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E-Learning Challenges
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Using Circle Menu Navigation in E-Learning #406

DavidAnderson's avatar
2 years ago

Using Circle Menus in E-Learning #406: Challenge | Recap

Circular menus are a great option when you want to provide users with an intuitive and stylish way to present navigation options in a compact format or when screen space is limited.

By using a circular layout, designers can present a large number of options in a compact space without cluttering the screen. This makes circle menus an ideal choice for apps (or e-learning courses) with a lot of features or options that need to be easily accessible to users. Let’s explore a few examples.

Circle Menu Navigation

In this example from Dave LeFevre, learners click the menu button to reveal the circular arrangement of menu options.

View the example | Download the source

Circle Menu with Masking Effect

In this example from Montse, a folder graphic is used as the starting point for the menu options. I like how the folder graphic was layered to mask the animated menu items.

View the example | Download the source file

Circle Menu

In this example, Jackie’s circle menu features menu items nested under the starting button. In addition, I like how the menu features a selected state that remains persistent even after the menu is closed. That’s a nice touch.

View the example | Learn more about this project

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to create a circle menu example to show how they can be used in e-learning courses. Your example can be static or animated. In most cases, animated menus will require variables. If you need help or get stuck this week, jump into the forums and let us know.

Related Challenge

For more ideas of what's possible, check out challenge #189 and the recap post.

Share Your E-Learning Work

  • Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post.
  • Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example.
  • Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure.
  • Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness.

Last Week’s Challenge:

While you’re looking over this week’s challenge menu, take a few moments to check out the interactive audio examples your fellow community members shared over the past week:

Interactive Audio in E-Learning RECAP #405: Challenge | Recap

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.

Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article

Next Week’s Challenge

Next week's challenge (3/4/23): New Feature Challenge: Microlearning in Rise 360.

With the new microlearning feature in Rise 360, you can create bite-sized, single-objective training easier than ever. See this user guide article for more on this new feature.

Got an idea for a challenge? Are you interested in doing a webinar showcasing how you made one or more challenge demos? Or do you have some comments for your humble challenge host? Use this anonymous form to share your feedback:  https://bit.ly/ElearningChallengeForm.

Published 2 years ago
Version 1.0
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      I love how smooth it is to move between the scenes and the storytelling. And that we got to see the same dancing character in the ice cream scene that was in last weeks challenge!
    • Ron_Katz's avatar
      Ron_Katz
      Community Member
      Jessica, I really love how well the menu integrates with the interaction. My only feedback would be for a visited state. I'm not sure if you have that in place, but that would help with making sure all icons were clicked. I love how the home slide is not available until that is accomplished, I just would have liked to have had an visual indicator of my progress.
      • jessicasusila's avatar
        jessicasusila
        Community Member
        Thanks, Ron. That’s a good idea! Thank you for the feedback.
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      I like your theme and layout, Norma. Learned some interesting facts from this one too!
    • Ron_Katz's avatar
      Ron_Katz
      Community Member
      I love the simple details (snowflake as activation button, different shadows for the menu buttons). Great concept and great execution. How did you decide upon your topic and discover these odd facts?
      • NormaJohnson-4b's avatar
        NormaJohnson-4b
        Community Member
        Ron,
        I live in Phoenix, and we have had a really 'wintery winter' and with the LA area having snow warnings I thought I could find some other areas that did not normally get snow. (and I have to admit I don't have much free time to research for these, so I thought it would be easy to find a handful) :)
        Thank you for the complement on the execution, I usually stick pretty simple.
  • Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
    https://360.articulate.com/review/content/e855ca60-54f0-4732-8558-699194d01c77/review

    I am working on another version that is not really a "circular menu," but it employs video to present the user with an "interactive" search bar to look for information by inputting keywords. Should be ready by tomorrow.

    EDIT: The weekend is shaping up to be extremely busy..so I had to rush the development of this second iteration. Only certain keywords related to "emergency" and "lodging" work at the moment...I'm sure there is some way to account for more keywords using JS, but I'm not aware of it atm...any ideas?

    https://360.articulate.com/review/content/eee0c8a9-0126-4eb0-bce0-224669e1e763/review
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      Cool intro- loved the background animation and in the second version, the info button look and function.
    • Ron_Katz's avatar
      Ron_Katz
      Community Member
      I liked the original version as well as the update. Did you use a freeform question to manage search results?
  • I don't know where I was going here. Just decided to do a character selection screen and try to integrate a circular menu. It's cool but turned into a puzzle that was getting complicated to build. You all know how that goes!!!

    Demo: https://elearningcourses.s3.amazonaws.com/ELH/ELH%20406%202/index.html
    Download: https://elearningcourses.s3.amazonaws.com/ELH/ELH%20406%20%282%29.zip
    Free Voice Filter (I use all the time for projects) - https://voicechanger.io/
    • AmandaFackrell's avatar
      AmandaFackrell
      Community Member
      I felt like I just bought a game off of Steam! I love the feel of the navigation through out the demo, and I think my favorite part is the pixelation transition to your choices
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      Great job with the animations, it felt really intuitive with where the buttons went to track where I was at in the different options.
      • MarkLivelsbe910's avatar
        MarkLivelsbe910
        Community Member
        Thanks, Hannah! It definitely gave me some ideas for another project I got on my plate.
    • Ron_Katz's avatar
      Ron_Katz
      Community Member
      Looks and sounds really great. Circular menu is smooth and efficient.
    • AmandaFackrell's avatar
      AmandaFackrell
      Community Member
      This is soooo good. Even the sound chimes are highly appealing!
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      I like all of the animation and sounds. Great attention to detail too...i like how the menu in the top right toggles as well.
    • MicheleMoore-62's avatar
      MicheleMoore-62
      Community Member
      Wow, Karlis, this was great, thank you for sharing too. I especially like the movement and the way you carried the circles throughout.
  • Hello!

    For this week's challenge, I came up with this experimental circular menu design with a nautical theme.

    ELHC 406
    Demo: https://bit.ly/elhc406
    Download: https://bit.ly/elhc406dl
    Blog: https://bit.ly/elhc406bl

    I've used the new 'else' trigger condition to make the dial-based menu more responsive.

    On slides 1.1, 1.3 and 1.4, the dial includes a two-second 'cut-off', to allow users to 'throttle' past position two and skip to position three.

    Bon Voyage!
    • HannahRadant-00's avatar
      HannahRadant-00
      Community Member
      I always enjoy reading your blog and the way that you break down what you created. Thank you for all of the insights on this demo.
    • JodiSansone's avatar
      JodiSansone
      Community Member
      Thank you for the download. I was wondering what you meant when you said you had two menus--I didn't recognize the second one at first. I also really liked the sailing animation, especially the floating of the waves.
    • KariVaz's avatar
      KariVaz
      Community Member
      So creative, as always! Loved the two styles of circular menus.