IconLogic

April 25, 2016

Articulate Storyline: Adding JavaScript

by Kevin Siegel

If you've used Articulate Storyline at all, you have likely discovered for yourself that triggers can perform robust interactivity and calculations. However, triggers will take you only so far. Storyline can go beyond its built-in functionality by employing JavaScript, a standard scripting language used by web developers to create interactive web-based content.

Storyline allows you to execute JavaScript in your projects that perform several useful functions. For instance, you can attach a JavaScript to a button that allows learners to print a slide. Here's how:

Open or create a Storyline project and then insert a button on a slide (or select an existing button).

Create a new trigger, and from the Action drop-down menu, choose Execute JavaScript.

From the Script area, click Add/Edit JavaScript (the three dots) to open the Javascript dialog box. This is where you can type the JavaScript, paste it if you have already copied it to the clipboard, or link to it if the script is located externally.

Type window.print(); in the Javascript dialog box.

The text you just typed is about as simple as JavaScript gets. The word "window" is a browser object that calls the current browser window. The word "print" is a method that calls the browser print functionality. When you call a method you often need an array (arrays go between the open and closed parentheses). In this instance, there are no arrays needed but the parentheses are still required (even if empty).

Click the OK button twice to close both dialog boxes.

If you publish the lesson and click the button, the print dialog box will open and you'll be able to print the slide.

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Looking for Storyline or Adobe Captivate training, check out these live, online classes.

April 13, 2016

Adobe Captivate: Mac Cures

by Kevin Siegel

I've gotten several emails over the past few weeks about some pesky issues Macintosh users are having with Adobe Captivate: adding captions during the recording process (in most instances you don't get any text captions at all) and stopping the recording process using keyboard shortcuts (try as you might, pressing the recommended shortcuts does nothing at all and you end up with a mess while trying to record screen actions).

Fortunately, both problems are easily fixed. First, quit Captivate and then open your Mac's System Preferences (Apple > System Preferences). Click Security & Privacy.

Select the Privacy category and, from the Allow the apps below to control your computer area, select Adobe Captivate.app. (Note that you might first need to click the padlock icon in the lower left of the window.)

Privacy Settings_ Allow the apps to control your computer

Start Captivate and create a software simulation. This time, in addition to being able to stop the recording process, your new project should also include captions (assuming you enabled the feature prior to recording).

And here's another issue that's been reported: when attempting to create a software simulation on a Mac, the red recording area doesn't show up (meaning you really can't create the simulation). I've found that this issue typically occurs for people using two or more monitors. The fix for me is to move what I'm trying to capture to my main monitor and record from there (versus trying to record on the second or third monitor). You can also visit your System Preferences > Displays. Select the Arrangement category and enable Mirror Displays.

While you should now be able to capture your main display with Captivate, the glory of having 20 monitors (show off) will be negated until you return to the Arrangement category and disable Mirror Displays.

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Looking to get a jump start on creating software simulations with Adobe Captivate? Check out our newest mini course: Adobe Captivate: Creating Software Simulations. And if you're looking for our full, multi-day Captivate classes, check these out.

April 8, 2016

Adobe RoboHelp: The User Defined Variable Converter Script

by Willam van Weelden

User Defined Variables are a great way to manage content that appears frequently in your RoboHelp project. Variables allow you to change all occurrences of say, your company name in your project from a single location.

If you have already created a RoboHelp project but weren't aware of variables, you will be happy to learn that there is a script that quickly converts all occurrences of a word or phrase to a variable.

In my example below, I'm going to use the script to replace the word IconLogic shown below to a variable.

Make a backup of your project (this script will update your topics, and its better to be safe than sorry).
Choose Tools > Scripts > UDV Converter with UI.
In the Enter value to replace field, type a word or phrase. (I've entered IconLogic.)
In the Enter new UDV name field, add the name of the variable to be created. In this case, I used CompanyName.
In the Enter UDV value field, add a value for the variable. (In this case, I used the phrase IconLogic, Inc.)
Click Convert.

The script will go through the project and convert the text you indicated into a variable. In my example, the word IconLogic changed into the variable CompanyName. Because the value of the variable is IconLogic, Inc, that's the text users will see.

Note: When running the script, only topic content is updated. (You can see in the image above that the topic title in the tab is left unchanged). If you want to modify the title, you will have to manually apply the variable in the topic title. Also, if your variables aren't green, check out my article about showing variables in topics.

April 7, 2016

eLearning: Attention, Attention!

by Kevin Siegel

A few years ago I wrote about the perfect playtime for an eLearning lesson (or module). In my article, I referenced a piece by the BBC, Turning into Digital Goldfish, where the author said "The addictive nature of web browsing can leave you with an attention span of a goldfish."

In my eLearning 101: Introduction to eLearning class, I discuss learner attention span and refer often to the domestic goldfish. Believe it or not, research has been done that says the attention span of a goldfish is actually 9 seconds.

