From Storyline to Captivate
As eLearning professionals, we all face challenges that push us to grow. After letting my Articulate Storyline license lapse, I found myself needing to recreate a microlearning project that I had originally built using Storyline. Rather than renewing my Storyline license, I took this as an opportunity to dive into Adobe Captivate—a tool I had only dabbled with in the past. It was certainly a challenge.
Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:
1. The Learning Curve: A New Interface and New Concepts
Adobe Captivate is a powerful tool for creating engaging eLearning experiences, but it operates quite differently than Storyline. The interface took some time to get used to, especially since I was already comfortable with Storyline's layout.
However, after spending time exploring the various menus, I quickly realized how intuitive Captivate can be. It’s packed with features that allow for detailed customization of interactivity, and I was surprised by how flexible it is in terms of responsive design. The program uses fluid boxes, which allow you to create content that adapts to different screen sizes—making it an excellent choice for mobile-friendly content.
2. Guided Discovery: Learning by Doing in Captivate
As someone who learns best by doing, I like to jump right into guided discovery learning—where I can explore, test, and build in real time. Captivate’s architecture actually supports this beautifully. Its structure encourages experimentation through features like advanced actions, variables, and state-based interactivity.
Instead of watching endless tutorials before getting started, I recreated a microlearning module on salary negotiation and figured things out as I went. This trial-and-error approach not only helped me understand the tool’s capabilities faster, but it increased the “stickiness” of the learning. Captivate gives you room to make mistakes, troubleshoot, and improve—which is exactly how I love to learn.
3. New Possibilities with Adobe Captivate
The more I explored Captivate, the more I realized the possibilities it opened up. Here are a few standout features I’m excited about:
Screen Recording and Simulations: Captivate makes it easy to record software simulations, which is perfect for creating interactive walkthroughs or tutorials.
Responsive Design: The Fluid Boxes are incredibly useful for designing projects that automatically adjust to different devices, making Captivate a great choice for mobile-first eLearning.
Interactive Quizzes: The built-in quiz features are extremely versatile, allowing you to customize scoring, feedback, and question types. This makes it easier to create quizzes that are both engaging and informative.
4. Why Every Designer Should Learn Multiple Tools
Transitioning from one authoring tool to another can be daunting, but it’s also a valuable learning experience. Adobe Captivate may have a steeper learning curve, but it has also taught me how to think outside of the box. Every tool has its strengths and weaknesses, and by broadening our toolset, we can better meet the needs of our learners.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to create more dynamic, responsive, and interactive eLearning experiences, Adobe Captivate is an excellent tool to consider. While there’s definitely a learning curve, the results are worth the effort.
I’m excited to share the updated version of my microlearning course on salary negotiation, which I recreated from scratch in Adobe Captivate. You can check it out here: View course
The process of learning and adapting is a never-ending journey, but it’s a rewarding one. I can’t wait to see what other projects I can create with Captivate in the future!
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Adobe Captivate
