As e-learning designers, one of our frequent challenges is to fit a lot of content into a limited space. We’ve spent years honing our “go to” tactics that slim down content-heavy slides. But when we’ve tried all those tricks and the content still doesn’t fit, what’s the right next step to get it all on one slide?

Instead of shrinking your content, try expanding the amount of space you have available, not with bigger slides, but with Storyline’s scrolling panel feature. A scrolling panel lets you put as much content as you like into a vertically scrollable area. You can feature images, shapes, buttons, videos, web objects, and just about anything else except another scrolling panel. You can even animate them!

Large Amounts of Slide Text

Probably the most common way people use scrolling panels is for large amounts of text. This FAQ example illustrates how you can fit large amounts of text into small areas of your slide.

View Demo | Source file

Large Images

Another good candidate for using a scrolling panel is any project with large images. This example contains a map of Manhattan along with a few other types of slide objects with triggers to display various slide layers. It’s so cool, you can put just about anything in these!

Display Narration Transcript or Supplemental Text

If you need to display a narration transcript or other supplemental information, a scrolling panel is a great choice. You can set transparency values and trigger them as part of a slide layer.

View Demo | Source file

How to Insert and Customize Storyline’s Scrolling Panels

View tutorial video

 

Now it’s your turn. Did this spark any ideas for your own e-learning projects? I’d love to hear how you’re using Storyline’s scrolling panels.

If you want to try this yourself but don't have Storyline, no problem. Just sign up for a fully functional, free trial. And don’t forget to post your questions and comments in the forums! We’re here to help. For more e-learning tips, examples, and downloads, follow us on Twitter.

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Chelsea Stroh