Attention spans

So does that mean that a person surfing the web gets distracted in 9-seconds? Of course not, that would be silly. In my class, I tell attendees that typical human attention spans are between 12 and 15 seconds. 15 seconds! Does that surprise you? If so, look at the bright side… that's better than a goldfish.

And as I mentioned in my first article, an adult learner accessing your eLearning content will have an even greater attention span than a typical web surfer. In my experience developing eLearning, I put the attention span of an adult learner at 15-20 seconds per slide or scene. But I have long come to realize that if the slide/scene plays any longer, my learners will begin to fog out.

Times have changed… and I need your attention for another moment (see what I did there?).

Remember when I said that the typical attention span of a web surfer was 9 seconds? Hold onto your hat. According to Microsoft and an article published online by Time, we now lose our concentration in a mere 8 seconds. That's right… we've now gone "sub-goldfish."

According to the article, "Microsoft found that since the year 2000 (or about when the mobile revolution began) the average attention span dropped from 12 seconds to eight seconds."

The article went on to say, "Microsoft theorized that the changes were a result of the brain's ability to adapt and change itself over time and a weaker attention span may be a side effect of evolving to a mobile Internet.

"The survey also confirmed generational differences for mobile use; for example, 77% of people aged 18 to 24 responded 'yes' when asked, 'When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phone,' compared with only 10% of those over the age of 65."

I'd love your feedback on this. What kind of attention span are you seeing with your eLearning? And given your findings, how long are your typical eLearning modules playing? (Feel free to leave your feedback as comments below.)

April 5, 2016

Adobe Captivate Prime: The Fluidic Player

by Sean Mullen

The Fluidic Player is the universal content playback experience for Captivate Prime and allows for a simple, unified playback experience, regardless of the type of content being played. Content types include MP4, PPTXs, DOCX, Adobe Captivate or Adobe Presenter projects, SCORM or AICC packages, and even xAPI-compliant content for your mLearning projects. Thank you HTML5!

Adding the Fluidic Player is really smart on Adobe's part, something they clearly heard loud and clear when speaking with customers for the two years they took to design and develop Captivate Prime. The Captivate Prime team also manages the Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter products. Both tools allow you to create customized playback experiences for the learner. While this flexibility is great for the content developer, it isn't always ideal for the learner because they need to learn how to use/access different playbars, sidebars, player icons, TOCs, Notes, and Search options, just to name a few.

Thanks to the Fluidic Player, learners will be able to bookmark any section of the course, or add explanatory notes at any point in their content, which they can reference during revisions.

My hope is that down the road the Notes can be shared with other learners in an organization.

There are also buttons on the Player for a TOC, Closed Captions, and Full Screen.

The Table of Contents is clean, but maybe a bit light on features at the moment. Closed captioning, which appears across the bottom of the content, also has a clean appearance. Lastly, the Full Screen toggle works great and is very responsive.

April 4, 2016

Using Color as an eLearning Guide

by Sally Cox

You've selected a palette of colors for your eLearning project, so your concerns about color are over, right? Not exactly. Simply picking a handful of colors doesn't mean they will complement each other and guide the learner through your course. What's that you say? You didn't know that color can be an eLearning guide? Absolutely, it can.

I'm designing a course (I always start in Adobe Illustrator but these tips apply for any application) and I have selected this lovely green as one of the colors to use for elements (buttons, etc.) within my course.

This color can be useful for drawing attention to certain areas of a slide, but it can also distract the learner if overused or covering a large area.

In the image below I've used the green as a slide background. In my experience, the green is too bright and covers too large an area.

Adjusting the color value

The "value" or the color, or "brightness," can be toned down to make it more effective. Here's how to achieve this in Illustrator.

In the Swatch panel of Illustrator (Window > Swatches), choose the color you wish to work with by doubling-clicking it.

When I double-click a swatch, I see the Swatch Options dialog box.

You can choose to name the color and double check that it's set to Process and RGB.

To alter the value of the color, hold down Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and drag one of the RGB sliders. Because you held that key, the three sliders interact together and the value changes without altering the ratios. Dragging to the left darkens; dragging to the right lightens. (If you don't hold down that key and drag the sliders, you will change it to a completely different color.)

Look at the variations I got while using this method on my green swatch. Lovely!

Let's compare the original slide and the new one with the darker value. I think it works much better, is far less distracting. Below you can see I lightened the text in the final version. By making the text a light "value," it draws more attention to it.

A Lesson on Distraction

In this example, I have three bright squares in the grid, and the rest are a dark gray.

Notice that all three squares are vying for your attention. I find it hard to focus on just one thing. Remember this when you are laying out your slides: too many bright elements can cause confusion for the learner. Always keep the focus of the slide in your sights, and design accordingly. Limit the number of brights, or adjust the values to tone down the other elements on the slide.

