3 tips for creating beautifully designed interactions

One of my favorite parts of the Articulate Studio ’13 Pro Suite is Articulate Engage ’13,which includes modernized and streamlined versions of the original interactions from Engage ’09, as well as 10 completely new interactions that will really make your content pop. To help make your interactions look as professional as possible, I’d like to share some tips for bumping up the “wow!” factor in your next project.

Choose a vibrant color scheme

Fun, appealing colors help to draw learners into your course. The standard interaction colors are already nice and bright, but you can reshape the entire look and feel of your interactions by changing both the Color Scheme and Player colors. There are so many customization options in Engage that you’ll literally get to choose from thousands of color scheme combinations.

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Pick fun and original fonts

One easy way to add an original feel to your interaction is to use a non-standard font. You can do this both for your player and for your slide content. There are thousands of free downloadable fonts online, or you can choose one already installed on your computer. To change your interaction font, simply click the Interaction Properties button and select the Colors and Effects tab. Here you can edit both the Title font and the Content font. A good rule of thumb is to pick decorative or bold fonts for your title/headings and an easy-to-read font for your body text. Fonts.png

Select great imagery

The images you select for your interactions have a big impact on the look and tone of your finished project. Choose high-quality, appealing imagery that is consistent in resolution and style. One tip is to use the same size images across multiple slides, to maintain a cohesive and clean look. Another simple tip I try to follow is this: in the Interaction Properties window, when you select Colors and Effects, choose “None” for the Media Border Style and then add isolated images (photos with an item against a white background). This will give a streamlined look and feel for the images across the entire project.

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Remember to take your time selecting your color scheme, fonts, and images, because all three can make a big difference in the overall look and feel of your project. With these simple tips, you can make your next Engage interaction truly outstanding!

You can always sign up for a fully functional, free trial of Articulate software. And don’t forget to post your questions and comments in the forums! We’re here to help. For more e-learning tips, examples, and downloads, follow us on Twitter.