Hi everyone! I'm designing my first eLearning course, trying to convert existing content (very disorganized and can't use the existing slides at all). I've got a preliminary storyboard created (but not all slides are included), but at least I have an outline. I have some prototype slides created in PPT so I could establish the look/feel of the slides. Now my question is, which is better--start creating the actual content in PPT first and then import into Storyline 3, or just start building it all in Storyline?
On my first Storyline course, I imported my ppt slides, but ended up recreating everything anyway. I've found it far more efficient to start with Storyline since!
I tend to copy elements across from course to course (custom buttons and shapes etc.)
I still use PowerPoint for building more complex graphics etc. but Storyline is my primary authoring tool.
Thanks for the advice, Roni. That's what I was wondering...if I'd have to recreate it in Storyline once it was imported. You've saved me some time with your reply. Thanks!
Hey, Teddi! I have to agree with Roni on this one. While you can import slides from PowerPoint, Storyline doesn't always convert everything perfectly. You'll have to spend some time going through the slides to make sure everything came over properly (especially with text formatting and animations).
Plus, the design tools in Storyline are identical to PowerPoint. If you know how to insert a shape, text, image, video in PowerPoint, then you already know how to do it in Storyline.
Hi Tim! Thank you for the second opinion. I've been following you since January and even bought your book! I love your stuff and respect your input.
I think I'm just really scared of building this first course. I want it to be REALLY good, and not feeling confident in my Storyline skills at all. I took the online classes offered through TMN (Kevin Thorn's class) back in December and am just now getting to build my course. So I've forgotten a lot and am afraid I won't be able to make it do all the things I want it to do.
That's WAY more than you probably wanted to know, but you got it anyway. :)
Thanks for the support and all the great things you do for the eLearning community.
Best Regards,
Teddi D. Johnson | Learning & Development Supervisor | Propulsion Systems |
Mission Systems
COLLINS AEROSPACE
3530 Branscombe Road, P.O. Box KK, Fairfield, CA 94533 USA
Tel: +1 707 399 1886 | Mobile: +707-689-3495
Teddi.Johnson@collins.com | www.collinsaerospace.com
CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING: This message may contain proprietary and/or privileged information of Collins Aerospace and its affiliated companies. If you are not the intended recipient, please 1) Do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this message or its contents. 2) Advise the sender by return email. 3) Delete all copies (including all attachments) from your computer. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
For balance I'm going to say the opposite to Roni and Tim.
Maybe it's the designer in me (never build anything without approval!) but in my experience, designing in PPT first is more efficient.
My reasons for thinking this are:
When having your course reviewed by stakeholders it is easier to make changes to static content than it is to amend something you've already built. It also enables reviewers to make their own changes to text where required. This can reduce the burden on you slightly.
Not relevant to all clients but when working for some organisations, a PDF (or similar) is required for legal review (e.g. Zinc review is widely used in Pharma). This means a built out module can't be reviewed (seriously!).
Designing straight in to Storyline presents the temptation to get hung up on the interactivity, animation, timing, menu structure etc. This is all time wasted if your reviewers make changes (removing slides etc).
I find that designing in PPT first makes me consider the whole course in more detail. It helps me identify gaps better than if I was to build first.
I do agree with the comments that the PPT import in to Storyline isn't perfect but it's pretty good. You'll soon work out which bits don't come through properly and find ways of fixing them.
I can also appreciate that if you're a fan of rapid prototyping then working straight in to Storyline has its benefits, just be mindful of false economy for some of the reasons I mentioned above.
There are many different ways to work but for almost 20 years designing/developing eLearning, designing first, building second, has been my preferred process.
Thank you, David, for your insights. I really appreciate your viewpoint.
