Welcome to the New E-Learning Heroes
We’re super excited to introduce you to the all-new E-Learning Heroes community platform. Whether you’ve been a community member for years or you’re just looking to join us, there are plenty of new and improved features to love. For example, now you can earn badges for your contributions, connect with other members about specific topics in dedicated groups, and find answers to your questions more easily. Check out the video below for a walkthrough of our favorite new features, and let us know what you’re most excited about in the comments! Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.Community Insights: What You Can Learn from David Tait’s Career Pivot
One of the best things about creative careers is how flexible they are—you can take them in so many directions. For DavidTait, that flexibility led from graphic design to learning design, and eventually to co-founding 4pt, a learning design studio. 4pt has been creating meaningful learning experiences for more than 16 years. In this Member Spotlight, you'll discover how adaptability, curiosity, and community shaped David's journey, and how to apply these lessons to your own career path. From Design to Learning “Before starting my career in e-learning, I was a student focused on design,” David says. “I spent four years studying design. Two in graphic design and two in newspaper, magazine, and infographic design. That background gave me a strong foundation in visual communication, which has been incredibly useful in my learning and development (L&D) work.” While still in college, he took on a freelance project as a graphical user interface designer for the Northern College Network. “It was my first real step into the world of digital learning design,” he recalls. “It helped me see how I could apply my design skills in a completely different context.” Soon after, a former lecturer offered him a role at an e-learning startup creating online CPD courses for healthcare professionals. “Working in a startup meant wearing many hats,” David says. “That experience really shaped my path and helped me see how my design skills could grow into a career in learning.” 💡Tip: Apply your existing creative skills to a small digital learning project (freelance, volunteer, or self-initiated). Hands-on experience helps bridge design and instructional work faster than theory alone. Turning Change into Opportunity A few years later, the company was acquired, and layoffs followed. “Rather than seeing it as a setback, my studio manager and I took it as an opportunity,” David says. “When we started 4pt, all of those responsibilities suddenly became our job. Being able to adapt to new challenges was essential, and it’s a big reason why we’ve been able to thrive.” 💡Tip: When your path shifts unexpectedly, use it to test new skills or partnerships. Career detours often reveal strengths you wouldn’t discover in a stable role. Finding Flexibility with Storyline “One project in 2013 really shaped our company,” David says. “A client asked us to build a course in Storyline 1. We’d never used it before, but rather than turn the work away, we invested in licenses and learned as we went.” “Before long, Storyline became the tool most of our clients wanted to use,” he explains. “Storyline gave us the ability to solve problems ourselves, experiment more freely, and move much faster. That agility has stayed with us ever since—it’s a core part of how we approach learning design.” 💡Tip: Don’t wait to feel like an expert. Pick a project, open the tool, and build. Use the community forums and shared files when you hit roadblocks. The Power of Community “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve hit a dead end in Storyline and found the solution on the forums,” David says. “That support has saved me countless hours and kept projects moving. The community around Articulate is unlike anything else.” Over time, helping others became just as rewarding. “Being part of E-Learning Heroes isn’t just about getting help,” he adds. “It’s about giving back. I try to pay it forward when I can, and that sense of community has been such a valuable part of my journey.” 💡Tip: When you find an answer in ELH, take a minute to thank the poster—or add your own version of the solution. Small interactions build visibility and confidence. Lessons from the Journey “Figure out where your limitations are, and then build a trusted network of professionals who can help you overcome them,” David says. “Continuous learning is important, but you don’t have to master everything yourself.” He also believes in stepping outside your comfort zone: “Sometimes doing that sooner opens doors you didn’t even realize were there.” “I try to focus on projects where I can see real value and impact—and to work with people I genuinely like and respect. That combination has made the journey far more meaningful.” 💡Tip: Find one collaborator who complements your skills—a developer, writer, or media pro—and trade knowledge. Collaboration accelerates growth and keeps learning fun. Looking Ahead These days, David is focused on advancing localization in his projects and exploring how AI fits into e-learning. “We’re evaluating Storyline’s new localization features ahead of a major project,” David says. “I’m excited to see how these tools evolve and how we can integrate them to deliver even better multilingual learning experiences.” He’s also reading Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. “It’s not written specifically for L&D, but it’s helped me think more critically about how AI can be used thoughtfully and effectively.” 💡Tip: Keep one “outside-the-industry” book on your reading list. Fresh perspectives often spark the most creative ideas. 💬 Your Turn David’s story is a reminder that creativity, curiosity, and community can take your career in directions you never planned, but might love most. What’s one skill—or moment—that’s shaped your own learning design journey? Share it in the comments below!Share Your E-Learning Expertise in Articuland
