What if I Just Dreamed I Made a Great Template?

That darned David Anderson and his e-learning challenges. Why am I hooked on these?

This week, as a good citizen of the world, he put forth the challenge to build an e-learning template themed for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Since sports-related design is waaaaaaay outside of my comfort zone, it was irresistible. I grabbed my design skis and headed for the nearest Black Diamond drawing board. Here are the 5 template slides he wanted:

Cover Slide

Title: I knew I could slap in a lot of images from the official site, but I wanted it to be inspired by them rather than looking like a dead-on copy. So I took the official logo, seen below, and made my own cover slide based on that – finding a similar font and replacing the Olympic rings with a logo placeholder.

Background: I then found a nice, frigid landscape for the background and ended up using that throughout the template.

Sound Effects: I knew that having the design elements come schussing in to skiing sounds would be an obvious choice, but I did it anyway. For some reason I really wanted the cry of an unseen, anguished skier at the end of this slide. I put it in to entertain myself, not knowing whether I’d find a reason to keep it, and moved on.

What to Design Next?

My inclination was to design the objectives slide next, but I wanted to present them in context and at a point of need. Unless I care about why I’m going somewhere in a course, I’m not inspired to design it – much less subject learners to it. I thought Tom Kuhlman did a great job of illustrating the idea in this post about making objectives interesting. His demo of the emergency-preparedness kit objectives being presented in an involving way was along the lines of what I wanted.

So I knew the scenario had to come next.

Scenario Slide

Since I had already established that our as-yet-unseen protagonist had been skiing in a generic frozen landscape and that something alarming had happened, I decided he was lost and had skied his way to the games by accident, and that he had no idea where he was.

So he needed to figure out where he was and what was going on. I gave him the option of asking a guy with a gun (who could be a biathlon participant – or not), or visiting some random computer kiosk nearby.

So the scenario establishes the context (I’m lost on a frozen mountain), which gives him the motivation to take action.

Once we get him to the “Need Help?” button on the kiosk screen, he’s on his way.

Objectives Slide

NOW I was ready for the objectives. I used the title font and Olympic ring colors and had each objective come schussing in over the mountainous background.

Hovering over each one reveals its general content, and clicking takes you there. I like to express objectives as questions, since they’re more involving, so that was the general scheme.

Figuring our protagonist might like a map and the general lay of the land, I had the “where is…” section point to some Olympic park venue content for him.

Interaction Slide

In the interest of keeping this simple, I used an interactive map that starts with an overview of the area. You can choose to see more detail for a particular section, and from that detail you have the option of pulling up a PDF to see the extreme detail and lots more information.

Of course you could also present interactive content here using video, games, tabs, links, or whatever you’d like.

I used variables so that the button that allows you to continue doesn’t show up until both map sections have been visited. Because I could.

Quiz Slide

Which brings us to the big payoff. What have we learned on this mountain today?

It occurred to me that my “correct” answer could explain how this guy ended up here – and offer him some medical help as his reward – so that’s what I did. Who doesn’t like a story with a happy ending?

Have a Look!

If you’d like to see this baby in action, it’s right here. 

Dragging & Dropping Your Seat Mate

I enjoy a good drag-and-drop interaction, clients love them, and they do perk things up – but I only occasionally use them.

So when Articulate’s David Anderson published this week’s E-Learning Challenge to create a custom non-quiz drag-and-drop interaction, it inspired me to try one for fun. I don’t know if my example is exactly what David had in mind (I tried!), but it’s what I was inspired to create.

The Idea

I immediately thought of airplane travel and that moment you’re in your seat watching others come down the aisle towards you as you think “Is that the person I’ll be spending the next 12 hours with, or maybe that one?” Which led me to a drag-and-drop interaction where you get to choose your seat companion based on that same lack of information, and then suffer (or enjoy) the consequences.

The interaction could easily be adapted to a real course – maybe as a predictive exercise. You could have learners choose people to perform a particular job based on whether or not they look like they have the right safety gear on, for example – then see what happens!

Building It

I built it in Storyline, but didn’t use its built-in drag-and-drop options. I just created custom triggers and used ancillary slides to show the results of each choice.

Interestingly, my biggest sticking point in construction was getting any of it to function properly as long as my drop target wasn’t visible. (You drop fellow passengers into the airplane seat next to you, but in order to isolate that drop area I used an invisible shape on top of the seat image.)

