Dear Word of Mouth

Dear Worrying, Wandering Heart,

We hear many similar stories from designers just like you, and believe me, I understand—because I’ve been there. When Storyline was first released, it tugged at my heart, and I felt my loyalty dividing. Where I’d once been so sure, suddenly my world was muddled. So anguished, so alone.

And then it struck me: Do I have to choose one? Surely I can have a successful relationship with both, right? In fact, they complement each other so well, there’s no reason we can’t all work together! So here’s my advice to you on how to cultivate an open relationship with your Articulate programs:

• Pick your program situationally: You said yourself that you love Studio, so why not start your project there? If you’re comfortable and familiar, you’ll probably build your projects faster in Studio. Tackle some of the grunt work in PowerPoint or Presenter, where you move the fastest. Look for ways to play to the strengths of each program: For example, Studio has a great bulk audio uploader. If you have a huge slide deck with audio on each slide, why not use Studio’s bulk uploader tool? Once you’ve finished your basics in Studio, you can import your project into Storyline and further refine your project from there. Starting in Studio won’t set you back at all.
• Don’t force a change: If your SMEs prefer working in PowerPoint and Studio, there’s no reason to change things on them. In fact, they’ll be much more efficient—and easier to work with—if they’re using a familiar program to draft their content. You and I know that Storyline is easy to learn, but an SME under pressure to produce content might balk at the idea of something new. It’s okay. Just roll with it.
• Plan before you switch partners: Studio and Storyline work so well together—but they don’t share all the same capabilities, functions, and tools, which is why it’s so great to move between the two. The key is to prepare for the next program before you leave the one you’re in. For example, if you have SmartArt in your Studio project, you should ungroup your items before migrating your project so you can manipulate those objects in Storyline. Take care to learn the design considerations for each program, so you can make the most of the strengths and synergies for each.

So don’t feel ashamed if you love Studio and Storyline’s caught your eye. They’re not competing for your affection. They’ll both love you right back. With you, Studio, and Storyline, three’s company, not a crowd.