3 Things That Make Storyline 360 Quick and Easy to Learn
Your boss just came to you and told you the company is switching from your old authoring tool to Storyline 360, and guess what? You now have to learn this new authoring app and rework all your existing projects! Cue the panic ...
But wait! You don’t need to panic. Storyline 360 is so easy to use you can pick it up and start creating immersive e-learning from scratch in no time. So, what makes it easy to use? And what features should you pay attention to when you start working with it? Let’s talk about exactly that!
1.The navigation looks and functions a lot like PowerPoint
One of the first things you’ll notice when you open Storyline 360 is that it looks familiar. That’s because Storyline 360 courses are slide-based—just like PowerPoint. When you first create your Storyline 360 project you’ll see the story view. This is where you can see the relationship between slides in your project.
In the slide view, you’re able to create and edit slides with menu options that are similar to PowerPoint. To the left you can see the slide order view. Along the top, you have the design actions. Because it’s laid out this way, you can intuitively and quickly navigate Storyline 360.
If you’re looking to add animations or transitions, you’ll recognize a lot of them from PowerPoint, too. The same is true for the design tab, where you have the option to select and customize themes. You can also set a custom color palette and customize theme fonts.
These are just a few of the user interface features you’ll recognize from PowerPoint. The bottom line is, if you’re comfortable with PowerPoint, you’ll find it makes for a gentle learning curve in Storyline 360.
2. The Trigger Wizard is actually kind of magical
Triggers in Storyline 360 help you build interactivity in your course. Essentially, triggers tell Storyline 360 what to do and when. For example, if you want the learner to click a button on the screen to show additional content, you create a trigger for that.
The Trigger Wizard walks you through the process of creating triggers for your interactions. Thanks to it, there’s no stressful or challenging ramp-up time, or the need to learn coding to create custom, interactive courses. Just follow the prompts in the wizard, like you see in the following example:
3. Content Library 360 slide templates are a huge time saver
The Trigger Wizard is magical, but Content Library 360 slide templates are your new best friend. These templates are ready to use and fully customizable. They help you seamlessly design gorgeous, highly custom and immersive e-learning. All you have to do is select the layout you want and you can get started building your custom course!
I love how Content Library 360 templates also give you a behind-the-scenes look at building interactions. You’re able to learn the ropes without starting from scratch just by doing a little reverse engineering. For practice, I recommend downloading and rebuilding one template slide with different colors and graphics. Create an entire course or use them as a guide to build your own unique project. The choice is yours!
It’s easy to get stuck in a design rut when you’ve got a full plate of courses to create. If you need a little creative inspiration, Content Library 360 templates are great for that, too. Even if you don’t use them in your project, just browsing the available templates can give you creative ideas and encourage you to try something new. If I’m stuck on how to lay out a slide or need help with a color scheme, Content Library 360 templates are the first place I go!
So what’s next?
My best advice to folks who are new to Storyline 360 or trying to build their skills is to get in there and start playing around! When you’re super-busy, it’s easy to forget about all the helpful resources you have for building your skills, so here are a few key ones to get you started:
- Articulate 360 Training: With an Articulate 360 subscription, you have unlimited access to Articulate 360 Training. This gives you all the help you need to get up to speed quickly, including live webinars with Articulate’s own e-learning experts, recorded webinars to help you learn at your own pace, and training videos organized by topic. For example, if you want to learn how to use variables, simply search “variables” in the search bar and you’ll see everything available on the topic.
All of the training is divided into beginner and advanced topics, so regardless of your skill level you can grow at your own speed. With Articulate 360 Training, you can find exactly what you need, when you need it!
- E-Learning Heroes: Check out the following articles for tips, tricks, and ideas you can use to boost your confidence.
Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. Want to share your own favorite Storyline 360 feature? Chime in and leave me a comment below.
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