It was only after I had the vaguest recollection of seeing a video from Jeanette Brooks where she made her drop target invisible by making the fill color transparent, as opposed to choosing no fill color, that I got the thing to work. Silly me.

Enjoying The Consequences

I can’t help it. I just like this one. You can see it here.

No One Loves The “Next” Button Until It’s Gone

I haven’t participated in many of the weekly design challenges that David Anderson puts out to the Articulate community, usually because of a looming project deadline. But if so many other busy designers are doing it, what’s my deal?

So this week, casting all current deadlines to the wind, I took up David’s gauntlet and spent my Friday night Storylining away.

This week’s challenge is based on his blog post about hiding the “next” button until the learner completes a challenge about what’s just been presented. (Or it can be used as a sort of pre-test to unlock the “next” button and allow the learner to skip ahead.)

From an instructional design perspective it would have to be used incredibly judiciously; though if sprinkled in a few key places in just the right course, it could be effective. But this challenge was about the technical aspects of building it, so that’s what I focused on.

My Example

I chose the HR Audit topic because it seemed appropriately dry. I’m picturing a nodding-off learner who’s about to get a disappearing-“next”-button wake-up call.

Basically, at the end of the slide you ask the learner a question about what they just saw.

Here, I ask them to enter a certain number they just saw. The “next” button is visible but disabled.

If their answer is incorrect, they get a message asking them to try again, or to review the slide content.

Once they get it right, the “next” button is enabled and they go on to their glorious reward in the final slide.

The Tech Side

David wanted a text-based entry field for the learner to complete in order to unlock the “next” button, so in Storyline that means adding a data entry field. I’d never had a reason to use them before, so I used a post on the E-Learning Heroes site from Jeanette Brooks that explained how to set them up. It would help to have some experience with variables, but it’s probably not necessary for the average intrepid Storyline user.

After that it was all about the layers and states and triggers. I won’t get into extreme detail, but on the main slide I added a trigger so that at the end of the timeline it would show a layer. At the end of the timeline I also animated out any potential answers on the slide so they weren’t visible.

On the layer I put the question, the data entry field, the “next” button (set to an initial state of “disabled”), a line of text feedback if the answer is incorrect (set to an initial state of “invisible”), and a “review” button so they could see the slide content again if the answer is incorrect (also set to an initial state of “invisible”.)

Then I just got all trigger-happy until it behaved properly.

Here’s my published version.

A Story Resource I Can Love

Today, Sunday morning, in the middle of coming up with a story to draw learners in, motivate them, and act as the framework for a new course, I took a break to see what was up in the paper.

Lucky for me, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about using storytelling to do all of the things I need it to do, plus a whole lot more. The article, by Dennis Nishi, is To Persuade People, Tell Them a Story, about using stories to make the impact you want.

In it, he mentions corporate trainer Paul Smith’s book Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire.

Clearly the WSJ’s Dennis Nishi knows how to tell a good story, since it took me no time at all to purchase and download Mr. Smith’s book. And though I haven’t had a chance to savor every word yet (hey – I’m working, here!) some of the things I’m crazy about right off the bat are:

• It’s from a business perspective. My courses hit learners where theory (“this is what you should do”) meets reality (“this is what the sales department is going to say about that”). The more I can make my stories reflect reality as I present the theory, the more valuable the courses will be.
• He organizes them into workplace challenges and themes.
• He includes “ready-to-tell” stories you can adapt for your own uses.
• His final chapter walks you through how to get started developing your own stories, where to go for inspiration, where and how to deliver them, and more.
• His appendix includes a very simple Story Structure Template, a Story Elements Checklist, and a Story Matrix that sorts his stories by theme, elements, etc. (The matrix doesn’t render very clearly on iPad or PC, but it’s usable with some effort.)

Though directed to a business audience, this is a simple, clear, and inspiring book that can easily help trainers, including e-learning designers such as myself, quickly find the structure and creative spark they need to develop stories that can make a real impact.

Well, my break is definitely over by now, so it’s back to that story…

Does Nepal like Submit buttons?

I’m redesigning an e-learning course I did for an international nonprofit’s US audience so it can be deployed to their offices in Asia and Africa, and I’m excited about it. I love this stuff!

Here are some of the adaptations I’ll make:

Simplifying Language
As someone who’s worked and studied in countries where I was a non-native speaker, I know it’s tough to get things done if you’re distracted by words and phrases you don’t know or can’t quite catch.

