New Resource: A Guide to Design
Whether you are new to design or looking to develop a strong foundation or just want to refresh your design skills check out this new website which provides a great experience to learn. https://start.uxdesign.cc
Using ClipDrop.co to grab objects or things all around us
Using the new ClipDrop.co you are able to quickly grab any object that is around you. This blows my mind every time I use it because I think about in the old days, yesterday, having to either reposition everything perfectly or opening a photo in Photoshop and spending an hour or more editing.
ClipDrop.co can be installed on your iOS or Android device and there is a complimentary Mac or Windows app which will sync the photos to your computer to use instantly in whatever program you want.
After a handful of tests, you will need to subscribe to a monthly or yearly subscription but the cost is worth it, $40 per year, if you use it in one comp or product.
Learn more and links to download at ClipDrop.co
Pokémon Smile is a fun, habit-forming for good and learning about getting Hooked
We discovered the new Pokémon Smile app for my 9yo and he loves it. It’s transformed the “discussions” around brushing to a fun interactive time where he’s learning good habits. It’s funny, but he actively looks forward to brushing to see if we can catch a Pokémon. I didn’t mention, it uses augmented reality to interact and show and place elements on your head and face during the process to making it more fun.
For homework, I recommend downloading, trying it out and think about:
- the onboarding process – were there any blockers in getting started
- how do they get you to come back and try again
- what audio and visual prompts are used to engage you
- did you want to do it again?
Two things I took note of for the younger audience:
- In order to open settings, you must hold down the button for 2+ seconds before it displays. This is targeted towards the younger audience accidentally not modifying settings if they touch and it does not react instantly but I can think of some adult interactions where this can be used as well.
- If the “little one” tries to use it again, it throws up a warning that you have to wait 3 hours before you can do it again so you don’t overdue it.
A quick look at the app:
The main menu allows you to Get Brushing, check out the Pokémon book to learn about what you can catch after brushing as rewards – this creates a little Mystery. The yellow icon lets you play or see elements you can place on your head and as you use it more and more it unlocks additional elements.
During the brushing, you can turn on the ability to capture photos, review after brushing, decorate with additional Pokémon, and save to your photos library. This can also be disabled if you prefer not to take photos.
Check out the Official Site and you can link to download on Apple App Store or Google Play. For fun you can watch the trailer:
Learning about the Hook Model
The Hook Model uses 4 key elements: trigger, action, reward, and investment. If you want to dive deeper. watch this 13-minute video overview to understand the this practice by the author of Hooked by Nir Eyal
Mac App: Keyboard Maestro helps you to automate steps
One of the apps I use every day to keep everything moving smoothly is Keyboard Maestro by Stairways Software.
Features that I use everyday:
- macros to quickly perform several actions without having to manually get in the way, ie launching an app, export or annotating with one keystroke, function key or mapped to a StreamDeck key
- OCR, pulling text from an image, screenshot or photo with a keystroke which is helpful during wireframing
- Ending a Zoom and starting the next one without having to think
For $36, you can also test drive it with a free trial, it will help you be more productive if you are looking to combine or automate several actions together.
Capturing a long scrolling browser page simply in Chrome
Challenge: Need to grab a long scrolling page.
Solution: from within Chrome:
- Open Developer Tools
- Select Run Command from : Menu
- Type “screenshot” and Select ” SCREENSHOT Capture Full Size”
or in Responsive Mode
- Select : and chose Full Screen Capture.
- Select “Capture Full Size”
Results
PNG is saved directly to your downloads and your ready to review, annotate or share (after a little compression / export to JPEG or PDF).
#IDIODC Tech Tools & Toys for Learning Design & Development
Got to hang out with Brent and Chris broadcast of Instructional Designers in Offices Drinking Coffee this morning to talk about the latest tech gadgets and apps to improve creativity and productivity. You can watch the replay via CrowdCast.
We also let 100+ attendees jump into the Miro board to add their own tools, ideas, and grab links during the session.
Next Steps:
The Learning Guild’s SpeakerChat – Sticky Learning Tools + Tech #guildchat #speakerchat
Over the past several weeks The Learning Guild has been alternating between their Friday 2 pm Twitter Chat and a Zoom based event where a guest explains, dives deeper and answers chat questions on topics that were presented during online events this year. I was a guest and this is a summary of several of the topics we covered and wanted to provide a summary along with links. A video will be shared on YouTube later this month so keep an eye out if you missed the session today.
We covered a range of topics, ideas, tools, and resources so watch the video for everything. Download a PDF summary.
Highlights during SpeakerChat
Design for Flexibility
- providing feedback – be sure to allow the user to fail and learn from their mistakes.
- don’t just say that’s incorrect.
- look for ways to provide users a way to dive deeper, explore and share what they learn
- provide tools for managers and leaders to utilize content to connect, blend and refresh on key elements they want to utilize in their toolbox
Keeping Up to Date
Growing up in a household of a teaching sparked a interest to always ask why, how, can I do it? So always be thinking about and breaking down what you do, why, how it works and what can you apply to your next learning experience? Tools that I use to keep up to date:
- Feedly.com is my favorite tool to stay up to date with topics, I try to check in 1-3 times a day on my phone in-between meetings, tasks and typically will review on a tablet in the evening. You can organize contents, tags, keywords, you can even remove words that you do not want to be included which is handy when you want to focus on a particular top or area. With the paid version you unlock more functionality with team sharing, annotation. Check it out, free to download or try via the web site.
