Last week, I had the opportunity to deep dive into understanding a found eLearning Object, Car Sale Dialogue. This week, I continue that analysis by building out a visual storyboard based on the final content shown in the module. For more information about storyboards, scripts, and templates, check out this previous blog post.
For this storyboard, I updated a template from OPWL 551. I considered making my own since I was familiar with the content of the module, but decided to use this template as it allowed me to fill out more detail and has space for reviewer notes. Building out a storyboard for this module was not nearly as intense as deciphering its wireframe and all the potential pathways. This module contains no audio and no multimedia outside of images. Therefore a visual storyboard was easy to reverse engineer.
There are only three main screen types found in this module: a dialogue/decision screen, a feedback screen, and an outcome screen. The only graphics that change from screen to screen are the customer’s image and her mood meter. Her dialogue is always in the same spot as are all the responses that the learner has to choose from. And while there are no explicit guidance techniques, the module draws emphasis to clickable objects by coloring them with contrasting blue and adding hover states.
If I were to improve on this module, I would offer an optional help screen or some forced navigation directions to inform the learner of navigation. I am also a huge fan of consistency when it comes to designing interactive objects, so I would have preferred if all the buttons were the same color and hover state throughout. The images below are of the buttons found in the module. While they both contain the same blue color that indicates they are interactive objects, they don’t utilize the same style that could help the learner recognize them as interactive objects immediately.
Overall, I think this module accomplishes what it intended to do. Its strength lies in its detailed and lengthy branches that give the learner a sense of how an interaction with a customer could go. And while I am a fan of fancy multimedia, I don’t think it is necessary here. The subject matter is not emotionally-driven, so video and audio aren’t missed. The use of simple graphics and a simple interface make development easier and more cost-effective.
References
Cannon and Harding (2017)
Slade (2016)