Captivate 9 vs. Storyline for Responsive Projects

[SM6601]

Does anyone think that Storyline is a better tool for responsive projects because it has a player that adjusts the layout automatically?

[RodWard]

The world waits with baited breath...

[Lilybiri]

You must have a crippled version, landscape preview iPad:

[SM6601]

I didn't see an iPhone landscape preview. Also, I like Storyline's landscape only publishing. I didn't dig into the CP2017 setting but CP9 did not have a landscape only, it had a portrait only which is useless.

[Lilybiri]

CP9 had both landscape and portrait views, CP2017 has all the views you want, will not post them all here.....

Good luck with StoryLine!

[SM6601]

Does CP2017 have landscape only publishing? Storyline will prompt the learner to rotate their iPhone because a project can only be viewed as landscape only. I see a lot of value in that.

[SM6601]

It seemed that designing and developing for the different devices was easier with Storyline. I'm assuming this overall experience is why Storyline is coming out front now in the marketplace.

[SM6601]

Thanks to the CP experts that have helped further my career in the past. There's a fork in the road, and I'm following in the direction of Storyline.

[Paul Wilson CTDP]

The drop down menu with various previews are just that, previews (these are not to be confused with breakpoints). You can add your own aspect ratios and resolutions to that preview drop down menu.

[Lilybiri]

I'm only a user, will not offer any comment on a comparison because I don't know StoryLine in depth. I am totally amazed at the speed of some users who are capable of judging an application in very little time. Sorry to say so, but to me that can only be a first impression, never a full judgment which needs more exploration time.  It makes me shudder seeing that barbaric image, leading to the death of a gladiator...

[Paul Wilson CTDP]

I don't think so. For those of us involved in the prerelease program, we knew it was coming out for a few days now. I've been scheduled to speak about the new features at the upcoming Adobe eLearning Conference for several weeks now.

[SM6601]

I'm still comparing the two applications. Unfortunately, all of the latest jobs and employers I've heard about lately favor design and development with Storyline. I'm finding Storyline cumbersome and oversimplified in some areas.

[Paul Wilson CTDP]

Of course, there is nothing that says you must only use one or the other. For argument's sake let's say that 40% of the market uses Captivate and 40% uses Articulate 360 or Storyline. Why not spend some time learning both products so that you have access to 80% of the eLearning design jobs.

Since Adobe Captivate is brand new, you can download it and get yourself the 30-day trial. Give it a good test drive and see what it can do for you. Take a look at the tutorials I posted today (there will be more coming) and try to push the boundaries of each product out.

[SM6601]

If I'm not mistaken I believe Adobe overlooked the value of having landscape only publishing.

[SM6601]

Articulate 360 Responsive Preview and Player - YouTube

Captivate doesn't have a nice responsive player.

[Sankaram]

Hi Steve,

     Can you create a simulation and try in responsive Player?  In my understanding it is just a scalable HTML5, but I might be wrong.

Thanks,

Sankaram

[RodWard]

I just took a look at the suggested YouTube video where Arlyn from Articulate is advertising the features of their new 'responsive' player.

It seems that Articulate's concept of "reponsive" is quite different from Adobe Captivate's.  Their player simply rescales the slide content to fit the width of the available portrait or landscape viewport.  That's just the same as Captivate's Scalable HTML.  It's nothing new or revolutionary.

Articulate currently has no capability to create true responsive content that reorganises the layout of objects on the slide to accommodate the changing needs of portrait or landscape orientation.  It's either Portrait ONLY or Landscape ONLY, not both.  And it doesn't have the capability (as far as I can see) to enlarge text sizes for smaller device screens so that the text is always readable at that size.

Yes they have a minimalistic player.  But I'm not seeing that player as inherently superior to Captivate's skins in any compelling way.

[PiotrBurc]

Hi Rod,

Yes, you are right. Articulate's concept of "responsive" = SCALABLE HTML5 only. In Articulate 3 only player is kind off scalable.

PB

[Lilybiri]

When will people learn to use the correct terminology and not confusing words to - sorry for the word -  promote a half-baked feature? A responsive project is totally different from a scalable project. Just like a passive video is different from an interactive tutorial. Sad but marketing people do not have a lot of ethics...

[RodWard]

I agree with you Lieve.  But let's not forget that there are marketing people on BOTH sides of this particular issue, and they all tend to 'guild the lily".

I also dislike the way that marketing materials for authoring tools tend to use language that implies great e-learning can be created "in just a few clicks" without any required expertise on the part of the person using the software.  I find this demeaning.

It's like saying that anyone who purchases PhotoShop instantly becomes a world-class graphic artist. Or anyone that purchases a set of chisels from a hardware store can churn out sculptures like Michaelangelo. Everyone would spot the lie in marketing that claimed similar things.  But unfortunately too many people in the learning industry forget that identical principles apply to their own genre.

It's not the tool, it's the tradesperson that creates the end product.

The bare bones truth is that almost any e-learning authoring tool is good enough to create great e-learning in the hands of a true professional.  Conversely, even the best tools in the world won't save you and your course content if you don't know what you're doing.

It takes YEARS of hard work and persistence to acquire the design skills and expertise to create the kind of e-learning that most learners WANT to sit through.  Captivate and Storyline or any other tools are just software chisels in the hand of the people that wield them.

[Lilybiri]

Sure Rod, I didn't mention any particular marketing group at all.  You know very well how aware I am of the fact that all those hype sentences are just simply lies (in my eyes). There is more crap eLearning around everywhere, partially due to the fact that those marketing people tell that everyone can create eLearning with their so easy tools which is of course another lie. It is not only about learning the tool in-depth, but about having the necessary pedagogical background (no matter how it was acquired) and the so necessary empathy which you can find only in excellent trainers/teachers/coaches is required to achieve that goal. Correct terminology is only one small aspect, but I am very frustrated by the lack of correct use of terminology by most marketing people. One thing is sure: I will never be a good marketing person at all... just an explorer.

[stagprime]

 Well said, Rod

Agreed! Not the tool but the person behind it.

I have been a Captivate user since version 3 and have never used Storyline or any Articulate Studio product - though I will admit frequenting their community and blog often for great ideas.

That being said - I feel confident that if someone threw Storyline at me and said I had to use it - I would be a bit slower in the development stage as I learned the UI but would still be able to churn out the same level of quality work that I do now.

[SM6601]

Rod hit the nail on the head that people aren't getting. Storyline 360 does not produce a true responsive project that adjusts to the different aspect ratios of the mobile devices. It creates one aspect ratio and the player blacks out the remainder of the screen or the aspect ratios that do not fit it.

[RodWard]

You ARE mistaken.  Adobe didn't see value in limiting Captivate to only landscape orientation that forced users to rotate their screens. 

They left that decision up to the elearning designer/author.  I personally agree with Adobe's decision.  The designer should have the option.

[SM6601]

In Storyline the designer/author has the option for portrait only or landscape only. Landscape only solves a lot of design/development layout issues.

I think the best thing about Storyline is the responsive player which Adobe needs to have.

[SM6601]

I believe that Storyline's responsive player skin is better than what you can get out of Captivate.