Value Affects Accessibility & Readability

And finally, the color value affects readability and can cause disabled people to be unable to view your content. Keep it high contrast so everyone–including the disabled–can access it.

People with a visual or motion impairment might use a machine called a "screen reader" to access your online content. The screen reader relays the description of the content back to the learner. If the content is too low contrast, the screen reader cannot decipher it. FAIL.

Here is an example of "high contrast" which has excellent readability.

This one is "low contrast," which makes it difficult to read or translate.

Red is considered by many to have negative connotations. So unless it's part of the brand and you cannot alter it, considering darkening the value.

This is a darker red, with a darker value. It still draws attention but it far less threatening to the learner.

Summary

Remember to consider all factors about a color before choosing it. Ensure it works well with the other colors, and be sure you have a nice mixture of bright and darker values for really effective eLearning.

Hope you found this information on color "valu"able!

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If you'd like to attend some awesome 3-hour mini courses that focus on eLearning, check these out.

March 31, 2016

TechSmith Camtasia: Cursor Effects

by Kevin Siegel

If you attend my introduction to TechSmith Camtasia mini course, you learn how to use the Camtasia Recorder tool to create a software demonstration pretty early. During the recording process you will, of course, capture every click you make with your mouse. Later, in the Studio, you can elect to hide the mouse completely, or add some nifty cursor effects that can enhance the learner experience.

To add Cursor Effects, record a video using the Recorder and add it to a Camtasia Studio project. (Don't forget to also add the video to the Timeline.)

Double-click the video you added to the Timeline to move the Playhead to the beginning of the video and then Preview.

As the video plays, pay particular attention to the mouse cursor. It's moving around the screen just fine, but you can't hear or see any visual mouse clicks.

To add a click sound and visual effect, on the Timeline, double-click the video object again to move the Playhead back to the beginning of the video. Then choose Tools > Cursor Effects.

The Cursor Properties appear. From here you can hide the Mouse cursor or add effects. For instance, from the Left-click effect drop-down menu, choose Rings.

Preview the video. And just like that, Camtasia adds a nifty effect every time the mouse was clicked during the recording process. How cool is that?

You can add click sound effects to the cursor just as easily. From the Cursor effects panel (Tools > Cursor effects), click the arrow to the left of Click sound effect to expand the options. From the Left click drop-down menu, choose Mouse click.

You can click the yellow speaker icon at the right to hear the sound effect. And as with the visual effects, you can preview the video to hear the mouse click sound you just added.

If you'd like to see how to add Cursor Effects in Camtasia, check out this video that I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

March 28, 2016

eLearning Audio: Sound Absorbers

by Kevin Siegel

During a recent online meeting (we use GoToMeeting), I decided to use my fancy Blue Yeti microphone. It's probably my favorite microphone ever. However, during the meeting, I was told that my audio had a bit of an echo.

My home-office won't ever be confused with a sound studio. When I record my voiceover audio, I make everything as quiet as possible. Nevertheless, the room itself doesn't have the kind of sound-absorbing cushions you'd find in traditional studios. Sure the room has paintings on the wall, furniture, and the typical things you'd find in any office, but the sound waves in my voice still bounce around the room and cause the echo.

Because adding sound-absorbing panels to my office isn't an option (they'd stop the sound from bouncing around the room… but they're, how do I say it delicately… ugly), I went in search of a portable solution.

My search took me from booths that are as big as a small room (you enter them through a door such as the Taytrix SBK) to sound-absorbing kits.

I wanted a truly portable sound-absorbing option that would sit on my desk (or travel well should the need arise). The range of options for portable sound booths included a cubicle-type booth (portable perhaps but I just couldn't see it sitting on my desk).

There are also boxes that can accommodate your microphone and your head.

I'm not claustrophobic so I might be able to use a coffin-like booth as shown in the image above, but I'm betting several of you are freaking out just thinking about it.

So let's move on…

In the end, I went with the ARF-05 Portable Vocal Booth. First of all, it looks cool. My 12-year-old even said so the second she saw it (and she thinks everything is lame).

It's inexpensive, very portable (collapses pretty small in seconds), and can hold the microphone on a bracket so it's always in the same position (I don't currently use the bracket because I'm too lazy to put it on, but I plan to install it soon).

I know you're dying to see how the ARF-05 looks on my desk, so here you go:

I've recorded several audio clips using my new setup. I'm happy to report that my audio quality when hosting training classes using GoToTraining or meetings via GoToMeeting, and the quality of my voiceover audio in my eLearning lessons, have all improved dramatically.

What are you using to absorb unwanted sounds in your home/office recording "studio?" Feel free to share your setup as comments below.

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Looking for training on all things eLearning? Check out this live, online mini course.