I have to say that I am WAY more comfortable doing things in PowerPoint than in Storyline (only because I've been using it longer). But I do like your comment about how it's easier to review with the SMEs and make changes if necessary than if I were to build it in Storyline first (mostly because no one else here has the software except for me). Because this is such a big project, and the source material I have is not all that great, I think I'll try it in PPT first and give it a go to import into Storyline. Whichever way I go, I'm going to have to do a lot of do-over work because it's my first project.
Thanks again for your input.
Best Regards,
Teddi D. Johnson | Learning & Development Supervisor | Propulsion Systems |
Mission Systems
COLLINS AEROSPACE
3530 Branscombe Road, P.O. Box KK, Fairfield, CA 94533 USA
Tel: +1 707 399 1886 | Mobile: +707-689-3495
Teddi.Johnson@collins.com | www.collinsaerospace.com
CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING: This message may contain proprietary and/or privileged information of Collins Aerospace and its affiliated companies. If you are not the intended recipient, please 1) Do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this message or its contents. 2) Advise the sender by return email. 3) Delete all copies (including all attachments) from your computer. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
It's probably worth doing a few test imports using your PPT prototype before you go too far, just to see if you face any issues with things not coming through to Storyline as you would like.
As an aside, I noticed that your email signature has copied through to your reply above. This happens when you reply to forum posts via email. If you want to remove this you can do so by editing your previous post.
David makes some really great points! In fact, I agree that I am more comfortable designing in PowerPoint over Storyline...even though it's mostly the same. Ultimately, I think it comes down to a personal decision.
If what you're designing isn't all that complicated and you prefer to use PowerPoint, then go ahead and built in PowerPoint first and import it into Storyline. On the other hand, if your design involves a lot of intricate animations, custom shapes, etc...I would suggest designing in Storyline. Otherwise, you'll end up spending a lot of time fixing issues and redesigning some elements.
1. this is your first project, create it so that your audience will give you kudos and not "this is just another PPT". Spend some time on design and graphical concepts.
2. look at the content and themes in Articulate, pick one that compliments your company's color standards and logo - it looks like black and white for starters.
3. take some of those themes and use them as backgrounds on your PPT slides. Just lay them out and then import your PPT into Articulate Studio. This will provide about 15 built-in interactions that will quickly add some jazz to your course. These small points will make your course look more professional and less PPT looking.
I would always build in Storyline first. But agree with David PPT is much easier to share among your SMEs and stakeholders. I have never had to do a Zinc submission but have been involved in submitting to Veeva which I believe is similar and a PDF or PPT file is a necessity.
There are ways to make your like much easier when importing, first in PPT always set the font and colour themes these will import. Try not to group anything. Do your animations in Storyline not PPT.
Finally when importing get your slide size set right. The default PPT 16:9 is 1280x720 and then stuff shouldn't move around.
This might seem like cliche, but in my experience, it depends. In some types of projects, and with some types of stakeholders, a PP storyboard works best and fast, and in some instances I can just jump right into SL to create the course.
The content owners and stakeholders are who decide how formal and detailed I will go in the development process. For example, as soon as I hear "I'm a visual learner", I go very detailed and granular with my presentation of the course.
Some stakeholders understand the concept of comps, storyboards and other pre-development mockups that we create, while some stakeholders can't even understand what placeholder text is. When they are the ones reviewing and approving the development of the content, I have to be flexible enough to present it in a way that makes sense to them. Some content owners who are excellent at what they do, but have no design thinking at all, might require more information, and presented to them in a way that they comprehend (and understand where we come from with what we present). They dictate the level of detail (and formality) of the development process.
Thanks, everyone for your input. You've given me LOTS of good things to think about over the weekend. I appreciate everyone's perspective and expertise. You all are GREAT!
I would agree exactly with Tim. I had 70-75 courses to create last year for compliance safety that originated as PowerPoint decks. Three of us debated this numerous times and although I wanted an import to work as it did in my head, it didn’t and my coworkers could cut and paste from the Ppt faster than I could fix things. However, I was the only one on the team to use my articulate tab in PowerPoint (studio formerly presenter) and that was easier to take the existing PowerPoint decks and add quizzes and interactivity so if you already super comfortable in PowerPoint then start with that articulate tab and you’ll get a hybrid version of the best of both worlds to acclimate to the software.
