Tag Archives: Communication

 

When Apples Go Bad – UI Design and Usability

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Apple released the latest upgrade of their operating system (iOS5) a couple of weeks ago. This release gave us happy new features—notifications banner! to-do list! iMessage! multiple routes on maps!—as well as the Why-would-you-do-that-to-us features—if I can’t put Newsstand in … Continue reading →

 
Friday, November 4th, 2011 1 Comment
 

Getting Out of the Dump

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A common practice in the world of training is what we affectionately call the “information dump.” You might know what I’m talking about—the courses that are so text heavy and dense that you lose the learner on page two. These … Continue reading →

 
Friday, October 14th, 2011 3 Comments
 

How Did That Course Really Go?

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Here at Allen, we have a weekly designer meeting, which is a great opportunity for our design leads to meet and talk about what is going on with our projects. This week we had a designer showcase, and there were … Continue reading →

 
Monday, September 26th, 2011 2 Comments
 

Beyond Post-its: Ways To Go Paperless

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Not too long ago our Director of Project Managers here at Allen, Michael Hassett, mentioned to me that he’s gone almost completely paperless in his work environment. No more legal pads, just 100% digital note taking and organization with his … Continue reading →

 
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 1 Comment
 

Seeing the Training for the Trees

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The popular philosophical question goes, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” The 18th century Irish philosopher George Berkeley is known for his belief summed up in … Continue reading →

 
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 6 Comments
 

Finding a Universal Symbol for Yes

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Suppose you were me eight months ago. You were in charge of designing a web-based course on business ethics for a large financial company. This course was scheduled to be translated into ten languages. One of the activities in this … Continue reading →

 
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 5 Comments
 

Ridding the World of Bad Scenarios

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Using scenarios to help learners apply new knowledge has been a long-standing training best practice. And in more recent years, to the relief of online learners, scenarios have started to take the place of some of those dreaded knowledge checks … Continue reading →

 
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 2 Comments
 

Motivating Learners and Coaches—is Delivering Happiness the Secret Sauce?

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When you think about motivating learners to take charge of their own development and learning, what questions have you asked yourself that can help achieve results like a wildly successful company like, say, Zappos? For the uninitiated, Zappos is a … Continue reading →

 
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 4 Comments
 

Playing the Budget Showdown

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Here’s the typical scenario. You’re the client, you’ve got a training project, and you’re looking for the right vendor. The last thing you want to do is tip your hand and show your budget. That’s like telling the car salesperson … Continue reading →

 
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 1 Comment
 

Is The iPad Right For Your Training?

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As the popularity of the iPad and other tablets continues to rise, instructional designers and corporate training professionals are experimenting with ways to utilize this transformative, new technology for their training initiatives. But, as we’ve discovered through our own foray … Continue reading →

 
Monday, June 27th, 2011 2 Comments