a comparison of three visual help authoring tools
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Neil Perlin at Documentation and Training West, May 6-9, 2008 in Vancouver, BC. The use of visual help authoring tools like Adobe Captivate has exploded in recent years because they’re a quick, inexpensive way to create training movies, tutorials, simulations, even e-Learning materials. All of these tools, and there are almost 30 ranging from mainstream tools to shareware and freeware, do basically the same thing, but they often do it using different development models and feature sets. In this presentation, we’ll look at three commercial tools, the market-leading Camtasia and Captivate and a new one, Mimic to see how they compare as far as their development models, features, and appropriateness for your needs.TRANSCRIPT
Three Visual Help Authoring Tools
Who Am I? Neil Perlin - Hyper/Word Services.
– In tech. comm. since ‘79 at DEC.– Creating hypertext since ’85, WinHelp since
‘90.– Using HTML since ‘91.– Training/consulting on HATs since ’95.– Training/consulting/using visual help authoring
tools since ’93 (Lotus ScreenCam) and ’99 (RoboDemo/Captivate, Mimic).
Overview of These Tools
What Are These Tools? Screen recorders that let you:
– Record a series of screens as frames in a movie – like chaining together screen shots.
– Annotate the frames with text captions, high-lights, and other effects for enhanced learning and explanation.
– Add testing – informally through “dead-end” quizzes or formally using eLearning.
– Publish the result.
Why Use These Tools? To create:
– Software training – demonstrations and simulations.
– Role-playing simulations.– “Recordings” of software usability tests.– Other things – PowerPoint presentations that
can be run from a server, games, animé, etc.
For What Purposes? For:
– Training – Teach new users to use software.– Tech support – Create movies that answer
common questions.– Marketing – Show off your product’s features.– (Pre)Sales – Offer demos of your software from
your web site.– Business continuity – Make disaster recovery
training available online from a server.
Why These Tools Instead of… Traditional eLearning/simulation tools?
– Cheap – $699 for Captivate, $299 for Camtasia, $299 for Mimic, vs. $2795 for Toolbook or $2999 for Authorware.
– Quick to learn – Become functional in two days of training.
– Quick to use – Create movies in hours rather than days or weeks.
Some Quick Movie Demos… Software demonstration/simulation. Role-playing simulation.
Purpose of This Presentation Look at the development model, features,
and apparent direction of three such tools:– Adobe Captivate – Long-established, one of the
market leaders, very full-featured.– TechSmith Camtasia – Long-established, one
of the market leaders, very full-featured.– MadCap Mimic – New, fewer features than the
first two but more options per feature and some unusual features.
Development Model? Defines the tool’s initial design and its
strategic direction. For example:
– Captivate started simple but trending toward eLearning, with growing complexity and cost.
– Mimic started simple but programmatically tied to other tools in its suite, now trending toward supporting eLearning.
Affects cost, features, development “feel”.
Why These Three (Only)? They’re mainstream tools. I support Captivate and Mimic and know
them well.– But this is NOT a sales pitch for either one.
Time limitations.
High-Level Commonalities Cheap. Quick to learn. Quick to use.
– But it’s important to define whether this means record only or record and annotate.
High-Level Differences Captivate and Mimic use a slide metaphor;
Camtasia uses a video metaphor.– So Captivate and Mimic have a fixed unit of
content while Camtasia’s is variable. Captivate and Camtasia look simpler to use
than Mimic – subjective, of course. Captivate and Camtasia have predefined
feature options; Mimic does not.– Mimic 2 may add predefined options.
High-Level Differences Captivate and Camtasia offer quizzing and
eLearning features; Mimic does not.– You can create quizzes in Mimic by adapting
other features.– Mimic 2 likely to add quizzing and eLearning.
Captivate and Camtasia offer LMS support; Mimic does not.– Mimic 2 likely to add LMS support.
High-Level Differences Captivate and Camtasia will import/record
PPT files; Mimic does not. Mimic offers variables; Captivate and
Camtasia do not. Mimic is more integrated into its authoring
suite than Captivate and Camtasia.– Mimic’s interface resembles Flare and Capture.– Mimic shares variables with Flare and Capture.
High-Level Differences None of these tools can import each other’s
projects.– So it’s important to pick the right tool the first
time. Camtasia can record specifically for iPods.
– Captivate and Mimic can create movies sized for the iPod but not specifically for the iPod.
A Brief Look At the Tools…
Captivate Main Storyboard screen.
Captivate Main Edit screen.
Captivate Main branching screen.
Captivate – Strengths “Light” interface. Predefined values for features like text
caption boxes makes it easy to get going. Similarity of Captivate and Flash timelines. Supports video, closed captioning. Supports eLearning, LMS. Outputs to SWF, Word, Adobe Connect,
others.
Captivate – Weaknesses No functional integration into related tools
– e.g. can launch Captivate from RoboHelp but that’s about it.
Some features not clearly documented. Some features – text-entry boxes, playbar
positioning, menu-on-skin – are a bit flaky.
Mimic Main edit screen.
Mimic Link browser (e.g. branching) screen.
Mimic – Strengths Integration into MadPak:
– Interface similarities.– Sharing of variables with Flare and Capture.– Nested builds – building a Flare project with an
embedded Mimic movie builds the movie also. More options for its features. Can create “palettes” of reusable objects. Relative similarity of Mimic and Flash
timelines.
Mimic – Weaknesses More complex interface. Offers Madcap Movie as an alternative to
SWF, but requires users to have a viewer which may limit this format on thin-client or zero-footprint installations.
Only previews in Madcap Movie format.
Camtasia Main editing screen.
Camtasia Storyboard screen.
Camtasia – Strengths Extensive assistance built into the interface. Predefined values for features like captions
and callouts makes it easy to get going. Supports quizzing, LMS. Supports video, closed captioning. Wide variety of outputs – MP3, iPod, SWF,
AVI, Silverlight compatible WMV, Quick-Time MOV, others.
Camtasia – Weaknesses No functional integration into related help
authoring tools.– No equivalent to RoboHelp or Flare.
Variable-length units of content – e.g. video clips rather than slides – makes a more difficult mental model for some authors.
Conclusions
Consider Captivate If… You need extensive eLearning and LMS
support. You don’t need features like variables. You consider yourself non- or minimally
techie. You need a large pool of contractors.
Consider Camtasia If… You need the eLearning and LMS support. You don’t need features like variables. You consider yourself non- or minimally
techie. You need a large pool of contractors. You need a wide range of outputs,
including handheld devices like iPods.
Consider Mimic If… You want a wide range of options with very
precise control. You want a tool that’s programmatically
integrated into its authoring suite. You want variables. You want a consistent interface across your
major authoring tools.
Hyper/Word Services Offers…
Training • Consulting • DevelopmentFlare • RoboHelp • RoboInfoMimic • CaptivateXMLSingle sourcing • Structured authoring