I just don't get Storyline. I want it to be intuitive, but triggers and layers don't make sense to me. I wish there was a simple way to build out the interactions without so much background to figure out. Am I the only one?
Think of an old-fashioned presentation on an overhead projector. Sitting beside it are notes to help you, the presenter, remember what to do when. For example, "Put transparency #1 with picture of cow on projector. Then slide it so the cow moves to the right." That's what a trigger is, the instruction to move the cow.
The next instruction is " Lay the next transparency with the picture of a clump of grass, on top of the cow transparency, so the grass is in front of the cow. After you say, 'The cow eats the grass.', remove the transparency with the grass." The new transparency that is laid (hence the name, layer) over the original is a layer.
Creating a presentation is a lot of work and time, so when computers gave us the ability to do the same thing electronically, PowerPoint was born. To make it easier, and give us a ton of flexibility and additional options, Storyline was born. (It's obviously pretty much in its infancy right now, but should mature in a couple of decades.) Part of that flexibility is the ability to make a presentation without actually being there. That requires thinking through what the learner should see, and what actions they can take to make the presentation perform different actions. And creating actions and options for an unknown learner in the future is part of what makes the process so difficult . The flexibility introduces other difficulties. If all it could do was to show pictures (think old-fashioned slide shows), it would be easy to learn.
Thanks for reaching out! I understand you'd like some help getting started with Storyline 360. I have plenty of resources to help out with that! I find the best way to learn the basics of Storyline 360 is to check out our Articulate 360 Training page. It has many friendly tutorials, on-demand training videos, and webinars given by e-learning experts.
Since you mention layers and triggers specifically, I've included a couple of articles below about those topics.
I completely understand what you're saying, Kathleen. I've been through trainings with Articulate and I still cannot wrap my brain around how to build these slides. It's extremely frustrating and I feel like I do not have the kind of brain that builds things out visually.
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Think of an old-fashioned presentation on an overhead projector. Sitting beside it are notes to help you, the presenter, remember what to do when. For example, "Put transparency #1 with picture of cow on projector. Then slide it so the cow moves to the right." That's what a trigger is, the instruction to move the cow.
The next instruction is " Lay the next transparency with the picture of a clump of grass, on top of the cow transparency, so the grass is in front of the cow. After you say, 'The cow eats the grass.', remove the transparency with the grass." The new transparency that is laid (hence the name, layer) over the original is a layer.
Creating a presentation is a lot of work and time, so when computers gave us the ability to do the same thing electronically, PowerPoint was born. To make it easier, and give us a ton of flexibility and additional options, Storyline was born. (It's obviously pretty much in its infancy right now, but should mature in a couple of decades.) Part of that flexibility is the ability to make a presentation without actually being there. That requires thinking through what the learner should see, and what actions they can take to make the presentation perform different actions. And creating actions and options for an unknown learner in the future is part of what makes the process so difficult . The flexibility introduces other difficulties. If all it could do was to show pictures (think old-fashioned slide shows), it would be easy to learn.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for reaching out! I understand you'd like some help getting started with Storyline 360. I have plenty of resources to help out with that! I find the best way to learn the basics of Storyline 360 is to check out our Articulate 360 Training page. It has many friendly tutorials, on-demand training videos, and webinars given by e-learning experts.
Since you mention layers and triggers specifically, I've included a couple of articles below about those topics.
I hope this helps you out! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let us know!
I completely understand what you're saying, Kathleen. I've been through trainings with Articulate and I still cannot wrap my brain around how to build these slides. It's extremely frustrating and I feel like I do not have the kind of brain that builds things out visually.
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Alan Dickson maintains a YouTube channel titled Create Action, which has numerous examples, including a comprehensive intro to Storyline:
Articulate Storyline 360: All You Need to Know
I used to work in Org. Learning and Development for your neighbor to the west, so feel free to PM me with questions.
Thanks so much for your leads, Joseph! I really appreciate it.