Mars Base Demo: Storyline Integration with Blender 360° Panoramic Renders
I created this short e-learning demo for my Upwork portfolio, showcasing how to integrate custom-modeled 360° environments into Articulate Storyline. I wanted something unique, short, and interesting. Project Rationale: I chose a 3D-printed Mars habitat because the concept aligns with realistic solutions for future human life on Mars, making the demo feel grounded and relevant. To give the base a compelling and genuine purpose, I focused the learning content on growing crops on Mars (Martian agriculture). This subject was a natural fit, leveraging the extensive agriculture knowledge I've gained working with a client over the years, which is also why the base is appropriately named Rhizome Station. Technical Breakdown: 3D Modeling: The Mars base was modeled in Blender (free and open-source software). I created procedural textures for most of the scene and Quixel Megascans assets for distant rocks and lab flora. I also used Blender to model the 3D landscape you see as a backdrop on the computer screens. Interaction Assets: For the icons and images seen within the interactions, these were all done in Storyline using the built-in icons and AI images. Interaction: The experience uses seven linked 360° renders. To track progress, I rendered the images with a start/finish state, allowing a 'completion' green tick to display when the user returns to the main lab view. Audio: Narration was created using Storyline's AI voices. Future Plans: I'm planning to expand this into a full e-learning experience. The expanded course will start with the user in Earth's orbit learning about the Hohmann Transfer Orbit, and once they reach the base, they'll be able to explore different rooms (the living quarters are already built) and go on outdoor missions. I'll update the community when that larger version is complete, but it likely won't be until next year. Check out the Demo here.Assemble the Machine: Building with Merge Shapes in Storyline
This project was my response to an eLearning Weekly Challenge focused on using the new Merge Shapes feature in Articulate Storyline. What started as a quick creative experiment turned into a surprisingly satisfying puzzle-building experience! The Build: Creating the Machine I began by designing the main machine using Storyline’s Merge Shapes functions, combining, subtracting, and intersecting shapes to form unique components. The process felt a bit like digital metalwork, piece by piece forming into something that actually looked mechanical! Some shapes were built entirely with merge functions, while others were enhanced using Storyline icons to save time, a little creative shortcut that kept the project moving while maintaining consistency in style. From Design to Functionality Once the main machine was built, I duplicated the slide to use as a reference layout. This duplicate became my “blueprint”, essential when I began disassembling the machine to turn it into an interactive drag-and-drop activity. Each part was separated, turned into a draggable object, and then matched to its original position using drop states. Having that duplicate slide open side-by-side made it much easier to ensure perfect alignment and placement, and saved a lot of trial and error. The Final Interaction Learners are invited to assemble the machine by dragging each piece into its correct position. Once everything’s aligned, the machine powers up, a small visual and audio payoff for the effort! You can check out the full example in the Storyline file I’ve uploaded with this article. Lessons Learned Merge Shapes is an underrated powerhouse — perfect for creating custom illustrations directly inside Storyline. Always duplicate your “complete” layout before disassembling — it’s the best visual guide when rebuilding drag-and-drop interactions. Blending icons and shapes keeps things efficient without sacrificing creativity. Shout-Outs A big thanks to the Articulate Community — your shared examples and feedback are such an incredible source of learning and inspiration. And of course, gratitude to the eLearning Weekly Challenges team for sparking these creative build experiments in the first place! Disclaimer: The voiceover in the example was AI-generated, and I used ChatGPT for story brainstorming and script development support. Blog Post: https://niamha.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/assemble-the-machine/ Check it out in Articulate Review here: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/8902c41c-3cc3-40cb-808f-2f572a34f0b0/review About Me: https://niamha.wordpress.com/about/🧙♀️✨ Magical Coffee-Bar: Fan-Inspired Drink Simulator
The project were created for Articulate Challenge #524 – How to Brew the Best Coffee & Espresso Drinks Welcome to Crossroads Cafe, a whimsical drag-and-drop interaction where learners take on the role of a barista serving enchanted drinks to guests from across fictional universes. ☕ Project Concept In this interactive experience, players are left in charge of a magical coffee shop after the senior barista is called away on urgent business. One by one, guests arrive — each inspired by beloved characters from books, shows, and movies — and place their orders for fan-favorite drinks like Butterbeer, Blue Milk, and Miruvor. 🎮 Gameplay Drag & Drop Mechanics: Learners select ingredients and place them into a mug in the correct order. Hints Available: A recipe card is available for reference if the learner needs help. Serve & Feedback: Once the drink is assembled, the learner presses “Serve” and receives themed feedback from the guest — magical praise or playful critique. Progress Tracking: The game tracks how many drinks were made correctly, with a final summary and stylized feedback. 