I also wanted to make sure you realize that you can share your file in review 360 with anybody and they don’t need storyline. All of our SMEs review the courses by publishing to review 360. They comment and you make the changes.
16 Replies
I would build it in Storyline to begin with.
On my first Storyline course, I imported my ppt slides, but ended up recreating everything anyway. I've found it far more efficient to start with Storyline since!
I tend to copy elements across from course to course (custom buttons and shapes etc.)
I still use PowerPoint for building more complex graphics etc. but Storyline is my primary authoring tool.
Thanks for the advice, Roni. That's what I was wondering...if I'd have to recreate it in Storyline once it was imported. You've saved me some time with your reply. Thanks!
Hey, Teddi! I have to agree with Roni on this one. While you can import slides from PowerPoint, Storyline doesn't always convert everything perfectly. You'll have to spend some time going through the slides to make sure everything came over properly (especially with text formatting and animations).
Plus, the design tools in Storyline are identical to PowerPoint. If you know how to insert a shape, text, image, video in PowerPoint, then you already know how to do it in Storyline.
Hi Tim! Thank you for the second opinion. I've been following you since January and even bought your book! I love your stuff and respect your input.
I think I'm just really scared of building this first course. I want it to be REALLY good, and not feeling confident in my Storyline skills at all. I took the online classes offered through TMN (Kevin Thorn's class) back in December and am just now getting to build my course. So I've forgotten a lot and am afraid I won't be able to make it do all the things I want it to do.
That's WAY more than you probably wanted to know, but you got it anyway. :)
Thanks for the support and all the great things you do for the eLearning community.
Best Regards,
Teddi D. Johnson | Learning & Development Supervisor | Propulsion Systems |
Mission Systems
COLLINS AEROSPACE
3530 Branscombe Road, P.O. Box KK, Fairfield, CA 94533 USA
Tel: +1 707 399 1886 | Mobile: +707-689-3495
Teddi.Johnson@collins.com | www.collinsaerospace.com
CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING: This message may contain proprietary and/or privileged information of Collins Aerospace and its affiliated companies. If you are not the intended recipient, please 1) Do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this message or its contents. 2) Advise the sender by return email. 3) Delete all copies (including all attachments) from your computer. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
For balance I'm going to say the opposite to Roni and Tim.
Maybe it's the designer in me (never build anything without approval!) but in my experience, designing in PPT first is more efficient.
My reasons for thinking this are:
There are many different ways to work but for almost 20 years designing/developing eLearning, designing first, building second, has been my preferred process.
Thank you, David, for your insights. I really appreciate your viewpoint.
I have to say that I am WAY more comfortable doing things in PowerPoint than in Storyline (only because I've been using it longer). But I do like your comment about how it's easier to review with the SMEs and make changes if necessary than if I were to build it in Storyline first (mostly because no one else here has the software except for me). Because this is such a big project, and the source material I have is not all that great, I think I'll try it in PPT first and give it a go to import into Storyline. Whichever way I go, I'm going to have to do a lot of do-over work because it's my first project.
Thanks again for your input.
Best Regards,
Teddi D. Johnson | Learning & Development Supervisor | Propulsion Systems |
Mission Systems
COLLINS AEROSPACE
3530 Branscombe Road, P.O. Box KK, Fairfield, CA 94533 USA
Tel: +1 707 399 1886 | Mobile: +707-689-3495
Teddi.Johnson@collins.com | www.collinsaerospace.com
CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING: This message may contain proprietary and/or privileged information of Collins Aerospace and its affiliated companies. If you are not the intended recipient, please 1) Do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this message or its contents. 2) Advise the sender by return email. 3) Delete all copies (including all attachments) from your computer. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Always happy to share my thoughts.
