Storyline's Articulate: An Excellent eLearning Tool
Updated March 18, 2015
Storyline's Articulate: An Excellent eLearning Tool
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Version 1 Update 5
Modules Used
- Storyline
- Replay
Overall Satisfaction with Articulate
We use Articulate's Storyline in the Learning & Development department of our organization. We implement training programs across the entire organization by using eLearning courses created with Storyline. We then either implement the courses on a secure website or our Learning Management System. The eLearnings he us maximize learner time and minimizing cost by letting us roll-out short and effective eLearning courses.
- Articulate's Storyline allows for fast conversion of a PowerPoint training file into an interactive eLearning course.
- The products enable fast integration of audio and video into eLearning lessons which in-turn improve the variety in eLearning courses.
- Storyline allows for the most easy to use eLearning authoring tools when creating courses from original design concepts
- Articulate could include responsive design capabilities into their products so that a single eLearning course or video product can work across all computing platforms.
- Replay could use some improvement to keep up and perhaps surpass competitor products like Camtasia with the capability to edit video and audio while adding graphics.
- It would be nice to include an integrated image capture/editing function into Storyline, which would make easier to integrate graphics into courses.
- Right now Storyline does not allow for exporting of images. It would be useful to do so sometimes.
- We've seen ROI's of up to 600 for our Learning & Development department since we began using Articulate Storyline.
- We've been able to convert processes into eLearnings in a matter of a couple of days and have created eLearnings with original content in as little as a week and a half.
- The above mentioned improvements have helped minimize the impact on our staff by letting them access courses at their own leisure or at scheduled times.
- Adobe Captivate,Web Development,Trivantis Lectora
Articulate provides the most comprehensive and easy to use eLearning software hands-down. When compared to Adobe Captivate there are definite differences in the way that the two products achieve the same tasks. It's the difference between stainless steel and laser scalpels. Both can do their job well, but one is slightly better than the other, under different circumstances. Where Storyline is great for precise actions, Captivate will offers a finer tuned approach to the same task. Does that make finer tuned better? In some cases yes, but in others no.
Lectora is much more of a metta eLearning platform that can easily house a Captivate or Storyline course within the bounds of a multi-chapter eLearning curriculum.
Original eLearning Web Development is by far the most flexible and/or detailed, but tried and true method for creating eLearning. The only problem is that an eLearning author needs to understand scripting languages in order to achieve what you may get in Storyline.
Lectora is much more of a metta eLearning platform that can easily house a Captivate or Storyline course within the bounds of a multi-chapter eLearning curriculum.
Original eLearning Web Development is by far the most flexible and/or detailed, but tried and true method for creating eLearning. The only problem is that an eLearning author needs to understand scripting languages in order to achieve what you may get in Storyline.
Using Articulate
2 - We're the Learning and Development group within an organization of over 120 people. We provide rapid learning solutions for our staff and outside partners. We also provide on-boarding for our new-hires and Storyline provides us the best way to reach our staff with a robust learning tool that helps us succeed at our jobs.
2 - We're the Learning and Development group provide our own support for Storyline. Both of us have Masters Degrees in Educational Technology and so we're very familiar with computing systems and how to troubleshoot problems. We require top level computing skills as well as the ability to create code or scripts for use in our learning products.
- On-boarding
- Staff re-training
- New learning initiatives
- We now use it to roll out simple educational videos
- We've begun to implement job aids and other learning tools using this product
- We use it in lieu of creating complex training manuals when applicable.
- We may use it to educate the public about what we do.
- We may use it educate partners to use our web-portal to access information.
- We may use it to build simple learning websites that will help potential donors learn about our services.
Evaluating Articulate and Competitors
Yes - Before Articulate we were using MS PowerPoint and found that it could create decent learning courses, but without the interactivity that helps learners stay attentive and willing to learn. PowerPoint now has new and interesting features, but even the new features pale in comparison to the awesome functionality within Storyline and related Articulate products
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Analyst Reports
- Third-party Reviews
We chose Articulate because the product offers the best in-class products from a user standpoint. Among peers and other professionals in the field, we heard about the flexibility, power and speed at which we could create new learning products. So far, word of mouth, blogs, and the occasional review helped Storyline standout as an outstanding eLearning product.
At the time, there simply was no other product that paired up to Articulate's Storyline. Today, it would be much more necessary to examine current offerings from competitors because the competition is catching up. Never the less, we feel that Storyline will continue to serve our needs well into the future and we feel confident about our purchase.
Articulate Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was a big part of the implementation and was well-handled - Our move to using Articulate came about as a result of a major organizational change in our systems and processes. We felt that we needed to keep pace and exceed learning and development trends in order to make our organization a world class player in the non-profit space. Articulate has helped us achieve that by helping us overcome issues from learners that were unfamiliar or reluctant to move forward with the changes that lay ahead.
- Committing to the dedicated systems that would house Articulate. We had to find dedicated PCs for the implementation.
- We had to upgrade our PCs in order to be able to handle the demands of the software.
- We had to update Adobe Flash within the web browsers of our older machines so that our eLearnings would be compatible with our Articulate products.
Articulate Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Knowledgeable team Problems get solved No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success | None |
Yes, when I faced an urgent issue with an eLearning course that I created, I posted my situation on the ELearning Heroes support forum and within minutes I received no less than three suggestions that solved the problem. I was able to implement one of the three quickly and published my eLearning that morning. The speed and expertise they provided made the experience stand out in my mind.
Using Articulate
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | None |
- Interactions
- Integration of resources (graphics, video, audio)
- Timing control of animations and slide transitions.
- At times, the use of variables to trigger interactions may have created problems with our end-products, but this was quickly fixed by using state-changes as triggers for interactions.
- The output from the authoring tool is not a one-size fits all. The integrated Flash programming may not work with all web-browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox), which requires adjustments to individual browsers or browser types. This can be a lot of work if you have hundreds of users.
- Creating a stack of layers on a base slide may be desirable for portability and for creating modular learning, but it can cause the system to slow down if the stack is too high. A more reasonable fix is to spread your layers across distinct slides and the problem goes away.
Yes - Well, Storyline does provide a means to create courses that are designed for mobile and potable devices, but the software does require that you create your eLearnings on a desktop or laptop. A mobile interface for creating eLearning would not provide access to the robust features provided by this product and so Articulate does not offer such a device.
On the other hand, Articulate does provide a portable player so that you can view eLearnings on portable devices like smartphones or tablets computers.
On the other hand, Articulate does provide a portable player so that you can view eLearnings on portable devices like smartphones or tablets computers.