To buy (Storyline) or to buy (Studio 2012)?

May 29, 2012

Since we're so used to having all the advanced PP options, we were disappointed to see how many of them (animations??!!!) does not exist in Storyline. 

Since we understood that Studio 2012 is planned to include dome of the hot features in SL (is there such a list)? 

We're thinking on upgrading and not moving to SL.

But - since SL still has some really cool features, which we wanted a decade ago (who said drag -n-drop?), why wait? 

And on the same note - is it possible to create interactive features in SL and then embed them easily into Studio 09? That would be a motivator to purchase SL on top of AP6.

Thanks! 

7 Replies
Jamie Morgan

I agree with Phil & Gerry both. I like that they are adding some nice features to the Studio package, but it won't compete with Storyline when it comes to truly engaging interactions. The power of variables is enormous and allows you to build an interaction that the user can feel like they are part of it versus just clicking buttons. Variables also allow you to program triggers (actions) based on conditions (variable 1 equals X).

Storyline may not have all the animations of Powerpoint but it's not Powerpoint, so I think that's the whole point (pun intended!). The real question for you should be what kind of training do you do? If you have a lot of PPT decks that you just need to spruce up and add voiceover to - then Studio is your best bet. If you're looking to build more customized and robust training, then Storyline is hands down the winner.

Gerry Wasiluk

@Jamie: + 1  - nice way to put it.

Of course, if you can afford it., or, as part of another company or your own firm, you produce e-learning for other companies, it'd be good to have both.

As a developer, for now there's some things you cannot do yet in Storyline and you can bring in from Presenter as a graphic or movie (like a table) or Engage interaction.  And as a professional developer, some companies may demand you produce in Studio while others are open to Storyline.

We obviously are not open to what Articulate's long-term plans with Storyline are, but from comments in the forum and during the beta, it sounds like they plan to be more aggressive in developing and maturing the tool (YEAH!!!!!! :) ). 

We know from Magnus's comments last week in a thread that an interim release is coming soon and with new feature(s)--that's new for Articulate.  In the past, upgrader editions were usually just bug fixes.

So maybe over time the need for keeping Studio may lessen and then you can pass your copy of Studio on to another developer, especially one just starting out.  The Studio is great for such folks.

David Holley

Hi, we are in the same boat. Our company is looking forward to the future in mobile learning and are trying to find the best route to get there and deliver content to ipads, android, etc. We use a combination of Articulate and Captivate 5.5. I personally use Captivate, but it has many limitations for anything mobile because of Flash. Does anyone out there know of some great software that we can use that easily translates into mobile eLearning? We use PowerPoints with animations, Video's and pdf's and want to deliver to sales reps for in-field education and demonstrations to surgeons. And, can they be interactive as well. I know, tall order, but can anyone assist? Thanks

Jamie Morgan

David,

I have a background with 3 of the major learning development tools: Articulate (both Studio & Storyline), Captivate, and Lectora. Out of those 3, Articulate Storyline by far is the leader right now when it comes to having a fully interactive mobile course. Now keep in mind that's assuming the course is played inside the Articulate Mobile Player app and not in HTML5. There are a few features that don't play as nicely in HTML5 but that's more with the various browsers not fully supporting HTML5 yet.

I also like Lectora but it is quite expensive & has a very steep learning curve in comparison to Storyline. It publishes to an HTML format so it also will be playable on a mobile device; however, some of their pre-built interactions are flash based so you have to be careful what you put into the course as those types of interactions won't play on mobile devices that don't have Flash.

As for Captivate, I've heard they are working hard on supporting an HTML5 publishing option. However, my experience with Adobe has been less than impressive (as I'm sure many have similar feelings). In my opinion, Captivate is the last tool I'd ever reach for when it comes to development and I never use it unless I'm required to based on a client's request.

Hope that helps.

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.