This presentation is about exploring the features of Adobe Captivate to look beyond the stereotyped software demonstrations that are most commonly created in the technical communication world. It is about venturing into the space of progressive content creation and layout with an aim to deliver a highly interactive and self-exploratory learning solution. One that is capable of seamlessly stitching together several pieces of a complex flow while maintaining a modular approach to facilitate self-paced learning, addressing both general and specific knowledge gaps in a holistic way.
The “solution” being referred to here is a potent concoction of Adobe Captivate features and core content strategies. While the built-in widgets and templates of Adobe Captivate simplify the content creation process without requiring coding expertise, use of well-established technical communication strategies such as designing the content to flow from general (simple) concepts to specific (complex) ones ensures effective comprehension without causing cognitive overload. To further augment this strategy, use of progressive disclosure incrementally reveals information layers, allowing end users to begin with scanning general concepts that gradually lead to specific tasks and/or reference information. The incorporation of mouse-over content pop-ups, breadcrumbs, and buttons in the solution introduces a level of playfulness keeping in mind the rapidly narrowing patience levels of end users. Lastly, the solution provides the infrastructure to bring together a wealth of relevant knowledge collateral (blogs, videos, datasheets).
