Likelihood to Recommend In an office where you're planning to do a large amount of module-based training, Articulate Storyline will prove useful. A consideration to make, however, is whether your team members focused on training design will have the capacity to learn the software enough to create interesting and effective training modules. The basic functions can be simple, but the more advanced capabilities of the software take considerable effort to master and employ to create the more visually appealing presentations/modules you see in much of the promotional materials. If you have a small training team (or even without anyone dedicated specifically to training and development), Storyline is not a wise choice as the cost and effort required to fully make use of the software would be far too much of a commitment to make it worthwhile.
Read full review Grovo is fantastic for bringing a team of people up to speed and for teaching a few things to a large audience. We found Grovo to be lacking when specific training is required or when the training required a certain level of skill. Grovo is fantastic for broad training, less so for specific depth training
Read full review Pros Storyline integrates with the Canvas LMS fairly seamlessly. There have been a few glitches, but for the most part, the interactions we have created will play directly in the Canvas LMS. Storyline is great for creating short drag and drop interactions for self-reviews or even graded assignments. Its many options for quizzes such as "answer reveal" or using tabs help the student get a different perspective on the content rather than just an "A, B, or C" answer. Storyline is great for tutorials or training sessions. There are many options to help guide the learner (or employee) through a process. it is not just linear, but you can branch the slides based on the answers. A great way to engage the learner or employee. Read full review Ease to create trainings. Ability to insert GIFs and photos to help with visual aids. Ability to allow others to create trainings. Ability to track trainings (who has done it and who hasn't). Ease of tracking all training done. Read full review Cons I wish that you could customize the UI ribbons to bring features you use frequently to the front and to hide options you rarely use. It would be great if there was a way for non-technical collaborators (SMEs, management, etc) to be able to open a *.story file directly and provide comments. You currently have to publish the course, load it to the LMS, update the LMS, and then hope that users can find it in the LMS. A Storyline Viewer/Previewer standalone application would be awesome. The price is too high for freelancers to purchase and use. I no longer contract and work exclusively for the firm, but even with our resources, the high price limits the number of licenses available to use. Read full review Some videos/lessons leave a lot to be desired and could use more detail. There's always more room for some more advanced skills. Read full review Likelihood to Renew We are moving away from the standalone eCourse model, so depending upon when that shift happens, we might choose not to renew since we won't be supporting eCourses built in Articulate Storyline anymore. As long as we are still selling and supporting those eCourses, we will continue to renew the licenses we have.
Read full review Usability The basics are easy to learn but you won't get really robust activities from using just the basics. However, if you can invest the time in learning how to use all of Storyline's features, you'll have tremendous learning development power at your fingertips. I do have to say, though, that there is a beautiful logic to how everything in Storyline works. Once you learn a few of the advanced features, you can learn them all because there's a similar underlying logic. The interface is also very appealing and friendly.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Installed software so alway available
Read full review Support Rating They are support-superstars and the software they use for support is excellent too (I don't know what it is). The model they use for support should be followed by all companies. It is a conversation/discussion forum model that shows everyone's questions in a knowledge base capacity so you can get the help you need in a speedy way.
Read full review When we have had issues with Grovo not working or a problem with report we have always gotten an answer quickly. We have a rep that we speak to often to make sure we are satisfied with the system and is just a quick email away. It nice to know we have support that will get back to you in a quick manner as we rely on this software.
Read full review Online Training I love the fact that both a demonstration AND text version of the tutorials are available. Our firewall was blocking the demos until I requested my company allow them! Having the text version available still enabled me to learn from the tutorials. They are very well done and informative, and there is a tutorial for just about anything you need to learn to do with Storyline. I have always been more than satisfied with the support and training available to us for all Articulate products and I love the community!
Read full review Implementation Rating Outside of having to dedicate a powerful enough PC for the installation and having to update Flash in our browsers there really isn't much pain involved in using Articulate. For the most part this is an easy to implement and roll-out product. The installation occurs quickly and smoothly with no additional steps needed.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Articulate Storyline is the only authoring tool we have used with our LMS to date. We are seeing different platforms now, as opposed to LMS platforms. And, many of those have their own content. However, we will always need to create/author our own because of the nature of what we do and how we do it. I'm a big fan!
Read full review The elephant in the room for me, would be TreeHouse. Grovo is very similar to TreeHouse in the fact that they're both programs with lesson tracks, simple and short videos, as well as progress trackers. I would have to say that I enjoyed learning coding on TreeHouse over Grovo, based on the wide variety of native coding languages they have implemented. Grovo, although extremely similar and easy to use as well, doesn't stack up to TreeHouse in my opinion. Grove does, however, beat out Lynda in my humble opinion
Read full review Scalability It is easy to train new users and manage content. Being able to import older projects and PPT files makes it very easy to use for a lot of "moonlighters" in our department.
Read full review Return on Investment Allows for on-demand training that is accessible to anyone in the organization instantaneously. Heavily reduces travel expenses by eliminating the need for in-person training classes. Gives my department creative liberties in designing content that can be customized to each and every subject/business group in the organization. No two courses are ever the same. Read full review Zero impact. When we determined they were not a good fit for us, we decided to go another direction. I would certainly try them again however if they addressed my concerns as their service was excellent. Read full review ScreenShots Grovo, now part of Cornerstone LMS Screenshots