I think setting expectations is important. On one hand, I agree with Bruce that a progress indicator loses it's usefulness when a module grants lots of navigation control. On the other hand, I see lots of stakeholders that are used to seeing it and get a jarred sense of disconnection when it disappears.
One way to do this is by adding section / block / page numbers. This is relatively easy to do. I would do this by adding variables (curPage, totPages) and employing these in a text field %curPage% of %totPages% on the slide master. This gives you some separation of the feature and presentation. To update the curPage variable, I will usually add a trigger to each page to set the variable to an absolute value. This is a bit of a pain if folks add or delete slides, but it's still a rapid operation even if you've got 200 slides in your block.
An absolute location reference is useful for capturing feedback, even if you don't display them to the final target audience.
Perhaps a better option is to create a progress indicator that's based on the completion of challenges. This could appear as icons in one portion of the screen that change color or state when certain milestones or challenges are met. Careful not to add too many of these indicators -- 20 of them in a row the meaning will get lost. You could also use a "map metaphor" with some color coding to orient the user with an actual map of the experience in a lightbox that they can access at any time. So the user can track their progress in a visual and meaningful way in a metaphor that allows for "walking directly to a point on the map" if it makes sense to do so.
Lots of options. I'd start by trying to figure out how the indicator will help the user. From there, it's just a matter of establishing some options to convince the approving stakeholder what the best choices will be
I think one of our main roles as IDs is education - about what we offer as value, about the industry, and about possible techniques that client has not thought of.
This whole "linear to optional" discussion has been probably the main thing I have focused on in the last 2 years, and yes, educating clients is essential.
That said - having an indicator is like being pregnant...you either are, or you're not, it has to be an "abrupt" change. The trick therefore is to perhaps just mention something in the introduction?
I also agree completely re the "completion based on challenges or learning objectives" concept (Steve - we've debated this before...).
There are many things that can be done, and considerations to be made, however - "tracking by slides completed" is no longer one of them in my books - we've moved on.
6 Replies
You would need to build this onto each slide, there is no automatic way to achieve this
Hi Marion,
You may want to point out to management that this only matters when:
1. The course is linear. If there is option and exploration - then it is pretty meaningless.
2. What matters is the learning, not necessarily "how far" someone got.
Frankly, if they are trying to manage off-line time then I am not sure this is the way to go about it.
Hi Marion! Looks like you are getting some assistance here
Thanks guys!
I think setting expectations is important. On one hand, I agree with Bruce that a progress indicator loses it's usefulness when a module grants lots of navigation control. On the other hand, I see lots of stakeholders that are used to seeing it and get a jarred sense of disconnection when it disappears.
One way to do this is by adding section / block / page numbers. This is relatively easy to do. I would do this by adding variables (curPage, totPages) and employing these in a text field %curPage% of %totPages% on the slide master. This gives you some separation of the feature and presentation. To update the curPage variable, I will usually add a trigger to each page to set the variable to an absolute value. This is a bit of a pain if folks add or delete slides, but it's still a rapid operation even if you've got 200 slides in your block.
An absolute location reference is useful for capturing feedback, even if you don't display them to the final target audience.
Perhaps a better option is to create a progress indicator that's based on the completion of challenges. This could appear as icons in one portion of the screen that change color or state when certain milestones or challenges are met. Careful not to add too many of these indicators -- 20 of them in a row the meaning will get lost. You could also use a "map metaphor" with some color coding to orient the user with an actual map of the experience in a lightbox that they can access at any time. So the user can track their progress in a visual and meaningful way in a metaphor that allows for "walking directly to a point on the map" if it makes sense to do so.
Lots of options. I'd start by trying to figure out how the indicator will help the user. From there, it's just a matter of establishing some options to convince the approving stakeholder what the best choices will be
S
Agree with Steve 100% - setting expectations.
I think one of our main roles as IDs is education - about what we offer as value, about the industry, and about possible techniques that client has not thought of.
This whole "linear to optional" discussion has been probably the main thing I have focused on in the last 2 years, and yes, educating clients is essential.
That said - having an indicator is like being pregnant...you either are, or you're not, it has to be an "abrupt" change. The trick therefore is to perhaps just mention something in the introduction?
I also agree completely re the "completion based on challenges or learning objectives" concept (Steve - we've debated this before...).
There are many things that can be done, and considerations to be made, however - "tracking by slides completed" is no longer one of them in my books - we've moved on.
Thanks Steve and Bruce for the ideas here!
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