Comments on: Why you really want to be short

By: 5 ways to make linear navigation more interesting

5 ways to make linear navigation more interesting — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:59:58 +0000

[...] design. Regular readers know that I’m no fan of the Next button. (Are you new here? Try Why you really want to be short or Visual menus: Structure with [...]

By: Eric Bort

Eric Bort — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:13:42 +0000

Hopefully this works as an appropriate example: http://www.surgerysquad.com – We develop these (virtual surgeries) internally for fun/to learn in any free time and to have the chance to be 100% in charge – basically an exercise on cutting to the chase. We take a complex process that can range from 3 hours to 15 hours and have a goal of 5 pages or less script size, and under 5 minutes total start to finish – all the while giving the user as much control through the surgery as possible.

The biggest problem with a client’s course is that they may only want one course – even if the content should be split into multiple 10 minute chunks. We’re starting a great set of 7 courses tomorrow and I’m excited to apply the same tactics to plant care and landscaping as we do to medical procedures. Short is good as long as the quality and usability are up. If it makes sense, the user remembers the goals & has an enjoyable time I’m happy.

By: Janaiah

Janaiah — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:37:19 +0000

Another great post from Cathy. Cathy clearly sees the difference between the corporate and the academic courses. Corporate training seriously requires hands-on-experience, short and interactive courses.The learners need to apply their newly acquired knowldge at their work place. But I donot mean that the academic courses should not have hands-on-experience, short and interactive coursese people The academic courses can have a little bit of liberty in terms of these features.

By: Making Change » 5 ways to make linear navigation more interesting

Making Change » 5 ways to make linear navigation more interesting — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:51:36 +0000

[...] design. Regular readers know that I’m no fan of the Next button. (Are you new here? Try Why you really want to be short or Visual menus: Structure with [...]

By: it’s good to be short! « noah little

it’s good to be short! « noah little — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:05:58 +0000

[...] | Tags: instructional design I’ve known this my whole life but now it’s official. Why you really want to be short. Short and sweet, to the point, that [...]

By: Cammy Bean

Cammy Bean — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:02:57 +0000

And as a short person, I’ve always felt it’s better….regardless of what Randy Newman says.

By: Cammy Bean

Cammy Bean — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:00:52 +0000

The whole “less is more” philosophy can be hard to implement when writing content. SMEs think all of their expertise is so darn important.

I’ve been having fun convincing my SMEs otherwise and am pleased to see them cutting content while saying “less is more” out loud.

By: Tom Kuhlmann

Tom Kuhlmann — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:04:04 +0000

Another good post. In fact, one of my pet peeves is elearning fascism where we lock down the course and don’t allow learners to have as much control as possible.

Elearning is evolving. We tend to think “course” because initially we just repurposed classroom content and tried to recreate the experience online. Things are changing.

The first stage of elearning is like the gray, boxey web pages ten years ago. Now look at what we have.

The combination of multimedia, online, offline, and collaborative technology is going to change how we view elearning. The courses we have now are only one part of the process.

By: Cathy Moore

Cathy Moore — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:14:53 +0000

Lorenz, thanks for your question.

I’m obviously biased about this, because I’m developing an online tool to help people learn and apply instructional design skills at http://www.elearningblueprints.com . I’m using concise HTML text, many short interactions, job aids, and a detailed, always-visible menu. I view it as performance support, not a course. I think standalone courses are best used to raise awareness.

I think the 60-Minute Masters content will help raise awareness of the importance of careful design. To make that message more powerful, I would increase learners’ control over the presentation. For example, I would suggest providing a more detailed menu and speeding up the experience of the course (the transitions and text reveals are quite slow on this side of the Atlantic).

60-Minute Masters: http://www.kineolearning.com/60minutemasters

By: Lorenz

Lorenz — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:55:46 +0000

Great idea Cathy!
I’m very curios to see difference between a interactive course and a click-to-next course…
For example: what do you change in the 60 minutes master of Clive Sheperd?