Had success with an e-learning project? Got a trick that saves you hours in Storyline? Found a creative way to use Rise 360 for your training needs? Your fellow e-learning developers want to learn from you! We're looking for speakers at our upcoming Articuland events who can share practical, real-world knowledge about: How you solved specific training challenges with Articulate tools Time-saving techniques you've discovered Ways you've made your e-learning more engaging Tips for working more efficiently with Articulate 360 Success stories from your actual projects You don't need to be a professional speaker or have years of presenting experience. If you're using Articulate tools and have discovered helpful approaches worth sharing, that's what matters. What's in it for you? Free admission to your speaking event Opportunity to connect with other e-learning professionals Direct interaction with Articulate's product team Recognition as an industry contributor Chance to help others succeed with their training projects Articuland Tour (Single-Day Events): Thursday, May 8th - Austin, Texas - CLOSED Wednesday, June 11th - Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday, August 13th - Seattle, Washington - CLOSED Wednesday, October 22nd - Toronto, Canada - CLOSED Articuland Summit (Two-Day Event): September 11th & 12th - Boston, Massachusetts Ready to Share Your Knowledge? Your insights could be exactly what another developer needs to hear. Submit your speaking proposal! Have questions about speaking? Feel free to reach out to our team at training@articulate.com.Sign Up for the E-Learning Heroes Newsletter
E-Learning Epiphanies is now E-Learning Heroes Weekly! Do you love all the helpful content here on E-Learning Heroes? If so, you should subscribe to our newsletter, E-Learning Heroes Weekly, to stay up-to-date on all the inspiring examples, insightful articles, and valuable tips shared in the community. You'll even get information about upcoming webinars, industry, and Articulate events, so you never miss out on an opportunity to grow your skills or connect with the Articulate team. Sound like something you’d like to see in your inbox on a weekly basis? Sign up here. We hope you’ll love it as much as we do!E-Learning Heroes (ELH) FAQs
Index Community-Specific Questions Articulate-Specific Questions General E-Learning Questions Community-Specific Questions How do I change my user name? Log in to E-Learning Heroes, click your avatar image, and select My Settings from the dropdown menu. On the next screen, click the Edit button next to your user name and you’ll be able to change it there. NOTE: User names are limited to 15 characters. They can include letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores. How do I change my profile picture? Your E-Learning Heroes profile picture comes from your Articulate account. To change your picture, go to your Articulate account, click on your picture, and upload a new one. The change will be applied everywhere, including on E-Learning Heroes. How do I stay up to date on the latest E-Learning Heroes content? There are a few ways to do this. For example, you can: Subscribe to our newsletter. We send out a newsletter every week with the latest E-Learning Heroes content. Subscribing is an easy way to get access to everything directly from your inbox. Browse the home page. There, you’ll find the latest articles, examples, discussions, and e-learning challenge. Subscribe to the pages you’re interested in. At the top of each hub, you’ll see a bell with an icon of a bell with a plus sign. If you select that icon, you’ll receive a notification whenever we add new content to that page. Follow us on social media. Another easy way to stay up-to-date on everything we’re doing is by following us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). How do I change my notification preferences? Log in to E-Learning Heroes, select your avatar image, and then My Settings from the dropdown menu. On the next screen, select the Follows & Notifications tab. Scroll down to the section on Email Notifications to modify the frequency or disable notifications completely. What are the rules about posting content on ELH? Read our community guidelines for the details. What roles exist in the ELH community? The community is made up of a few different roles: General members: Most community members belong to this category. It’s anyone who doesn’t hold another, more specific role. Super Heroes: These are community members who go above and beyond by sharing their expertise and helping other community members. Find out more here: Everything You Need to Know About Articulate Super Heroes. Staff: Articulate employees. The staff members you’ll see most often in the community are those whose job it is to help customers in the forums or create helpful content—our community moderators and managers. How can I become a Super Hero? Find out Everything You Need to Know About Articulate Super Heroes. How can I get more involved with the community? There are tons of fun ways to get more involved with the community! Here are some ideas: Help your fellow community members by answering questions or sharing tips in our discussion forum. Dig deep into specific topics—like Accessibility or JavaScript—with other members