Expect the Expected

We're so often told to expect the unexpected, but how often are we warned to expect the expected.  Please excuse me while I rant for a moment.

I've been waiting, for an unacceptable amount of time, for an upgrade to be issued and installed for my LMS.  I won't even go into the details about why it was delayed over and over again.  Nor will I even mention how long I have been waiting.  What I will mention is why, oh why did I ever expect that the latest testing phase would be any different than past phases.

Source, Author : Werner Kunz License: BY-NC-SA

I really thought (and was promised) that this time would be smoother.  I had been told that one reason for the delay (okay guess I'll mention one) was that they didn't want me to have to go through so much testing again to ensure it was a solid launch.

But....here I am again.  Testing item after item, link after link, function after function and am finding error after error after error.  Not only to the errors surprise me, but many of the user accessibility interactions and general features are of poor design.  Imagine your learners trying to read a font size 8 on a screen.  Not something you typically want with an aging population workforce.

I suppose I am glad that I've been through this before.  Not once, but several times over.  Hence the reason why I should have expected nothing less from the vendor. A colleague simply laughed at me when I asked him "Why did I expect it would be better this time?"  In turned I laughed at him as his product test site has not yet been delivered to him.  Warning shot launched.

At the least, I have a plan to get through the bugs.  I have a template to catalog, prioritize, and track the bugs and a method to track vendor responses to such.

Several factors now weigh heavy on my mind.  How many bugs will I find and how many am I missing discovering? How much time will it take to fix these items, that I have been promised for so long, to function properly?  How much will delaying timing of an upgrade launch interfere with annual corporate curriculum?

For the most part, all I can do it find the issues, track them and let the rest play out as it unfolds.  I have little control over the rest of the process, but must still manage it all as best and timely as possible. I have a feeling that strong drinks and ranting may be the necessary cure.

Let Every Tip or Trick Create Inspiration

Recently there was a discussion posted in the E-Learning Heroes community asking the community to ensure that when they post tips, tricks, and tutorials that they don't forget that not everyone is using Storyline.  There are some that are still using Studio and then there are others that aren't using either tool.  I mention others as well because this post goes out to those users as well.

Every time I look at Twitter or Screenr or Blog or anywhere else for tips I always try to think, "How can I use this in my work with the tools I'm using?"  Just because the person demonstrating or talking about a technique is using Storyline, does not mean that I can think of away to re-purpose that information and figure out a way to use it with my own tool.

As an example Ron Price recent posted a Screenr showing how you could use Storyline to create a hidden pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen.



I took that same demo and showed how you could do the same treatment in Studio.  I'm sure someone else could find a way to recreate it in another authoring tool.



The point behind these tips and tricks isn't to show each other the ONLY way to do stuff it is to INSPIRE each other in what we can do.  What we can create.  This is one of the main reasons I just love the elearning community as a whole because every member seems naturally driven to share, explore, inspire and learn from one another.

My best advice is to take every tip, trick, and technique you discover and be INSPIRED by it.  Let your creativity grow with thought that has been shared with you.  Sometime just trying to recreate the idea will allow you to discover and apply your own unique twist to it.  Then you too can share what you did with the idea.  How you expanded upon it.  Soon enough someone will be learning from your inspiration and expanding their own creativity.

Together we just keep learning and exploring.