Training software and not falling asleep

Hey Jacki! Welcome to the E-learning Heroes Community! Thanks for posting your question, it's a really good one. I've developed a lot of process/software simulations and training in the past, so I have a lot of ideas to share about this :) 

Make it task-based. Focus on the processes that people will be doing in the system. Here's a bunch of articles I've written about how to build software training and how to do a task analysis and focus on tasks:

• Instructional Designers: Remember These Factors When Prioritizing Tasks
• The One Thing You Need to Do to Organize Training Content: Task Analysis
• How to Do a Task Analysis Like a Pro
• Follow This Process to Create Software Simulations and Systems Training Like a Pro
• Why Use Storyline for Software Simulations?
• Use Storyline to Turn a Boring Process Video Into an Interactive Software Simulation

Also, here's an example of an e-learning demo course that is training tasks that have been recorded with the Storyline recording tool:

• E-Learning Heroes 101 (Software Sims)

Incorporate scenarios. Just because it's software simulations doesn't mean it's not good content for scenario based content. Building a scenario around your software processes is a good way to bring the processes to life and let learners see when they will use it in real life. Before you just into some of the software training, explain the scenario around it, for example what was the trigger for this person to need to go into the software and do a task. Here's a few articles about creating scenarios:

• 4 Instructional Design Tips To Create Awesome E-Learning Scenarios
• Build 3-Step Scenarios Like a Pro With Storyline

I think even just doing these two things should really help bring software training to life, make it engaging and relevant for your learners. Hope these tips and articles help :) 

Thanks so much for all the great tips/guidance above - very helpful, indeed!

Can you possibly please point me in the direction of any compelling (in your opinion) examples of eLearning modules/courses built with Storyline that specifically focus on the topic of software training?

I'd love to see some examples as well.  We have a library of software simulations we have created in Storyline.  These are our least-favorite courses according to our learners. I'd like to see some examples that are more compelling as well.

There are a few software simulations in the eLearning examples section. This one is a favorite of mine.

Thanks much, Allison!  

If anyone else has any compelling eLearning examples that focus on software training, please do share!