- Sidebar.io is the second resource I use daily to keep inspired for creative ideas and to keep learning. You can sign up for a free email that delivers the 5 latest stories to your inbox which I love and will review weekly what I missed.
TechSmith Tools
We got a question about using Snagit and Camtasia for creating, capturing, and building media. We use Snagit just about every day and Camtasia as needed, one thing I wanted to make sure you check out is their community support, blog, education (for registered users) via TechSmith Academy and resources. Make sure to follow Matt Pierce @piercemr on Twitter.
- YouTube DevLearn 50 Video Tips for Better Video
- Upcoming YouTube LiveStream on June 18 on Video in Higher Education.
Miro Play Activity
During the last part of the session, we invited 30+ attendees to experiment and add their thoughts around what they learned, what they wanted to share, and access to the resources. You can view the board and a gif below which shows the magic of 30+ people adding what they learned.
Download a PDF export of the board.
SpeakerChat Series on YouTube
Check out the SpeakerChat Series on YouTube which features Mike Taylor, Sarah Mercier, Richard Goring and Carla Torgerson in the first series.
Share Your Thoughts about SpeakerChat
Please reach out to twitter.com/learningguild or @learningguild on Twitter to share your thoughts if they should continue the series. I VOTE YES and would love to see more interactions to continue and dive deeper into the latest community challenges, sharing ideas, and looking at how we can continue to grow.
A Game-Changing Tool for Online Collaborations with Miro.com
Miro is one of those tools that gets me so excited about the possibilities and how it can help teams get stuff done because it works transparently, for the most part, and allows you to create, brainstorm, gather feedback or quickly collaborate on the next steps. The tool works via your browser or you can download an app for your desktop or mobile device. If you have an Apple Pencil, Surface Pen, or similar you can draw, annotate more naturally on screengrabs, elements, or just write some notes.
In the past 90 days Miro has launched several new features:
- It allows you to invite additional non-registered users for collaborating, gathering data, and participation without having to add them to a paid plan. This is a game-changer that opens up the possibilities of how you utilize the platform outside your primary team.
- Visual tables which allow you to use rows and columns to organize text, graphics, icons, and screengrabs
- Attention management which allows the board owner to gather all collaborators to a particular part fo the board to focus their attention
- More integrations including Jira, Confluence, Trello, Airtable, Notion
- Use your mobile device to convert handwritten stickies to virtual sticky notes that are editable
How I Use Miro:
- Team brainstorming where we review concepts, gather ideas, organize concepts
- Tracking stakeholder meetings, notes, and export as PDFs to share post meetings
- Brainstorming: voting via collaborators
- Quick wireframing using the PEN tool and lo-fi using the add-on
- Creating tables to organize ideas
- Moodboards to capture concepts, research, and feedback
- Webinars to involve participants in sharing, brainstorming and collaborating
- Working with journey mapping and mind maps for projects
- Capturing stickies from my wall to share with remote team
This week launched a new MIROVERSE where you can share your templates with the community so that they can learn, get new ideas and personalize for your team.
Why are you still reading this? Jump over to Miro.com, sign up for a free account, and start to plan your team’s next collaboration session.
L+D Podcast: The Lounge Podcasts
If you are looking for some more L+D content to absorb, learn, and get inspired check out Jacqueline Hutchinson‘s site discussing hot topics and several interviews covering sales, SME’s, PLNs, AI, and a whole lot more.
The Lounge Podcasts >
Podcast: The L&D Forecast
Emily Sheetz launched a new podcast L&D Forecast which is easy to listen to and provides a fresh perspective of what to consider and where to look in the world of learning. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Emily for over 10 years now and have seen her grow into a master storyteller with a creative edge that helps an audience connect with her ideas.
Check out her podcasts and you can connect with Emily on LinkedIn. You can also view Emily’s writings on Medium. You can listen to Emily’s fun interview with me that went so fast I can’t wait to do it again.
#IDIODC CrowdCast on Virtual Training Tips and Tricks With Karen Hyder
Got a chance to listen to Karen Hyder on the #IDIODC CrowdCast. Karen has facilitated and assisted in developing The Learning Guilds online conferences and sessions. I’ve been lucky enough to have been coached by Karen over the years and appreciate all the tips, feedback, and guidance she has provided.
She shared the following tips:
- Prior to the event, align with your participants and provide a list of expectations and have them commit to participating, focusing and interacting with you (the facilitator)
- Think about a timed block and build in breaks if you need a longer session.
- Everyone should be off mute, use video when necessary but not always needed. Think about your use case and what makes sense. Recommend at the opening.
- As a general guideline, try to get participants involved every 2-3 minutes.
- In the beginning, have them share a little about themselves, prefers this idea where people can share via chat vs using the time to go around the room in traditional training classrooms.