This adaptation isn’t too hard. The audience speaks English, but they are non-native speakers. Language simplification will involve cutting out slang, simplifying sentence structure, and using simpler words when possible – and keeping voiceovers crystal clear, of course.

Amplifying Context
Since a huge part of language comprehension relies on context, I’ll make sure there’s little doubt about what’s going on at any given time. My designs are already driven by characters and situations that I present in a clear visual style.

I’ll present scenarios as I usually do and add additional visual and language cues to quickly and easily convey meaning. The bottom line is that I expect to add more slides (and/or layers or states, for you Articulate Storyline fans) so that less is left to the imagination.

Staying Culturally Aware
I’m double checking with my client about all kinds of choices I don’t normally need to ask about: Character names, hand gestures, clothing choices, etc., and my guess is that after testing it in the field they’ll come up with other tweaks we haven’t thought of yet. (I’m excited to learn what they’ll be!)

Goin’ Mobile

4/2014 Update : Since writing this post I’ve moved to a WordPress site with a highly dynamic user interface, so there’s no need to have a mobile version of the site anymore, plus I’ve redesigned it! So my little mobile site is going away, but it was fun while it lasted. Nonetheless, here’s my original post from June 2013:

I love that clients are now regularly asking for training that can be accessed via iPad and iPhone, so I’m spending more time on courses that make use of those devices in addition to those taken on PCs.

As always, it’s easier to spend time working on client projects rather than my own – but this week I had fun taking a few minutes to work on my own mobile project, which was to design a mobile version of my Training Stone site.

I created it using goMobi, and other than the fact that they seem to be having a little bit of difficulty getting mobile devices to automatically redirect to it (which I trust Support will correct very quickly), I’m really happy with it.

Though my site essentially exists as a virtual business card, rather than serving as an e-commerce site, it appears that goMobi would be very easy to set up for those, too.

It’s a Solution! It’s a Fest! It’s SolutionFest 2013!

I’m excited to share one of my projects at the E-Learning Guild’s Learning Solutions Conference as part of SolutionFest 2013 next month. Here’s a summary of the problem, my solution, and the result – plus a link to the project I’ll be sharing.

The Problem

My client needed to train new employees on their sales mobility software and hardware. The existing online training was abysmal, featuring:

• No audio and the whiz-bang pacing of a plow horse.
• No images beyond software screen captures and bullet points.
• No context or instruction to indicate why, when, or how the software should be used.
• No user control, no flexibility for different levels of knowledge, no opportunities for learners to practice, and no opportunities to test.

The Solution

I strove to create upside-down world as compared to that training.

• Context was my focus. If I could show learners when and how the software and hardware should be used, I’d be half way there. We show how the handheld integrates into the sales rep’s 24-hour day, so you see him (and his handheld) going home at night, sleeping, waking up, driving around, meeting his boss in the field, finding sales leads, calling on prospects, making sales, and more. In the introductory lessons, where a real-life sales rep would be taught by his or her manager, you see the sales rep being taught by his or her manager.

• Design carried the rest of the load. I wanted navigation designed for user control, flexibility, and free practice – and visual design that was attractive, playful, and kept the learner focused on what was important. Both types of design were intended to keep learners engaged and motivated.

• Tools I used included all programs in Articulate Studio ‘09 (Presenter was a client requirement), and PowerPoint 2010. The other client requirement was to design for delivery via LMS for learners on PCs, and, of course, to design and develop on a budget.

The Result

This course has just gone into full release, but the managers and trainers who have reviewed it have raved. (In a good way.) Many of them didn’t even realize that certain features existed on their Handhelds until they went through this course.

Their expectation is that employees will be far better prepared to work with their sales mobility handhelds by going through this training, and that going back to refresh their knowledge about a particular topic will also be easy to do.

A Sneak Peek

If you’d like to see what I’ll be sharing, feel free to take a look!

Learning & Using Articulate Storyline: So Far So Happy

I have a good excuse for not posting since discovering Articulate Storyline: I’ve been busy producing courses with it. I knew when I first tried it last March that it had great potential. After having used it consistently for the last six months, I can report that it has delivered beautifully.

Here’s my experience learning and using it so far: I learned it (keeping in mind that I was already fluent in the Articulate Suite programs) by:

1. Taking a one-day workshop at the E-Learning Guild’s Learning Solutions conference in Orlando last March, and Ron Price from Yukon Learning was an outstanding instructor.
2. Buying and referring to Diane Elkins and Desiree Pinder’s book E-Learning Uncovered: Articulate Storyline.
3. Referring to, as needed, Articulate’s extraordinarily helpful blogs and tutorials: http://community.articulate.com/tutorials/products/articulate-storyline.aspx.

