9 Ways to Build Your Next Online Software Training

The other day someone asked for different ways to present simple screencast videos. They didn’t want an elaborate production process. Instead just a few ideas to help them change up the way they’re currently doing their screencasts for their online software training.

I regularly put together simple screencast videos. Sometimes I’ll play with different ways to present the information. Below are a few examples from the blog over the past couple of years. I highlight some of the things I did to mix it up a bit.

In the example below, I demonstrated how sometimes it’s easier to use static images to teach about software than creating a video. Some of the benefits of this approach are smaller file size, easier updating, and less production time.

This example was built in PowerPoint. So if you don’t have a different application, you can still create some simple interactivity that mirrors the software training.

Click here to view the demo.

Form-based tools are nice because they make production super simple. All you do is add your content to the form. This can be text, narration, images, or video. And then you hit publish. The software does the rest because it’s already designed to do something very specific. That means fewer decisions for you and a faster production time.

Click here to view the simple software training demo.

In the demo above, I used an image of the software I was training (in this case Articulate Storyline). Then I inserted some labels on top of the image to highlight features of the software.

This demo has three labels to show what you can do:

Text only: the easiest to do Image & narration: added a more detailed image to dig deeper and recorded some narration to explain more Video screencast: which lets me chunk up the video part of the training into smaller and more targeted videos.

Below are a few tutorials that I’ve done in the past. They’re mostly video screencasts. But sometimes I like to mix up how I present them. This way I can play with ideas on the look and layouts. I also try to add some interactive elements if I can.

In this example, the main page mirrors the free PowerPoint template. I broke the tutorial into three chunks and used the circles as a menu.

Click here to view the software training example.

You’ll also notice that once complete, the circles indicate a visited state to show that the tutorial has been viewed.

Here is a somewhat different take on the tutorial page. I was playing around with some drag & drop ideas where the end user selects a video and drops it in a box which loads the video.

Click here to view the software training example.

The tutorial below looks different but is similar in design. And here’s a follow up post on how to make the interactive tutorials more practical in their usability since the drag & drop interaction is novel, but maybe not always practical.

Click here to view the software training example.

It’s easier to build a simple click interaction to play the video tutorials. But sometimes the contrast of doing something different (like a drag & drop) helps engage the person during the training.

Original posts:

In this example I start the tutorial with a simple page that explains the series of tutorials. The first tutorial just goes to just the video. For the second tutorial, I added a start image with the idea that you can quickly brand or describe the video prior to clicking.

Click here to view the software training example.

You’ll also notice that in this demo I chose not to use the player controls so the profile of the course is a bit different.

For this example I tried a different looking layout and some animations to make the menu screen less static. On each button there’s an animated icon and tutorial description.

Click here to view the software training example.

Each video starts with a washed out screen and title bar graphic. This fades away as the video plays. I also added an interactive menu for quick access to the other tutorials.

Click here to view the software training example.

This example is pretty generic because it just starts right with the screencast tutorial. I threw it in as a way to show some contrast compared to the examples above.

What I like about some of the other examples is that there’s more visual indication of what the tutorial covers. You don’t get that with just the video, unless you add some details to the screen like a starter image or title graphic.

In this last example, the software training has links to four tutorials with descriptive titles. And the tutorials have a visited state to indicate that they’ve been viewed.

Click here to view the software training example.

So there you have it, simple examples of different ways to build your screencast tutorials. The easiest thing is to just record the screencast video and upload it to a server. But sometimes it helps to change things up. That’s what I showed with these examples.

My favorite demo is the last one. I like it because it’s a combination of tutorials with visited states. I also like the simple title graphic and that it is consistent across the other tutorials.

Hopefully these examples inspire your own ideas for your next screencast or online software training. Which of the examples above do you like best and why? Or what would you recommend for those just getting started? I look forward to your comments.

March 11-12: Phoenix, AZ (ASTD). Become a Rapid E-Learning Pro & Getting Started with Articulate Storyline. Register here.

March 19: Sydney (iDESIGNX): I’m excited to attend my first conference in Australia. Looking forward to meeting many of the blog readers there. I’ll also be in town for two days of workshops. Sign up before it sells out.

April: Indianapolis (ASTD). Details coming.

May: Fargo, ND (ASTD). Details coming.

June 11 & 12: Lincoln (ASTD). Details coming.

October: Dallas (ASTD). Details coming.

More to follow.

Post written by Tom Kuhlmann

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Another bandwagon I’m avoiding…

… is the annual ‘Learning at Work Day’ (I’m not linking to it out of principle)

What I can’t wrap my head around is that in recent years we, as L&D professionals have (and are) taking considerable steps in:

So why, once a year, do many of us jump on this particular bandwagon and before you say

“it’s nice to give it its own space”

or

“it’s good to concentrate and focus on it”

know that my response will be

“what are you doing for the other 364 days of the year”

“why aren’t you/your organisation concentrating on embedding learning and performance in every day life and if you are, why the need for this ‘focus’ once a year?”