It's probably worth doing a few test imports using your PPT prototype before you go too far, just to see if you face any issues with things not coming through to Storyline as you would like.
As an aside, I noticed that your email signature has copied through to your reply above. This happens when you reply to forum posts via email. If you want to remove this you can do so by editing your previous post.
Great advice, David. I will definitely do that first before going to much further.
David makes some really great points! In fact, I agree that I am more comfortable designing in PowerPoint over Storyline...even though it's mostly the same. Ultimately, I think it comes down to a personal decision.
If what you're designing isn't all that complicated and you prefer to use PowerPoint, then go ahead and built in PowerPoint first and import it into Storyline. On the other hand, if your design involves a lot of intricate animations, custom shapes, etc...I would suggest designing in Storyline. Otherwise, you'll end up spending a lot of time fixing issues and redesigning some elements.
Here's a great article on what will and will not import from PowerPoint to Storyline: https://articulate.com/support/article/Storyline-360-Tips-for-Importing-Microsoft-PowerPoint-and-Articulate-Presenter-Content
Teddi - adding some quick thoughts
1. this is your first project, create it so that your audience will give you kudos and not "this is just another PPT". Spend some time on design and graphical concepts.
2. look at the content and themes in Articulate, pick one that compliments your company's color standards and logo - it looks like black and white for starters.
3. take some of those themes and use them as backgrounds on your PPT slides. Just lay them out and then import your PPT into Articulate Studio. This will provide about 15 built-in interactions that will quickly add some jazz to your course. These small points will make your course look more professional and less PPT looking.
Good luck.
I would always build in Storyline first. But agree with David PPT is much easier to share among your SMEs and stakeholders. I have never had to do a Zinc submission but have been involved in submitting to Veeva which I believe is similar and a PDF or PPT file is a necessity.
There are ways to make your like much easier when importing, first in PPT always set the font and colour themes these will import. Try not to group anything. Do your animations in Storyline not PPT.
Finally when importing get your slide size set right. The default PPT 16:9 is 1280x720 and then stuff shouldn't move around.
My two cents.
This might seem like cliche, but in my experience, it depends. In some types of projects, and with some types of stakeholders, a PP storyboard works best and fast, and in some instances I can just jump right into SL to create the course.
The content owners and stakeholders are who decide how formal and detailed I will go in the development process. For example, as soon as I hear "I'm a visual learner", I go very detailed and granular with my presentation of the course.
Some stakeholders understand the concept of comps, storyboards and other pre-development mockups that we create, while some stakeholders can't even understand what placeholder text is. When they are the ones reviewing and approving the development of the content, I have to be flexible enough to present it in a way that makes sense to them. Some content owners who are excellent at what they do, but have no design thinking at all, might require more information, and presented to them in a way that they comprehend (and understand where we come from with what we present). They dictate the level of detail (and formality) of the development process.
Thanks, everyone for your input. You've given me LOTS of good things to think about over the weekend. I appreciate everyone's perspective and expertise. You all are GREAT!
I would agree exactly with Tim. I had 70-75 courses to create last year for compliance safety that originated as PowerPoint decks. Three of us debated this numerous times and although I wanted an import to work as it did in my head, it didn’t and my coworkers could cut and paste from the Ppt faster than I could fix things. However, I was the only one on the team to use my articulate tab in PowerPoint (studio formerly presenter) and that was easier to take the existing PowerPoint decks and add quizzes and interactivity so if you already super comfortable in PowerPoint then start with that articulate tab and you’ll get a hybrid version of the best of both worlds to acclimate to the software.
I also wanted to make sure you realize that you can share your file in review 360 with anybody and they don’t need storyline. All of our SMEs review the courses by publishing to review 360. They comment and you make the changes.
Well, you all inspired me to write up a quick post and record a quick video on this topic. I figured I’d share it with you all. Enjoy! https://timslade.com/blog/importing-powerpoint-slides-into-storyline/
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.