by joining a group. Push yourself out of your comfort zone by participating in the weekly design challenge. Inspire other community members by sharing examples or downloads you’ve created. Meet Articulate staff and other e-learning pros by attending industry events. How can I participate in the weekly challenges? It’s easy! Just follow the steps outlined here: Why & How To Participate in the Weekly Challenges on E-Learning Heroes. Should I start a new discussion or add a comment to an existing one? If you read a recent post that describes an issue that sounds exactly like yours, feel free to add a comment. If the discussion is months or years old or if the topic is similar but not exactly the same, it’s best to start a new discussion. You can always link to the older or similar post if you think it’d be helpful. Can I use ELH downloads for my project? Yes! You can use any of the downloads shared on E-Learning Heroes for your personal or commercial e-learning projects. However, please don’t distribute these assets. Instead, refer people back to the community. For more details, review our Terms of Use. How can I edit a discussion or example I posted? Open the discussion or example, click on the gear icon at the upper right-hand side of the post, select Edit, make changes, and hit Publish. How can I edit a comment I left on a post? Simply click on the ellipsis, select Edit, make the desired changes, and hit Reply. How do I close my account? Log in to E-Learning Heroes, select your avatar image, and then My Settings from the dropdown menu. On the next screen, select the Security & Account tab. Select Close Account. NOTE: Closing your account will remove your personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, and other profile details. Your content, such as posts and replies, will remain in the community as authored by “Deleted User.” You cannot reopen your account after you close it. To rejoin, you must re-register and start from scratch. Articulate-Specific Questions When should I submit a support case instead of starting a discussion? If you run into an issue you think might be a bug or you want our Support Engineers to help troubleshoot a file, it’s best to open a support case rather than start a discussion. How do I submit a support case? You can connect with our Support Team in a support case or via live chat. Remember share your file, a screen recording or screenshot, browser details, and a link to view your published course so our team can better assist you. Can I call and talk to someone on the phone? We don’t offer phone support, but we do offer chat support. How do I submit a feature request? There are two ways to do this: Share an idea in our dedicated hub. Fill out the feature request form on our website. Remember to include as much detail as possible so we understand what the feature is and how you’ll use it. For example, if it would solve a problem you’re having currently, what is it that you’re currently unable to do and how will this feature solve it? What impact does it have on your daily productivity? How do I get in touch with the sales team? If you’re based in the US or Canada, you can reach out to the sales team via email at this address: sales@articulate.com If you’re based in another country, you can find the contact information for your country on this page. Where can I see information on upcoming Articulate 360 features? You’ll find upcoming feature information on our roadmap. General E-Learning Questions How do I create an e-learning course? Follow the steps in this article: 8 Simple Steps for Creating Online Training. How do I make sure my course is accessible? We have tons of resources that’ll help you create accessible courses. Check them out below: All About Accessibility Accessibility Index How do I decide whether to use Storyline or Rise for my course? Our customers say that Rise is their go-to for most of their courses. But if you need something more custom and immersive, Storyline might be a better fit. Here are some articles that can help you decide: Rise 360 or Storyline 360: Which One Should You Use for Your Project? Why You Need the Apps in Articulate 360 and When to Use Them How do I share my course with learners? There are several different ways to do that, outlined in this article: How to Share E-Learning Courses with Learners. Have a question that’s not listed here? Feel free to add a comment below or post a new discussion.The Scoop on Community Member Labels and Badges
As you’ve explored the E-Learning Heroes community, you might have encountered labels and badges on other members’ accounts and wondered what they meant. Or perhaps you’re wondering how to unlock specific labels and badges on your own account. In this article, we’ve got all your questions covered! Let’s dig in! Member Labels Any time a community member posts a comment, article, or example, you’ll see a small blue label next to their name, like the one in the screenshot below. These labels tell you more about their role in the community. Plus, labels like Staff or Super Hero are handy ways to quickly find ELH members who can give you some extra help. You’ll find all the labels and their meanings in the table below. Member Type What does it look like? What does it mean? New to the Community Someone who joined the E-Learning Heroes in the past month. Community Member Anyone who has had an E-Learning Heroes membership for over a month. Super Hero Someone who is part of the Articulate Super Heroes program. The Super Heroes are an elite group of community members with deep e-learning expertise and a passion for helping others. Learn more about how they can help you in this article. Super