Two New Things

Recently my company has undergone a rebranding, and our corporate colors and product names have changed.  Due to this we were tapped by a new source, Sales.  

They asked if we could convert their product encyclopedia, their “pitch deck”, and their other materials into 8 to 12 eye catching slides.  We agreed, before finding out we had ONE DAY to turn the project in.  Needless to say, we dug in and learned a lot about a new product and how Sales pitches that product.  

I also downloaded Camtasia last week, so this will be my attempt to see if MP4s will post on my blog.  The video features sanitized versions of the slides I developed for sales. 

The HIPAA Project

With the HIPAA project I worked closely with the Legal Department.  As you might imagine, they can be a tough customer as they have a tendency to be very verbose and very adamant about how the message is to be relayed.  You will want to avoid words like ad hoc or improvisation around them.

After a few preliminary meetings, I realized that the presentation was going to be very dry and very text driven.  With this in mind, I knew I would need to break up the flow of the presentation with bright energetic images.

Five things I really like from this project are:
1.  The All-White Template – This allowed me to use colorful images without them clashing with the Presenter Template.
2.  Big images – These allowed me to create real visual interest and draw the user into the project.  Also, they helped to break up monotony of bullet-driven slides.
3.  Clustering – Clusters are the artistic bunching of small, less interesting images.  When combined they are dynamic and bring otherwise boring material to life.
4.  Do’s and Don’ts – These slides break the mold, because they don’t use bullets; a common sight in PowerPoint Presentations.
5.  Call out boxes – These draw interest to particularly weighty points.  Also, for warnings I used “pink boxes” in opposed to red text; I find this effect less jarring and more professional looking.

Let’s take a closer look:

ISC Sample Layout

When I create a layout for an Independent Study Course, I try not to be too fancy.  This can be hard after spending so much time in the design phase, but the easier it is for the user to access the information, the more successful they will be.  Bold is the only flourish I allow myself, and I will generally only use bold when increasing the font size is not an option.  Also, I am opposed to colored text, especially, the over use of red.  I prefer just to spell it out for the user:

Important: Read this.

Below is a sample layout:

Welcome Title
Welcome Message: 
Always welcome the user to training.  Let them know who to contact with questions.

Primary Subject Title
Timeline:  When you expect the user to take the training.
Duration: How much of the user’s time will training take/the maximum time allowed for training.

Curriculum:
A message regarding the overall goals and acquired skills gained by the completion of the course.

Prerequisite(s):
Anything the user must complete before beginning the training course.

Reference Materials:
All Reference materials associated with this course.  Typically these are Quick Cards, Glossaries, and/or outside vendor materials.

Instructions:
Any instructions pertaining to how to complete the Independent Study Course.  Less is more.

Syllabus:
A list of modules, practice exercises, and assessments that the user must complete to be fluent on the Primary Subject.

Module Title (there will be several of these)
Duration:  How long.
Topics: A list of the presented topics.

Important Notes:
Anything that the Instructor/Facilitator determines needs repeating to have the user successfully complete the course.  Typically, this information is an instruction.

Secondary Subject(s) Title
Secondary Subject message/instructions:
Generally, this is a link to an already existing training course.