There is nothing wrong with using sliders. For an even more realistic simulation, you could have set up Vol, SQL and CH/ENT knobs as dials with a custom thumb image.
Hi Bob. This does an excellent job of feeling like you're actually using the radio. And I love how the Help section has advice on what you need to do next if you get stuck.
Are there any tips you'd share about how best to plan out and build a tech simulation like this?
I agree Michael. The original simulator version was created a year before Articulate made dials available. When I updated the sliders to dials, I discovered that the squelch and volume dials were too small to adjust incrementally on a small mobile touchscreen display. The CH/ENT knob requires both turning and pressing actions. On a small display when the user touched the CH/ENT knob it shut off the radio instead of acting as a dial. As a result, I resolved these issues by reverting back to sliders. I'd be interested in hearing if there is a solution to address these issues.
Yes Bianca, creating a storyboard was key for mapping out the master slides (3), slides (22), layers, states, and project variables required to perform all the radio functions. Then build, test, and trail different ways of achieving the desired outcome most effectively. I observed that the simulator seemed to perform/load faster when using states for sequencing through a radio function compared to building layers on a slide to complete the same sequence. Any idea if that was a correct assumption?
Hi Bob. I'm not certain if that would always be the case in other projects, but if states performed faster for you in this particular project than layers did, then using states makes a lot of sense.
5 Replies
There is nothing wrong with using sliders. For an even more realistic simulation, you could have set up Vol, SQL and CH/ENT knobs as dials with a custom thumb image.
Hi Bob. This does an excellent job of feeling like you're actually using the radio. And I love how the Help section has advice on what you need to do next if you get stuck.
Are there any tips you'd share about how best to plan out and build a tech simulation like this?
I agree Michael. The original simulator version was created a year before Articulate made dials available. When I updated the sliders to dials, I discovered that the squelch and volume dials were too small to adjust incrementally on a small mobile touchscreen display. The CH/ENT knob requires both turning and pressing actions. On a small display when the user touched the CH/ENT knob it shut off the radio instead of acting as a dial. As a result, I resolved these issues by reverting back to sliders. I'd be interested in hearing if there is a solution to address these issues.
Yes Bianca, creating a storyboard was key for mapping out the master slides (3), slides (22), layers, states, and project variables required to perform all the radio functions. Then build, test, and trail different ways of achieving the desired outcome most effectively. I observed that the simulator seemed to perform/load faster when using states for sequencing through a radio function compared to building layers on a slide to complete the same sequence. Any idea if that was a correct assumption?
Hi Bob. I'm not certain if that would always be the case in other projects, but if states performed faster for you in this particular project than layers did, then using states makes a lot of sense.