Hero Alumni A retired Super Hero. Partner Staff at an official Articulate partner organization (e.g., Yukon Learning, our training partner) with deep product expertise. Staff Current Articulate staff. Former Staff Articulate staff who have left the company. Badges The new badge feature gives us all a chance to celebrate member achievements and milestones. It’s also a small way for us at Articulate to say thanks for all the ways people like you help nurture the E-Learning Heroes community and its members. If you’re new to E-Learning Heroes, our Getting Started badges provide ideas for exploring the site and engaging with the community. And if you’re a long-term member, we’ve created badges that recognize the fantastic ways experts like you share ideas, solve problems, and support the growth of others. You’ll find all the badges currently available in the tables below. Getting Started Badge Name What does it look like? What does it mean? Getting to Know You You took the first steps in building out your user profile and added your location and bio. Raising Your Hand You tapped into the community for help by posting your first question on the discussion boards. Adding to the Conversation You shared your thoughts with others by posting your first discussion board comment. Talking With the Author You engaged with a content creator by posting your first comment on an article. Exploring the Neighborhood You logged into E-Learning Heroes 5 times or more. Best Answers Badge Name What does it look like? What does it mean? First Best Answer You’ve had your first discussion comment recognized by the Articulate staff as the Best Answer in a thread. Comments can be marked as the Best Answer if they solve the original post’s problem or go above and beyond to provide useful guidance. Best Answer: # You’ve had multiple discussion board comments recognized as the Best Answer. This category has several badges, each representing a major number milestone. Sharing Expertise Badge Name What does it look like? What does it mean? Hero: Past or Present You’re an active or retired member of the Articulate Super Heroes program. User Conference Speaker You’ve presented a session at one or more Articulate User Conferences. Featured Example You’ve had one or more projects included in our featured examples and downloads. Article Author You’ve written or collaborated on one or more E-Learning Heroes articles. Our badge sets will continue to evolve over time, so be sure to check back to learn about new badges and how to earn them. Wrap-Up Member labels and badges are a quick way to get to know a bit more about your fellow community members. Plus, they’re a fun way to mark your own E-Learning Heroes achievements and milestones. Want to know even more about the E-Learning Heroes community? Check out these articles: E-Learning Heroes Community Guidelines Everything You Need To Know about Articulate Super Heroes Want to keep up on the highlights of what’s happening on E-Learning Heroes? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.3 Ideas for Balancing Branding Guidelines with E-Learning Design
Company branding is essential for recognition and consistency. Many organizations create guidelines to make branding easy and straightforward. These guidelines specify which design elements to use to ensure that communications with clients and vendors have a uniform look and feel. The challenge with branding guidelines is that they’re typically not designed for e-learning. While uniformity creates a more consistent brand experience, it also limits color schemes, fonts, imagery, and other creative treatments. Balancing branding guidelines with your goals for creating engaging and effective e-learning might seem challenging, but the following creative ideas can help. Idea #1: Make a Case For E-learning as an Exception to the Rules Creative e-learning is worth fighting for! Here are some excellent points you can bring up with your branding team. E-learning isn’t static. It’s more interactive than a presentation. That interaction means you’ll need to modify images, layout, and text to accommodate a different user experience. E-learning serves an instructional purpose. To change a learner’s behavior, you need to connect with them on different emotional levels depending on the subject matter. Learners might find it strange or even off-putting to see a brand’s happy pink and purple color scheme playing a prominent role in a serious course on workplace violence prevention, for instance. E-learning targets an internal audience. As long as what you’re creating uses a tone of voice consistent with the brand’s voice, the audience can interpret the actual looks in more subtle ways, like the course player color or the font choice. Idea #2: Show the Client What “On Brand” Can Look Like Don’t just tell your client about your vision; show them! A mood board displaying images, icons, navigation elements, color palettes, and fonts is a great way to present your ideas to stakeholders quickly. If you have more time, a branded Storyline 360 prototype can provide a more immersive experience, using custom fonts and color themes on a variety of common slide layouts. Idea #3: Define “On Brand” with Your Branding Folks Another way to overcome strict corporate branding guidelines is to develop an e-learning-specific style guide. You can even invite your branding team to be your subject matter experts and help create a guide that reflects some of the brand’s core elements without sacrificing your courses’ instructional integrity or creativity. Check out this Storyline 360 style guide and this Rise 360 style guide for examples. Resources Looking for more creative solutions for dealing with branding guidelines? Check out these articles: Create a Cohesive Look with These 5 Storyline 360 Visual Design Pointers Storyline 360: Using Text Styles 3 Timesaving Tips for Customizing Content Library 360 Templates Everything You Need to Know About Sourcing Fonts How have you creatively incorporated branding guidelines into your e-learning projects? Please leave a comment below to share your experience. Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.From E-Learning Newbie to Super (Hero) Success Story on E-Learning Heroes