Hell, why don’t we have an annual ‘Performing at Work’ day? (can you imagine how that would go down with your leadership team?)

I know it’s ‘fashionable’ to get on these sorts of bandwagons and with many ‘trendy’ names backing this, I’m sure that I’ll get some flack for these thoughts…….

Incoming…….

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My day playing at marketing at #AMC13

Earlier today I attended Another Marketing Conference in order to try and (as I said in this previous post) gain a different perspective on ‘changing behaviours’ from outside the L&D bubble that I’ve found myself living in.

Readers of my ‘Small Chunks‘ post will know that instead of trying to capture every piece of information that is conveyed during conference sessions I always try and identify ‘small chunks’ that I can take away and work on as opposed to HUGE strategic-thinking pieces.

09:30

You can’t have too much data! or can you?

Peter Waggett
Emerging Technology, IBM

Data is everywhere and it is now easy to capture information on our customers and prospects. Getting beyond the hype associated with Big Data requires understanding of the data and knowledge to turn it into something actionable. This talk will discuss the issues associated with the practical and responsible use of Big Data and detail future trends.

My takeaways from this session:

Peter told us the story of ‘Millenium Challenge‘, a US Military exercise in which the ‘friendly’ force mulled over its data for so long that the ‘opposing’ force just went ahead and ‘destroyed’ several key US assets. In other words, data analysis is all well and good, but without any ‘action/decision’, well…… it’s just…… data analysis! This is something that I’ll research further and if tenable, I’ll keep it up my sleeve should it ev er look like I’m in danger of being forced into ‘analysis paralysis’!

Peter talked us through the Jeopardy / Watson exercise (as he put it, Siri on steroids!). He reckons that in 5-6 years this level of semantic technology will be on the High Streets – another nail in the coffin for L&D or another wonderful opportunity?

10:00

What Nokia did next

Richard Murphy
Global Director of eCommerce, Nokia

For years Nokia was the most desirable brand when it came to mobile phones. However, the smartphone revolution shook things up.

Consumers have changed and so has marketing. The pace of change is accelerating, putting more pressure on organisations to embrace this new digital reality and transform the way they market. How Nokia embraced this new digital reality will offer comfort and inspiration to all of us trying to change our approaches and cultures.

My takeaways from this session:

Richard identified the physical commuting routes his bosses took into work and bought  the posters/advertising space along that route! The feedback from his bosses was great!

Whilst I have no need to go that far, I do think there is some value in locating a lot of my mandatory training campaign material within eyeshot of our Directors office door, not only to ‘big up’ what we’re doing, but more critically to encourage the cascade of the messages from Director level.

10:30

Seamless brand building

Julie Strawson
Director of Marketing, Monotype

A look at how technology can challenge your brand, why the process of branding is changing and how to deliver reliable on-brand experiences at every consumer touchpoint.

Julie will also reveal the results of a new piece of research into how publishing is changing and what’s on offer for advertisers across 100 leading consumer titles conducted by Brand Perfect, Monotype’s community for brands, designers and developers.

My takeaways from this session:

My upcoming mandatory training ‘revamp’ will adopt a campaign approach. Julie reminded us that we need to have a cohesive and seamless experience from one format to another. Many of the videos and animations from the campaign will reside inside our internal collaboration platform, which unfortunately (as it sits in the public domain) requires a login everytime you open the platform up. This isn’t much of a problem when ‘deskbound’ as the platform forms a part of many people’s workflows, it becomes a problem however when I start to encourage people to access the media from their mobile devices as I feel that asking people to ‘log in’ from their mobile device is only likely to create another barrier to the content.

To get around this problem, I plan to dual-host the videos within a Vimeo Pro account. This will allow mobile users to get access to the content quickly and seamlessly as advised by Julie.

11:45

It’s all about ME (Marketing Effectiveness)

Julie Roberts
Marketing Effectiveness Director, TMW

How do we measure our true success? How do we know if we are being effective? And how can we improve? Investing in ‘big data’ is pointless without a concrete effectiveness strategy. Julie will look at, with the increasing amounts of data available, how we should plan, do, check and (importantly) act in 2013.

My takeaways from this session:

I’ll be honest, this was my least enjoyable/useful session of the day which is a pity as this was the one I was hoping to get the most from due to the work I am doing at the moment.  There was a LOT of being talked at, poor slide design, lots of “I’m sure everybody is aware of xyz“, rushing through content etc

So I thought I’d try and glean something from this session….

