Has Captive gotten any easier to use?

[Newbie Doobie]

I used Captivate several years ago on a project and I must say... working through some of the quirks was very tedious. I've since used another platform (which shall remain nameless) and I found it much easier. 

I'm beginning to develop my own entrepreneurial projects and because I have a Mac, I can't use my preferred software which is only supported on a PC.

Can anyone provide any insight on improved usability for Captivate. Or any advice on how to ramp up Captivate knowledge quickly?

[Lilybiri]

Have a proper training, do not rely only on YT videos. 

Captivate has gotten a lot of new features, not sure if that makes it 'easier', but it certainly allows to create very engaging eLearning courses if you know how to use it.  Personally I expect a professional tool to need some time to get professional skills, but many may disagree with that opinion.

[Newbie Doobie]

I've paid a pretty penny developing skills along my Instructional Design journey...I'm just trying to ascertain if Captivate training would be worth it if the tool is difficult regardless. 

[RodWard]

You don't mention which versions of Captivate you used previously.  The basic layout of the Captivate interface has changed very little over the past 10 years.  Several new features have been added, which continue to add to an already quite complex application.

Captivate is definitely NOT the easy-going family sedan of e-learning authoring tools.  It's more akin to the "very-powerful-but-difficult-to-control-sports-car" tool. And like any high-powered machine, it takes quite a long time to become a proficient driver.

There are trial versions of most e-learning authoring tools available.  Why not just download them all and take each one for a test drive?

[Paul Wilson CTDP]

There are other tools that are easier to use but what you find from seasoned users is that Captivate is a powerful tool that allows you to produce more customized results. To borrow a little from Rod's comment, I like to think of it as the 18-wheeler of e-learning. Other tools are more like the family sedan.

[RodWard]

Agreed.  The 18-wheeler is probably a better analogy than my sports car.  Most people would expect that you would need to get trained as a truck driver before you could expect to drive one of those.  There are plenty of people that buy powerful sports cars and then crash because they don't understand the beast they now own.

In my 20 years as a professional e-learning developer I have used many different tools.  Since I do contract work for different clients, I am often required to use whatever tool their organisation happens to own.  I don't usually get to choose the one I prefer.

However, as Paul says, though some other tools are more "user-friendly" they also tend to have limitations in several areas where Captivate wins.  So, in the end, I still prefer to use Captivate because it doesn't tie my hands in the areas that are important to the kind of e-learning I like to create.  

But...your mileage may differ.

[Newbie Doobie]

Very interesting analogies. I guess if I apply them...I'll never have a practical need for an 18-wheeler and I find sports cars to be all flash over necessary utlility. Intersting indeed lol -thanks!