As an independent instructional designer, I’ve benefitted enormously from the Articulate E-Learning Heroes community. I’m always encouraging freelancers and newbies to get involved, but have never shared how the community helped me successfully transition to e-learning. I’ve never even shared my best tips for getting the most out of it! It’s time to fix that. Here’s how I ended up making ELH my online professional home. Step 1: I Learned the Software I discovered Articulate software in 2010 when another tool failed shortly before my very first e-learning project was due. I had to download Articulate Studio, learn it, and be instantly productive. If it hadn’t been for the fantastic step-by-step tutorials and tips (for Studio and now for Articulate Storyline), I’d never have recovered so seamlessly. The client loved the course and Articulate had a devoted new fan. Downloading and using free templates and course assets helped me learn even more. Step 2: I Learned About the Field I was already an experienced instructional designer for ILT, but Tom Kuhlmann’s blog helped me find my center as I learned about e-learning. His Insider’s Guide to Becoming a Rapid E-Learning Pro was perfect to steer me in the right direction to learn more. Spending time in the ELH forums was quite helpful, but getting to lurk and learn from others’ experiences was a game-changer. I knew I was on the right track when I started going to e-learning conferences and felt perfectly fluent and at home in the field. Step 3: I Gained Practice, Visibility, and Portfolio Pieces David Anderson started the weekly challenges in August of 2013, but it took me a good five months to make the time (and get up the courage!) to put in an entry. Once I realized the result was encouragement and support (rather than public humiliation), I was hooked and have completed nearly every challenge since. The challenges were a HUGE key to reaching the next level for me. They provided me with real-world, regular practice in the software and in instructional and visual design. I gained greater confidence in my skills, scads of usable portfolio pieces, and greater visibility in a wider network of my peers. Step 4: I Started Connecting with Others The benefits of reading forum discussions or tossing in challenge entries now and then are great, but I quickly realized that unless I took the time to meaningfully connect with others, I wasn’t going to get the full benefit of the community. As soon as I started answering forum questions and finding other ways to help, I became truly invested. Step 5: I Started Giving Back I wrote blog posts about my challenge entries to share my ideas, how I made them, what inspired me, and links to resources that might be helpful. Then I started sharing templates and other course assets. When people started contacting me for offline help and advice I did my best to help them, too. Finding the time to give back feels like a stretch, but when you see how you can make a difference in someone else’s success, it keeps you going. My (Super)-Secret E-Learning Heroes Tips Here are some ELH success factors I’ve learned along the way. No one taught them to me, but I’m happy to share them with you. Find Your Place I found a natural fit in the challenges, but that may not be a place that you love or feel you can shine in, learn from, or offer the most. Others feel most at home in the Building Better Courses discussions or the more technical Storyline or Studio ones. Find your footing and go from there. Focus You can’t do it all. You can’t be everywhere doing everything and helping everybody all the time. It’s not sustainable. Once you’ve found your place, give it your full attention. Commit I’m busy and could easily say I don’t have the time to stay involved, but I’ve promised myself that I’ll keep up with the challenges and help others when I can. No one forces me to do it. No one expects me to do it. It’s a personal commitment that keeps me going. Connect Meaningfully There’s a difference between responding to someone and thoughtfully connecting with them. As an example, when I want to support someone’s efforts, I find out if they have a blog, encourage them to write and share, and comment on their posts. I’m not trying to get attention for myself; I’m trying to encourage them in a thoughtful way because I’m excited about their success. Even when people contact me via LinkedIn, Twitter, or my blog, I check to see if they are ELH members so I can see what they are working on or contributing to so I can say something personal to them. Is it above and beyond? Yes. Is it an effective way to genuinely support others and build a strong network of peers? Yes. Challenge Yourself Pushing yourself to learn from ELH posts—from peers who know the software inside and out, terrific designers, and others who actively share in our community—will pay off. Your skills and knowledge will increase, your expertise will become more widely known, and it will be easier to reach your goals and stay relevant in the field well into the future. Aren’t we lucky to have such a great community?