5 basic questions for marketing

Research – conduct some! (online, panels, in-store)Hypothesise – ask bite-sized questions & build nimble analytical modelsSet parameters – use a simple allocation modelSpecialists – internally & externally, central co-ordinating role & clear RACIs

12:15

Mapping human behaviour with immersive experiences

Jon Dodd
Managing Director, Bunnyfoot

How do we develop products, services and websites that provide customers with a rich, immersive and satisfying experience? What are the little peculiar human behaviours that we need to be aware of and tap into?

My takeaways from this session:

Never consider going into neuroscience!!! Mind. Blown.

Read up on Norman’s 6 Design Principles

14:00

The hedgehog and the fox – and why the social sciences are plural for a reason

Rory Sutherland
Vice Chairman, Ogilvy UK

Recent evidence suggests that our brains – and hence the way we make decisions – may be more variegated than we think – or than we want to believe. One of the implications is that single models of human behaviour may be woefully inadequate, or even misleading. We simply need to accept that a single toolbox may never work

My takeaways from this session:

All models are wrong; but some are useful – and some are dangerous!

Rory suggested

Anybody with a ‘number’, trumps anybody with an ‘abstract noun’ – I’ve had some recent successes when quoting/demonstrating Ebbinghuas’ Forgetting Curve. I’m going to make sure that I have more numbers in my back pocket.

Don’t get bogged down in the attitudinal aspect, make it easy for people change their behaviours and they will construct their own reasons for doing so.

Rory shared this video with us. I can’t for the life of me remember what the context was, but it’s funny so what the Hell!

14:30

Context and content: the two pillars of mobile marketing

Paul Berney
Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Marketing Association

When it comes to mobile marketing it is vital that we understand how to deliver our content and the role that context plays in how that content is received.

Paul will talk about how the plethora of small screens is changing the way we need to think about our mobile strategies and whether or not we think that it really affects us.

My takeaways from this session:

Include a mobile call to action on my mandatory training campaign material that I can expect people to be accessing via mobile devices. As I’m planning on using Delivr.com to manage my mobile delivery I’ll be able to place the ‘call to action’ on the media landing page as opposed to having to place it on the poster (so can reduce environmental impact, printing costs etc)

I’d been planning to link out to videos / animations etc from physical posters/pop up banners etc, I’m still going to do this, however Paul provided an example of AR enabled sports tickets which has prompted me consider other options for linking the physical world with the online world.

Paul also shared this video with us, makes you think eh?

15:45

Predatory thinking

Dave Trott
Executive Creative Director, The Gate London

One of the most respected figures in advertising, Dave Trott, talks about the importance of the creative spark and how we need to manage our teams and our time to release a little bit more of that inner creative mischief.

My takeaways from this session:

Alas, by this point I had had to dash for my train to start any chance of getting home at a reasonable hour. This is a pity as the tweets that were coming out of Dave’s session suggested he was ‘plain speaking’ which would have made a nice change from one or two of the other speakers.

My overall observations of the day:

It was blatantly clear from every session that online/digital/mobile was a critical element of any behaviour changing marketing plan. Dare I say it, but the level and depth of conversation far exceeded the conversations that I see at most (not all) L&D conferences, a clear indication (I think) about how far behind we are in our thinking???

I have to admit that at times some of the conversation was above my head. I’m not saying this is a bad thing because let’s be honest I was ‘out of my usual comfort zone’ so I guess it’s to be expected, but it also served as a reminder to check the language and references that I use when speaking to people within my organisation around subjects that are within my comfort zone, but very possibly outside of theirs.

It was a welcome relief to hear that the general approach I’m taking with my organisations mandatory training in terms of creating a campaign around it, is broadly spot on. I strongly suspect that my attendance at this conference will help to tweak some of the ideas we are planning to ensure that they have the maximum chance of hitting home and changing behaviour.

Biggest non-surprise of the day was that there were no other Learning Professionals there (at least none that I could ascertain during the breaks and lunch), which is a real shame….. perhaps next year?

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Podcast #26: One month on…

Devlearn 12

Craig chats with Bianca Woods about what they took away from Devlearn 12, but more importantly what they’ve been able to implement back in their organisations in the 6 weeks since Devlearn concluded.

Bianca also shares her tips on how to maximise your engagement with your ‘non conference attending’ colleagues prior to, during and after any conference attendance.

Listening time: 25 mins

Download the podcast in m3 format: Podcast #26 One month on..

