My goals for myself with this challenge:

• #1, Get hands on with Adobe software again to learn. Feel good being creative!
• utilize only the Animation features within Captivate (which are awesome, by the way)
• use a happy, light hearted colour palette with conversational content
• make it fun, and engage the learner
• take my own photographs and create illustrations to expand my Illustrator and Photoshop expertise (I create an artboard in Illustrator with slides, and work out the design there first to see how the course will look as a whole and work together, then I use assets to export pieces, with a plan/blueprint to build off of).
• Do something with the 3D rotate feature in Illustrator that I saw in a session of Adobe Max (the wrapped up boxes with paper, and dropping plate were created with this feature)
• Create a “rolling banner” slide
• Create FUN icons, my icons at work don’t get to be cute/fun/quirky (as they need to be corporate/professional)
• Use texture overlays to add interest
• add a custom video element that is auto play (the try it slide, is a video I took on my iphone with white Bristol board under and behind the bingo cage, I’m happy with how it turned out)
• be thoughtful about navigation, make it open (in my full time gig, navigation is rigid to ensure learners have viewed content). Figure out functionality of menus within menus.
• Work to weave relatable stories throughout
• Use font choices and colour to add rhythm to large blocks of text, so that it adds to readability

My mind is blown by all of the capabilities of Adobe software. I built this course, as a challenge to myself and so that I could get hands on in developing and building something fun. I love how well Adobe software integrates together, and that I can design pieces in Illustrator and then bring it into Captivate easily. The animation features in Captivate give me a lot of control, and I can create transitions that add polish within seconds.

My goal was to pick a topic where I could develop content that would be interesting to a large target audience. A top contender was “How to bake Poppy Roll” which is something I learned to do over the pandemic. It’s delicious, but not everyone can have baked goods and not everyone is interested in baking. I then decided that we are ALL dealing a global pandemic and as human beings we ALL have people that we love and care about. I think we can all use a reminder of some ways to connect with those that are in the front row of our lives and mean the most. Simple ideas have the power to be big when it creates a chain of love and connection. If this project sparks an idea that creates extra laughter, smiles, memories and connection for even a handful of people – it is a success!