1. eLearning, Tutorials, and Simulations
Mike Hamilton
V.P. Product Management
MadCap Software

2. MadCap Mike Blog Slides http://madcapsoftware2.wordpress.com or
Google Search
MadCap Mike Blog

3. e-Learning, Tutorials, and Simulations
What can we create?
How hard is it?
Components
Considerations
Audio
Techniques/exercises

4. Different Tool Choices
The Big Three: Adobe Captivate MadCap Mimic TechSmith Camtasia
Frame-based
Specialized in eLearning
Specialized in single-source publishing
Traditional video
Specialized in live action

5. Software demonstrations Software tutorials Software training
What Can We Create?
Software demonstrations
Software tutorials
Software training
Software simulations
Interactive graphics
Photo-based training

6. Stages of Interactivity
Full Simulation
Multiple Paths
Data Input
Realism
Point & Click Movie
Passive Movie
Point and Click
Screen Capture
Difficulty of Construction

7. But…How Long Will it Take?
That depends…
Required quality level
With or without interactivity
With or without audio
For your first movie/recording schedule ½ to one day per minute of finished movie.

8. But…How Long Will it Take?
With experience a 10 minute movie will take:
Passive movie – 1 hour to 90 minutes
With interactivity – 3 hours
Heavy interactivity – 4 to 5 hours
With audio – Add ½ hour per minute
Note: Estimates include story boarding, recording video, writing dialog script, recording audio, and editing

9. The Components to Create a Movie
Break the creation process into components
Planning
Video/visuals
Interactivity
Audio

10. The Components to Create a Movie
Break the creation process into components
Planning
Video/visuals
Interactivity
Audio

11. Create tutorials that are:
Planning
Create tutorials that are:
Brief (chunking)
Meet the immediate needs of the user (context)
Correct identified performance gaps (learning)

12. Planning
Know in advance:
Why are you creating a movie?
Who is your audience?
Is it high level (demo) or deep knowledge (training)?
What quality level?
How will movies be deployed?
Basically, create a movie style guide for your company

13. Storyboard Storyboarding Storyboarding forces you to:
A process used to design and develop multimedia presentations and web-based training
Storyboarding forces you to:
Examine your motives
Organize your thoughts
Test your ideas

14. Storyboard Storyboarding allows you to create flow of learning: Text
Graphics
Links
Interactivity
Branching
Assessment

15. Create low-fidelity storyboards:
Rapid prototyping
Easy to create
Easy to modify
Don’t need graphic artist !
Use 3x5 cards, post-its, PowerPoint
Follow your style guide

16. Sample Storyboard Frame

17. Storyboard Your storyboard will: Uncover design problems
Point out where additional material is needed
Title image
Credits
Any other content
Provide a first chance to edit ruthlessly

18. The Components to Create a Movie
Break the creation process into components
Planning
Video/visuals
Interactivity
Audio

19. Video/Images – The Recording
Have a process
Two IMPORTANT best practices:
Always record at delivery size
Always record with common PC settings on a common background
Follow the storyboard to ensure you get what you need
Record more than you need to make editing easier (it is extremely painful to try and add more later)

20. The Components to Create a Movie
Break the creation process into components
Planning
Video/visuals
Interactivity
Audio

21. Interactivity Linear interactivity Branching “Click to Continue”
“Show Me”
Branching
Decisions
Quizzes
Simulations

22. Linear Interactivity “Click to Continue” “Show Me” Simple and fast
Set frame to pause
Add button with “go to next frame”
“Show Me”
Requires multiple buttons, both visible and invisible
“Show Me” button is visible and starts animation
Invisible button captures action and jumps to next frame

23. Think of a movie as a flow chart
Branching
Think of a movie as a flow chart
Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame

24. Think of a movie as a flow chart
Branching
Think of a movie as a flow chart
Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
Frame 5
Frame 4
Frame 6
Frame 7

25. Branching …but, in a straight line Frame 1 Frame 2 Frame 3 Frame 5

26. The Components to Create a Movie
Break the creation process into components
Planning
Video/visuals
Interactivity
Audio

27. Audio Not always necessary
Adds significant time and complexity to development
Be careful of file sizes
Recording audio per frame is superior to one long audio soundtrack for movie
Usually the last step in the process

28. Considerations
Localization
Integration and compatibility with other applications (both authoring and playback)
Customers’ ability to view formats
Support

29. Audio in Depth
Professional sounding audio is by far the most difficult part of the process
The first hurdle is using quality equipment, not the microphone built into your laptop
Use the best audio equipment that your budget will allow

30. MadCap’s Audio Workstation

31. Audio

32. Audio +
= $240
£155
Shure SM58
$100
£65
Lambda Lexicon
$140
£90

33. Audio

34. Audio +
= $130
£85
Shure SM48
$50
£33
Lambda Alpha
$80
£52

35. Audio
Snowball
$100
£65
Snowflake
$60
£39
Yeti
$150
£97

36. Audio
Logitech
$25
£16

37. Audio in Depth
Where do you record?
The quietest location you can find
Turn off AirCon
Unplug telephones
Keep the microphone as far away from a noisy PC as possible

38. Audio

39. Audio in Depth
Audio software:
Audacity

40. Audio in Depth
Recording settings:
Mono, 16 bit, 44,100hz
MP3 file save settings:
CD quality: bit rate of 128
FM radio quality: bit rate of 96
AM radio quality: bit rate of 32

41. Audio in Depth
Typical audio software workflow:
Record audio track
Normalize/DC offset
Noise removal
“sweeten” (remove undesirable noises)
Save MP3 file for inclusion in movie

42. Techniques/Exercises
Record movie
Add text callouts
Add interactivity
Add a quiz

43. Questions? Questions Mike Hamilton VP, Product Management