so I thought I would share my top 5 reasons why I love this product! The only way I could love it any more than I already do is if it were to come to my house and make me coffee each morning.
#1 – The Efficiency
Storyline 2 allows me to enhance my overall workflow efficiency by making life easy. I can streamline my development using scenes and with all of the built-in functionality, I seldom need to go outside of Storyline to create additional assets (e.g. screen recordings, audio narration, etc.).
#2 – The Customizable Interface
Storyline 2 allows me to customize my development interface by providing the ability to dock/undock panel, save and use templates, and add commonly used functions to the quick access bar. Such functionality goes a long way in helping me streamline my development.
#3 – The Options
There are SO MANY options in Storyline 2, and these options really take away the need for using multiple products. With features such as motion path animations, scroll panels, and slider interactions, you can truly create almost anything you dream. Diving deeper into the advanced functionality of Storyline 2, you can leverage variables and conditions to help bend stories to your will, and sprinkling JavaScript throughout your stories can really help your stories stand out from the crowd!
#4 – The Support
Nothing, in my experience, has compared to the customer service and outstanding support of the Articulate team. Everyone I’ve interacted with has gone above and beyond to ensure that responses are dealt with expediently, support issues are resolved quickly, and that my overall product experience is beyond pleasant. The added support of the E-Learning Heroes Community, with Articulate staff and community members is amazing, and makes a huge difference when it comes to product support, sharing ideas, receiving/giving constructive criticism, and promotion (seriously – if you’re not part of the community, get on it!).
#5 – The Learning Experience
There is always something new to learn! With all of the functions built-in to Storyline 2, it seems as though there are endless possibilities when it comes to combining elements to create new types of interactions. This allows me to learn and share new information with community members and my blog audience!
Storyline makes for a wonderful muse – I loved writing Articulate Storyline Essentials, and I’m just about finished with Mastering Articulate Storyline, so please stay tuned for that – I pull some amazing examples shared by community members and provide many pages of my own Storyline antidotes to help you harness the power of Storyline 2 and truly take your e-learning development to the next level!
Terminology Tuesday: Agile
Everyone has their methods for project or workflow management, and each method undoubtedly has their merits. Finding the best workflow for you can take a lot of trial or error, or you can stumble upon it within an existing corporate culture. This week I’m going to talk about one method for project management and how it can apply to learning design.
Agile?
Yes, I am. Why thank you! Wakka wakka! The general logic behind the concept of ‘agile’ is that your workflow or project is managed in such a way that it is organic and adaptive. But most importantly (from my perspective) is that the project management is efficient.
While this approach may not work for all clients or projects (I’m shouting out those clients who like to change their minds 32489234932 times and scope creep like a boss…unintentionally of course), it can be a very effective approach for many industries.
I was first introduced to agile project management from a software development and programming standpoint. At the time, it seemed like a very chaotic way of running a project, but if decisions are properly documented (or documented at all), it can prove incredibly efficient.
What elements are considered agile?
- Speed – with an agile workflow, projects tend to move more quickly and efficiently as milestones are not as bogged down by lengthy approval processes as other workflow approaches.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle – This concept works extremely well at making large projects more efficient. Especially those projects where materials are often reused. For example, a 3D model of an aircraft can be repurposed for almost any component being discussed during aircraft (the specific aircraft of course) training as opposed to having to create a new 3D model for each component.
- Rapid prototyping – Developing as the project goes instead of waiting on storyboard approval.
Screencast Monday: Automatic Scrolling Effect in Articulate Storyline 2
This week I wanted to show you how easily you can create an automatic scrolling effect in Articulate Storyline 2. Hopefully you can find some good uses for this effect in your e-learning projects and add a bit of flare to your Storyline interactions!
Terminology Tuesday: User Groups
This week I wanted to chat a bit about something I aspire to participate in locally. Something I’ve wanted to create for some time now, but just haven’t found more hours in the day…User Groups!
User Groups?
A user group is a group of users of a particular software who meet regularly to share information related to the software, such as:
- How the software is being used
- Neat tips and tricks for using the software
- To talk troubleshooting
- Getting advice
User groups can help enhance your product knowledge and potentially streamline your development within the software. If you’re working in a silo, how can you reap the benefits of user tips and tricks when you aren’t interacting with these users?
Sharing truly is caring, and the main goal of a user group is to share information! Each individual user has a different perspective, and everyone can bring great ideas to the table! Not to mention, user groups give you a huge opportunity to network with like-minded professionals, which could benefit from an entrepreneurial perspective (e.g. if User 1 has too much work and needs to offload to another individual – the user group provides the opportunity to locate qualified sub-contractors).
I’ve been lusting over all of the Articulate User Groups, but have not found enough interest in an Articulate User Group within my demographic (Eastern Canada). I have the means of securing a location, but just need warm bodies…particularly warm bodies interested in participating in a regular Articulate User Group. If you’re one of those individuals, let me know!
Screencast Monday: Using Variables to Add Values in Storyline
I know I’m going to regret doing this, but I’ve added a new weekly feature to the site: Screencast Monday. I’ll regret doing this only because I am in a constant state of feeling like there are never enough hours in the day…but my hope is that it will be a very helpful feature for all of your lovely folks! Sharing is caring!
Inspired by the E-Learning Heroes Community screencast challenges, where I’ll be cross-posting videos, when relevance allows. The first instalment of Screencast Monday has been cross-posted to the E-Learning Heroes Community post Share Your Tips for Getting Started with Storyline’s Variables.
Using Variables to Add Values in Storyline
I write about this and many other neat Storyline concepts in my new book, being published in the next couple of months, Mastering Articulate Storyline, so if I peak your interest, stay tuned and grab the book when it comes out!
This week, I’m showing you just how easy it is to perform basic calculations using the Number variable in Articulate Storyline. This is a great function to use when it comes to mathematical quizzes, or scenario-based learning.
Check out the video below to find out how you too can add values using number variables, and let me know in the comments whether you’re excited about this new weekly feature and whether you want me to continue it!