🎨 Design Style Classic 2D animation inspired by mid-20th century cartoons Watercolor textures with bold outlines Magical UI elements and whimsical decor Custom illustrations for guests and environment 🧙♂️ Senior Barista’s Message “Ah, welcome, apprentice! The guests are lining up, and the steam is rising — it’s time to brew some magic. Drag the correct ingredients into the mug, press ‘Serve’ when ready, and consult the recipe card if you need a hint. Every cup carries a little enchantment — brew wisely!” ⚠️ Disclaimer All visual assets in this project were created using AI tools and custom design. Guest characters are original creations inspired by popular fictional archetypes and do not directly represent or reproduce any copyrighted characters. This project is intended for educational and creative demonstration purposes only. Crossroads CafeEducational Escape Game: Thriller/Horror
As a part of my internship, I designed an escape game for the students of the faculty of medecine to practice their English Vocabulary and jargon. It was met with huge success, and I thought of sharing it with you. The full game takes around 4 hours to finish, it has 3 endings, and it utilizes aspects of incidental learning as the main methodology. Let me know what you think, I'll be gladly sharing my experience with the community. https://360.eu.articulate.com/review/content/a2a4e10d-ceed-4f9b-b92b-422848c850f0/reviewUsing Javascript to run complex mathematical simulations in a 'space survival' game
As a learning designer, I'm always looking for new ways to engage learners and create immersive experiences. I'm a big fan of board games like Catan and 7 Wonders, where you have to manage resources and make strategic decisions. It struck me that similar game mechanics could make corporate e-learning more compelling and realistic and help people refine their decision-making skills. I started experimenting with this waaaay back in E-Learning Heroes Challenge #314, with my Usable Suspects game: In that game, the player has to pick the best gang member to crack a safe within 20 seconds. Fast forward to E-Learning Heroes Challenge #430, and I took this 'resource management' concept much further in No Sushi!: This game involved a lot of complex math that nearly broke Storyline and me. (Yes, I did it all with triggers and, no, I wouldn't do that again!) Recently, I've discovered that large language models are great at writing code - it's just another language after all - which makes it astonishingly easy to write custom Javascript for use in Storyline. No more triggers! No more headaches! With the help of Claude.ai, I built this 'space survival' game: PLAY SURVIVAL HERE! The Concept The game is a first-person survival scenario set on a remote planet. Players must choose two out of three specialists, each with unique skills, to awaken from cryosleep and keep everyone alive for 90 days until rescue arrives. The challenge? Managing four critical resources: Food, Shelter, Security, and Communications. Collaborating with Claude To create the game's underlying simulation, I explained my idea to Claude, outlined what I wanted the code to do, and then defined the specific outcomes I was seeking in Storyline. The Development Process Establishing the Basics: We started by defining the core mechanics – how resources would deplete over time and how each specialist would influence these rates. Creating the Simulation: Claude generated JavaScript code that would run within Storyline, simulating the daily resource changes and determining the mission's outcome. Balancing Act: One of our biggest challenges was fine-tuning the resource depletion rates to ensure each team combination (A+B, A+C, B+C) presented unique challenges and outcomes. This required multiple iterations and careful adjustments. Implementing Cascading Effects: We introduced more complex mechanics, such as security breaches leading to rapid resource loss, and the effects of malnutrition on the crew's ability to maintain systems. Crafting Narratives: For each possible outcome, we developed detailed feedback messages to provide players with a clear understanding of their mission's fate. Debugging and Refinement: Throughout the process, we encountered and solved various issues, from unexpected behaviour in certain scenarios to ensuring the correct triggers for different endings. Lessons Learned Iterative Development is Key: Our back-and-forth process, constantly testing and refining the simulation, was crucial to creating a balanced and engaging game. Claude as a Collaborative Tool: Claude proved helpful in rapidly prototyping ideas, generating code, and problem-solving. However, human oversight and creative direction were essential in shaping the final product. Balancing Realism and Gameplay: We often had to strike a balance between realistic outcomes and maintaining engaging gameplay. For instance, we adjusted how quickly resources depleted to create tension without making the game overly difficult. The Importance of Narrative: While the underlying mechanics were crucial, we found that crafting compelling narratives for each outcome enhanced the player experience. The characters define the mechanic and vice versa. Flexibility in Design: Being open to unexpected outcomes led to more interesting gameplay. For example, we implemented a system where the communication beacon could continue functioning even after the crew had perished, adding a thoughtful touch to certain failure scenarios. Technical Challenges and Solutions One particular challenge we faced was ensuring that for certain team combinations (like A+B), security would fail before other resources reached critical levels. This required careful adjustment of depletion rates and the implementation of conditional penalties. We also had to be mindful of some limitations, particularly how Storyline displays text generated by variables. This led to problem-solving sessions, where Claude and I used the console log to dig into what was happening. Conclusion While collaborating with Claude felt very natural, we did at times have to go back a few steps to debug the code. I am not a coder, so I don't know whether 12 iterations to get this to work as I liked is unreasonable by human standards. But I'm really pleased with the results. SURVIVAL teaches resource management and strategic thinking while also telling a story of survival against the odds. And it conveys this lesson in just two slides and a few minutes of your time. I haven't shared my master file as I'm still tinkering with the visual design and this will likely become a portfolio piece, but I'm happy to share what I've learned and answer any questions you may have. For anyone interested, here's the latest version of the code that powers the simulation. If you want to know more about any part of this demo, please ask. (A copy of this article also appears here, in the 'Javascript' group.)Knowledge Check Drag-Drop-Submit
See example This slide is from a phishing scam awareness training module I designed. The interactions I like most about it are: An info button that displays on hover reminds the learner of the interaction expectation. The learner must examine the image to decide if they feel it is a scam. Then, DRAG their answer ONTO the picture. Then click submit. Lastly, there is custom feedback. Throughout the scam module, the learner sees a "hacker." When they answer a KC correctly, they win against the hacker; when they answer incorrectly, they lose. My attempt at adding a bit of gamification to the module. I was first going to build the knowledge check (6 questions total) as true/false questions without any visuals. But, I really wanted to include a practice that mimicked what the learner would have to do in real life, i.e., visually scan the email and make a decision.Victorian Alphabet game
A Most Curious Diversion: The Victorian Alphabet Dial Dearest Gentlefolk, Though I am tardy in submitting this humble creation, I felt compelled to share my vision nonetheless. Ever enchanted by the elegance and refinement of the Victorian aesthetic, I have embarked upon a whimsical endeavour: an interactive alphabet dial. With a gentle spin, the player shall unveil a letter accompanied by a charming illustration and a verse, each rendered in the ornate style of the age. It is my sincere hope that this modest project shall delight and amuse, and perhaps even transport you—if only for a moment—into a bygone era of beauty and imagination. * This project has also been submitted to the #522 Weekly Challenge (Dial Menus), where I hope it may find favour among fellow enthusiasts. ** The images and verses were brought forth with the assistance of artificial intelligence, yet each has been lovingly tailored and refined to suit the spirit and aesthetic of this particular work. Enchanted AlphabetSelf-assessment design
Unlock your leadership potential with this emotional intelligence self-assessment tailored for leadership teams. Created with Storyline 360, this interactive assessment features real-world leadership scenarios and utilizes a Likert scale to help you identify your leadership style. You'll receive personalized feedback to support your growth and development. This sample is available for anyone to use. Here’s the link to download the project.Cooking Game (Jeopardy style + Gamifiation)
Hello Articulate Heroes! I'm excited to share my second personal project with you — a cooking-themed, Jeopardy-style game! Cooking Frienzy This project was inspired by two fantastic webinar series shared here: How to Create A Jeopardy! Style Game Gamification series I started with the "Jeopardy!" template and added the following custom features: Cooking-themed questions and answers — 5 questions across 5 categories Custom visuals — including characters, backgrounds, UI, and tokens The ability to choose one of three characters at the start of the game (and replay with a different chef assistant!) Personalized feedback and questions — with character-specific images and voiceovers A 20-second Pomodoro-style timer with a “wiped” animation Tokens awarded when the user completes a certain number of questions The characters were created using AI. Thank you for taking the time to check out the game! I’d love to hear your thoughts — feel free to share any comments or suggestions! You can check-out the game by this link: Cooking FrienzyBuilding an Embedded AI Teaching Assistant in Articulate Rise 360
This interactive course demonstrates how an AI-powered teaching assistant can be embedded directly into a Rise 360 experience. Built with GPT-4o, LangChain, FAISS, and Streamlit, the assistant retrieves content from Teaching in a Digital Age by Dr. Tony Bates and answers learner questions in real time. This project showcases how instructional designers can combine low-code tools and open content to build smarter, more responsive digital learning environments. Please review the course, and let me know what you think. You can try the assistant directly within the course to see how AI can support self-paced learning by offering just-in-time help, contextual answers, and scalable support, without the need for live facilitation. If you’re interested, I’d happily share a short Loom walkthrough explaining how it was built. Best regards, Gary
