Software sims with added VO. WHAT am I missing?

Mar 14, 2019

Jean Marrapodi
By Jean Marrapodi

There MUST be a better way. Looking for how you're doing software sims when the client requires a voiceover artist. I'm finding syncing the VO to the video is much more labor intensive than I think it should be. Here are my constraints: VO artist doesn't know the software, so working from the script generated from Storyline. Working with rapid development.

Here's my process:
1. The client gives me title and objectives.
2. I do a screen cap of the steps, in small segments, using Storyline.
3. I write the narration based on the steps.
4. I do text to speech and fiddle with the timing so it aligns with the video.
5. I share the Storyline review link with the client to make sure everything is right. He is the world's best SME and generally approves things with a minor tweak. I LOVE him. If there were an academy award for SMEs, he'd get it.
6. I export the script for VO.
7. VO artist records and sends me the clips.
8. I insert the clips into each slide and spend FOREVER trying to fiddle to make this work with the timing of the video.

That's the pain point. I know we can add silence into the audio, but I think the only way to stretch the video to expand for the audio is to copy the slide, and chop it up so slide 1 can extend the video to match the audio, and slide 2 picks up where it needs to. I've wound up with lots of 5-second slides here so I nixed the timeline at the bottom and the next previous buttons and made it auto-advance so this set of slices looks like a single video clip.

The client got a complaint that they can't pause now. <sigh> But having all those 5 second timelines zipping along looks awful.

I know I could do this all in Camtasia, but think I should be able to do it in Storyline, right?

What could I be doing differently to make this work more efficiently with a better outcome? I've attached the file that the client got the complaint about.  

Thanks boodles and bunches. 

7 Replies
Michael Ambech
5 years ago03/15/19 at 1:11 pm (UTC)

Hi Jean,

I have a software simulation of a touch-based system used by OR-nurses. I don't use video, bit images. One action per slide/image. I had professional VO for that too and worked like a charm. Is there a reason requiring it to be videos? Could you involve the user more in using the interface? I see it as about filling out travel reimbursement. Could you convince the client to go for a more user-interacting approach?

I know this kind of reply wasn't what you were looking for, but if you keep the action performed down to one per slide and use images instead of video and an animated mouse, it shouldn't be a major problem to add the VO audio. Of course, I don't know the software you are recording, and if all sorts of things happen if you hover etc., then my approach is dead in the water.

BR

Michael

Michael Ambech
5 years ago03/15/19 at 1:20 pm (UTC)

This also touches into a more general discussion about when to use eLearning and when to utilize on-the-go help functionality (if they exist). If your clients' clients fill out this travel reimbursement every two weeks or less, then eLearning is fine. If not, then I different approach might be better - if possible.

I'll shut up now :-)

BR

Michael

Jean Marrapodi
5 years ago03/15/19 at 6:14 pm (UTC)

Good question Michael. I normally include more interactivity but this was pitched by the contractor (I'm a subcontractor on this) as explainer videos. It's one of about 60 how-to micro-lessons that show concepts and steps. I did a POS system training for another client used images and the clicks advanced the slides. In this system there's lots of dropdowns and slide outs, so I wanted to show that. 

With your setup, do you eliminate the slider bar? I suspect they are super fast jumps.

The help function is pretty good in this system. Later on, they have practice activities that they do in the training environment, so those modules preview what they will be doing (show me) then they try it. The audience is people building interactive forms, so it's pretty complex stuff.

Kevin Thorn
5 years ago03/22/19 at 2:44 am (UTC)

Hi Jean,

There's a couple things I think I'm understanding.

  1. VO syncing - One version is the text-to-speech and the other version is longer in time after inserting recorded VO. Manipulating after the fact is a tedious level of effort. Not much to do now but I think this experience lends to a possible different approach in workflow going forward - record the screens in the sequence you wish as video, and send it along with the written script with suggested cue points and breaks/pauses to the VO actor. This way they can watch the video while recording the VO to get context in timings and pauses.
  2. Adding a custom pause button - Storyline's seekbar and play/pause controls is limited in that your choice is either enabled or disabled. Currently, we have no access to customizing those controls or their behaviors. The good news is there's always a way to fake out Storyline :)

Adding a custom pause/play button

  • Create a True/False variable. Let's call it videoControl for this example. Set it's initial value to False
  • On the slide, create a standard button. Set the size to 40px by 40px and add a Pause icon (two vertical bars) to the button from the icon library
  • With the newly created button selected, go the States tab in the Timeline panel and Edit States
    • Depending on which of the object's states you want to keep or need is your design. I typically delete extra states I won't be using.
    • In this case, we don't need any of the extra states of Hover, Down, Visited, or Disabled states so let's delete those
    • The button should now only have Normal state
  • Add New state and give it the custom name, "Play"
  • With that new state still selected, go to Format Tab > Button Icon Library > change the icon from the pause icon to the play icon (right-facing triangle)
  • Click, Done Editing Sates

Now you're set up. You have your variable and you a button with two states, Pause (Normal state) and Play. Next is set up the Toggle variable trigger and a set of triggers to control this new button and the video.

This assumes you want the video to autoplay when the timeline starts.

Select the button and add the following triggers:

  • Adjust Variable > videoContorls > value =NOT Assignment > when the user clicks the [button]
    • This is the Toggle trigger to flip the variable from False to True and back each time the button is clicked
  • Change the state of > [button] > to Play > when the user clicks > [button] 
    • Condition: IF videoControls is = True
  • Change the state of > [button] > to Normal (Pause) > when the user clicks > [button]
    • Condition: IF videoControls is = False
  • Pause media > [video] > when the user clicks > [button]
    • Condition: IF videoControls is = True
  • Play media > [video] > when the user clicks > [button]
    • Condition: IF videoControls is = False

Simple setup to control media when you want to turn off the seekbar. This behavior is the foundation on which you can build upon with more logic and more control, but fundamentally this should  work just fine.

Hope this helps and apologies in advance if I misunderstood or overthought this solution.

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