My user experiences so far:

• Software-wise it’s stable, quick, and a pleasure to work with. (Quizmaker can only dream of stability like this.)
• Instruction-wise it lets me easily design courses and interactions that are creative, engaging, and effective.
• Development-wise it lets me build those courses quickly and easily. My first course took longer to build than those I’ve done since, of course, but once you’ve got your first course figured out, you’re on your way.
• Client-wise, my clients are thrilled with the variety of features and interactions I can now include, and they’ve never had issues delivering the courses to their learners via LMS.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. How about you?

Highlight of Learning Solutions 2012? Articulate Storyline!

No, I don’t work for Articulate. I’m just a hardworking, in-the-trenches e-learning designer & developer striving to produce the best possible courses in the most efficient amount of time so my clients get the best deal I can possibly give them.

It just so happened that when I went to this year’s E-Learning Guild conference in Orlando last week that I suddenly became an Articulate Storyline beta tester by virtue of signing up for an introductory class for this soon-to-be-released product. I’d heard great things – but who can really say until they get their hands on a piece of software and start using it?

The outstanding news is that it’s a fantastic product that I will buy the moment it comes out. The less fantastic news is that I’m probably not supposed to say much of anything about the details of what it does – but I’m good with that.

Keep your eyes open for upcoming webinars and events done by the fine folks at Articulate (I know Tom Kuhlmann has a series of 4 free webinars coming up via the Training Magazine Network), and who knows… maybe you’ll be a fan, too!

Tell Me a Story!

Learners love stories. The reason even old-school boring PowerPoint-laden instructor-led training can be mesmerizing is because the trainer is someone who brings real-life experiences that matter – to life.

So it’s no mystery that adding engaging stories to the rather sterile world of e-learning is a big plus for learners. Once they’ve been captured by a character they can follow, be surprised by, relate to, and/or learn from – they’re hooked.

I’ve been developing a couple of courses this week, and in both I’ve introduced a main character up front and used them as the framework for the trainings. The most entertaining part has been developing characters for a sexual harassment course. It’s clearly not an amusing topic, but bringing the “villain” to life has been an awful lot of fun, and the learner has a far better chance of remembering the (boooooooring) content by relating it to a character. (You’re welcome, learners!)

Cammy Bean from Kineo does a great job of giving examples of storytelling and use of character in her “Yawn-Proof Your E-Learning” presentation, a version of which you can probably find online if you take a look around. I highly recommend taking a look.

Quick E-Courses + Learning Journal = Blended Training that Works

There’s nothing better than finding fresh ideas in the e-learning community to create new training solutions. This week I got great ideas from Ray Jimenez and Tom Kuhlmann that I’m going to use to design new courses I’m excited about.

On Wednesday I attended Ray’s webinar Designing 3-Minute or Less eLearning Programs. It pulled together the best current approaches for using highly-relevant situations and letting learners problem-solve, fail, and discover their own solutions – all while working in simulated stressful or urgent e-learning situations – presented in a quick, engaging format. As a learner, I would run to take a course like that.

On Tuesday I was also happy to see Tom Kuhlmann’s blog post about creating a learning journal to pull together the pieces and parts of training, including e-learning, in a hard-copy journal. I’ve used workbooks to pull together classroom and on-the-job training, but I’ve not fully exploited them when it comes to the e-learning pieces. 

The idea of having a place to pose in-depth follow-up questions to discuss with a supervisor, or including other real-world assignments that build on the e-learning pieces, is great – but having a structured place to take notes or write down ideas during the e-learning courses is also a big deal.

I once had to take about 30 e-learning courses where there was no way to take notes – not a single scrap of paper or writing instrument within the training orbit. I ended up using a company-issue mini-pencil and micro-notebook to take mini-micro notes only a highly-educated ant could read. Stressful? Yes. Helpful? No.   

So my excitement this week is being able to design – right now! – at least two brand new courses for clients whose learners will thrive using this approach.

Short, immediately useful, and genuinely challenging e-learning courses combined with real-world on-the-job assignments and, in some cases, instructor-led classroom activities – all tied together with a well-designed learning journal – are just what the instructional designer ordered.