March 25, 2016

Jargon Watch: Just Say “No” To Trainings and eLearnings

by Jennie Ruby

From the sound of crickets chirping in my inbox, I can only assume that I have now been written out of the lists of true grammarians for my defense of "trainings"! The one reply I got to my article suggesting that we allow the words "training" and "eLearning" to become plural seems to give the final word on this usage. Thank you Jennifer De Vries for your thoughtful reply:

Honestly, I just always thought that the people who used the word "trainings" were those who were thrown into training because they were a SME. To me, it was an immediate flag that the person didn't have formal education in the training/learning field. I never heard anyone who was trained in our field use that word. (Definition of trained in our field includes degree, certification, and certificate programs. I bet IconLogic doesn't use the word "trainings" in their courses. [Touché!])

I do a lot of strategy work, and I do use the word "offerings" to describe what's in the LMS' catalog. I also use the words "courses" and "products." This fits because most of my work is with "for sale" eLearning offerings, rather than internal training. I may even combine learning, training, or education with these words. (e,g. training products, educational offerings, eLearning courses)

I don't think we should adapt to the way amateurs describe our work products. I think we need to educate people who work in our field, so that they use professional terms properly. The ATD glossary is my source of truth when it comes to learning/training terminology. I use it all the time when I educate my clients about what they are buying.

Note: The word "trainings" is not in this glossary.

Most professions have a set of terminology. It's important for us as learning professionals to have a glossary like this so that the professionals all speak the same language to mean the same thing. This is more critical now that over 50% of training is delivered via technology. The amateurs will always do what they want, but if the professionals all speak the same language, it's easier to identify the amateurs.

P.S. And a lot of people who develop Learning Systems don't utilize personnel with Learning background, and I think they should include Learning professionals in their GUI development and user testing. There are a lot of Learning Management Systems out there that aren't even Learning Management Systems by the ATD definition of the term. Mark Rudden was right to object. I wouldn't event consider buying an LMS that didn't use the language of our field properly.

Jennifer De Vries

So we have our answer: no s on training or eLearning.

Here are some other words that our readers sent in as new jargon. I'd love to get a feel from you as to which of these words you would allow versus disallow into our technical vocabulary.

Please copy these and paste as comments below. Type Y or N beside each. Additional commentary very welcome as well!

actionable (it used to mean you could sue someone, now it means you can use something)
around ("particularly around talent development")
c-suite
curate
curated
curation
cybersecurity
disruptive innovation
enhanced capabilities
gamification
interoperability
intersectionality
iterative
leverage
message
navigating
out there ("there are not a lot of resources out there")
resource
source
space
talent development (means training)
visuals

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Check out Jennie's eLearning writing classes and ensure both your voiceover scripts and eLearning scripts are ready for prime time!

March 22, 2016

Camtasia Studio: Locking Tracks

by Kevin Siegel

You know that saying that the cobbler's kids have the worst shoes? Or perhaps the one where the doctor's kids are always the sickest… something like that anyway. It's sort of the same thing for trainers… there's never time to attend training. When it comes to software, we're often on our own and have to learn via the "click and a prayer" methodology.

When I first started using Camtasia, I "clicked and prayed" as I tried to figure how things worked. (Mind you that this was long before I'd figured things out and written several books on Camtasia.)

I was like any new user–I was developing eLearning content with zero training. Nevertheless, what I lacked in training I made up for with an abundance of energy and hope (hope that I was doing things correctly and the button I was about to click wasn't going to delete my project).

At one point, I wanted to delete part of an audio clip on the Timeline. I'd figured how to make a selection by dragging the green and red Playhead ports. (Shown below. The green icon is known as the "in-port" (or "in-point"), the red icon is known as the "out-port" (or "out-point").

Using the ports to make a selection in Camtasia

Once I had a segment selected, I clicked the Cut tool on the Timeline and successfully deleted the segment.

It certainly seemed like all that praying had paid off, and I went on and did about a million other things to the project.

It wasn't until much later that I realized, much to my horror, that while I had deleted the selected audio as intended, I'd also deleted video segments, images, and other parts of my project. Apparently, when you make a selection on the Timeline, items above and below the selection are also selected… in every track.

Because I had saved several times (I'm a very efficient saver) and closed and reopened my project, the Undo command wasn't a viable option. Sadly, I had pretty much trashed much of my work.

Lesson learned! If you need to delete part of segment on the Camtasia Timeline, make a selection using the ports on the Playhead. But prior to clicking Cut, lock the tracks you don't want to alter prior to using the Cut tool.

Once a track is locked, it will gain diagonal lines across the entire track. While you can still use the ports to seemingly select part of a locked track, clicking the Cut tool won't harm the track. Crisis averted!

If you'd like to see the process of locking Camtasia tracks and then deleting content, check out this video demo on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training or help with Camtasia? Check out this live, online mini course.