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Shownotes

Bianca’s blog

Music Source

Image Source

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Designing #mlearning Book Review – Chapter 6

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I intend to provide a brief synopsis of each chapter of ‘Designing mlearning‘, but more importantly I intend to answer the questions that Clark poses at the end of each chapter and then pose those same questions back to you ‘Dear Reader‘

Chapter 6 – Getting Concrete

This chapter provides an insight into several real-world, concrete examples which demonstrate a range of mlearning possibilities and applications, each of them following this template. (which with a little tweaking, would make a nice business case template)

The organisation: Who was involved?The challenge: What was the need?Why mobile: What made mobile a solution?Making the case: How was the solution presented?The solution: What was actually done?The benefits: What was expected?The results: What was observed?Lessons learned: What recommendations came out of this project?

There were an impressive number of examples in this chapter and I won’t spoil your future reading by going into each one, however what I will highlight is a few surprises that some of these case studies held for me?

I had always assumed that Blackberry was a particularly crappy platform to develop for and in turn deliver content via, this assumption was based upon the low number of apps available for BB and the teeth-sucking and eye-rolling that took place whenever BB development was suggested to some former colleauges. This chapter helped to reshape my perceptions of what can be achieved via BB as a result of reading a case study which centered around the delivery of pharmaceutical sales training and performance support to field sales teams utilising their BB Bold 9000 and 9700 devices. This reshaping of my BB expectations will certainly be of use to me on in my new role within an organisation whose mobile solutions at this moment in time, is BB.

Reading many of these case studies also brought to light just how long many people/organisations/vendors have been developing mobile solutions (as we might define them today) with Hybrid Learning Systems developing XML SCORM compliant mobile solutions in 2006 – that’s 6 years ago folks!

There are no questions being posed at the end of this chapter, which was a little disappointing as I found that in previous chapters they had helped to focus my thoughts and gave me an opportunity to openly reflect and share.

View the original article here

Now I wasn't expecting that!!

Many of you will know that I didn’t really take my first formal foray into Learning Technologies until 10 months ago at the Learning Technologies conference. Since then I have taken what I consider to be an active role in pursuing current and emerging technologies and using them as part of my own Personal Learning Network to (if I may say so myself) some success.

Over the past 10 months I have become an active Twitter user which has led me to connect with some wonderful people, allowed me to attend some great workshops and has allowed me to work with some great organisations. I have created my own Blog and am truly benefiting from the reflection that this provides me, I have set up my own Delicious, Flickr, Slideshare and YouTube accounts. I have also started to introduce the concept of Social Media and Learning Technologies to my organisation. But I had never for a moment, not one moment expected that my lowly activities would warrant anybodys attention.

How wrong I was…

.. During the summer I was speaking with the wonderful @juliewedgwood who suggested that the story of my ‘first 12 months with Learning Technologies’ might be a story that others would be interested in, that might convince others that you don’t have to have lengthy experience in this field to implement these tools and start to benefit from them and suggested that I speak to @DonaldHTaylor on the subject.

And so it came to pass that 2 emails, 1 face-to-face meeting and a phone call later and I am really chuffed (and proud) to announce that I have been asked to speak at the Learning Technologies Conference 2011 on the subject of ‘Getting started with learning technologies‘

If you’d like to find out how a real novice has gone about using these technologies then why  not register to attend the Learning Technologies Conference 2011?

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Get your foot in the door – First Aid

I think I’m fairly safe in saying that regardless of what organisation you are in, your employees are just as much at risk of having an accident or an ailment as the next person.

So of course the ability for them to be able to respond accordingly is in everybody’s interest. I’m sure there’s some form of ‘law’ that states that employers should have suitably trained people and that’s all well and good, but how likely is it that that person will be ‘on the scene’ as it happens? When did that person last undertake that treatment for ‘real’ or under assessment?I’m certainly not saying that those roles aren’t important, but why not augment that role by providing First Aid training / performance support to ‘all’ via their mobile devices?

If your employees are as prone to slips, trip, falls, cuts, grazes, (and worse) as the rest of us mere mortals then you’ve got a wonderful opportunity to ‘get your foot in the door‘ and prove the worth of performance support via mobile devices.

Why not take a look at these apps and consider whether you might want to direct your colleagues to them?

First Aid by British Red Cross (iOS) – £FREE

First Aid by British Red Cross (Android) – £FREE

(I have actually downloaded and used this app myself, check out the app store reviews for my thoughts)

Inevitably there will be some people who do not have a mobile device and will bemoan the fact that you are offering their colleagues who do have a mobile device something that they themselves are unable to benefit from, or they will complain over the fact that the apps cost money – don’t let this put you off.

Simply tell them to carry on using whatever tool or process they have always used – simples!!!

And you know what? Even if people don’t opt for these apps, you may have just sewn the seeds for them to look for an alternative….

Good luck and let me know how you get on

The blog post that started it all

Image source

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