- Prior to starting, play slides, rotating that provide best practices, how to solve issues, and upcoming things to remember.
- Think about providing reading, video, or additional delivery of content prior to the interactive session so that everyone can take advantage of the LIVE time.
- Have a backup plan, PLAN B, from a second internet connection (you can use your MiFi or phone) with a backup computer and headset to minimize disruptions or delays in your session.
- Think about how you can educate and motivate your audience to make a difference.
Listen to all the DomainKnow #IDIODC casts hosted by Brent Schlenker and Chris Van Wingerden. They do a new cast every Tuesday for 30 minutes.
Learn more about Karen on KarenHyder.com.
TLDC: Jo Cook Q+A Session around Live Online Learning
If you haven’t heard of the TLDC community online, you should strongly consider joining them. They offer daily chats using CrowdCast where you can listen in, share, and contribute as well as a Slack channel to stay connected within the L+D community.
Once you join, you have access to all the live broadcasts or can access via podcast or video replay post-event if you could not join in live. It’s $150 per year or $15 per month. https://www.thetldc.com
Last week, Jo Cook of Lighbulb Moment was a featured guest (she was amazing + dynamic) and I summarized some of her key points shared:
- wired connection to your router will provide a faster connection for improved bandwidth
- investing in a faster computer
- audio quality is the most critical
- adding a microphone or headset, based on the number and how often you use Logitech headsets recommended (I love them)
- giant monitor or multiple monitors to be able to see all the feedback
- minimize size and optimize assets to work with audience members who may have slower connections
- can link to tools – adding surveys, feedback based on your tool
- cameras = webcams – adding a external device leads to higher quality
- what do I love best about the virtual classroom – “what drives me is helping people “Love when I can see people get that lightbulb moment”
- what do I like least about the virtual classroom – “when the tech goes wrong” “this can happen in live classrooms, so learn around and how to work around these challenges
- love hearing and seeing different perspectives, all sorts of different options and styles
- Design interactions to avoid crickets, get the interaction from the start to help take advantage of the tools you have
- Crowdcast. Adobe Connect, Zoom, GoToTraining, Webex, plus a whole lot more
- What do you want to achieve?
- Who are you working with?
- Ease of use of the tool for the facilitator and the audience
- Interactive: role plays (breakout rooms Zoom and Adobe Connect),
- Need to let participants know what they need to do, prep and if they are using their webcam
- Jo prefers 10 people in a virtual classroom so that she can get to know them and have the interactions she thinks is most helpful to adapt to their needs
- More people, the fewer connections you can have with individuals which can prevent you from knowing the learning transfer
- During your session, always think about how to get your audience involved, ask a question, feedback and the outcome you want
- Think about “What can they be saying or doing instead of me?”
- Download Jo’s Facilitation Guide via Jo’s blog can help and plan your session.
- Adding a producer to assist, support, and provide quick feedback during a session.
- Deliver with energy to help break thru the technology barrier
- Get familiar with the technology ahead of time and get comfortable.
- Call out, acknowledge, and connect with your audience chatting with you to build a bond. This is where a producer can assist while you are speaking to help provide feedback and support participants.
- It’s ok to have silence for a moment.
- Asking participants, what is your lightbulb moment for today?
Follow Jo on twitter @LightBulbJo and check out her web site.
Books: The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Robert Iger shares his biography and experience of working at ABC and eventually leading Disney into its most successful 15 years acquiring Marvel, Lucas Films, and Pixar and launching Disney+ as well as the growths of the Disney Parks. After taking a step back towards retirement earlier this year has been asked to assist navigate through the current challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The book is written simply and walks through several challenges to eventually earning the role of CEO in 2005 until 2020 sharing stories good, bad, inspirational, and his relationship with his colleagues, managers, and even some insight into discussions with Steve Jobs.
One of my favorite shares, after becoming CEO most teams he worked with always thanked and directed attention to him directly and he always made it a point to share the limelight with everyone that was with him and made sure each person got a introduction which shows empathy, character and compassion.
He also shares several larger challenges, setbacks, and what we can learn, share, and apply within our teams to help us move forward.
I highly recommend reading or listening to the audiobook. You can learn more about the book on Amazon.
Check out the live and free recorded sessions from the #learningcollective created by @RISC_Inc with content by @KristenLearning @LearnNuggets @sarahmerci @JD_Dillon (to name a few)
RISC has been curating content to help L+D professionals stay ahead of the curve and learn, expand and grow their knowledge-based from creating content, UX, designing for every screen, to how to conduct interviews to learning about AI just to name a few of the topics:
Check out at: sealworks.team/LearningCollective
I’ve watched and taken notes on sessions from JD, Kevin, Kristen, and Sarah’s so far. Join me for my live broadcast on Getting Started with Prototyping using Adobe XD, we’ll cover the basics to get you launched as well as share several resources and our favorite tips, tricks and plugins. May 20th at 10am ET.
You can watch the recorded presentation below.
Disney Inspiration
Love the signs that you find while walking around Disney during their update and or expansions.
