The requirements for authoring software in e-learning are quickly articulated: it should be easy to learn and simple to use as much as possible. When in doubt, it should be intuitive, self-explanatory, and of course beautiful. But is that really everything?
A Question of Definition
The term "authoring tool" – which in German is used very nonspecifically for all sorts of content creation tools – is actually, oh surprise, not a tool for authors (at least not explicitly). This may stem from the fact that authors in L&D are now content creators, and they typically see their role not just as "writing" but as engaging in content management: i.e., they create websites, online courses, entire learning journeys, etc. Thus, they are something like an intermediary being between editor, designer, UX specialist, and educator – a blend that is as crude as it is creative, which brings very specific requirements for authoring software and for tools for creating learning content.
How unclear the situation is, is shown by a ChatGPT search, which yields the following results in response to the question, "Please give me five examples of widely used authoring tools":
Examples of authoring tools are:
Microsoft Word
Adobe InDesign
WordPress
Articulate Storyline (for e-learning)
Final Cut Pro (for video editing)
Modern Authoring Software for E-Learning vs. "PDF Binging"
Honestly, would you count Microsoft Word among the authoring tools? I suspect not, even though it is indeed made for creating content. Whether that is quick, easy, and above all beautiful, I would like to question here. 😉 With InDesign, much more is possible, but it is probably far too comprehensive and more optimized for print products than for successful learning journey aesthetics.
Videos are also learning content, but whether the inclined L&D officer has the time (and inclination) to learn how to work with Final Cut Pro to create a video for an online course is questionable.
And somehow, PDFs and videos as exclusive learning data carriers also seem somewhat dull, right? They’ve been around forever, and few of us shed tears of joy when we are given 20 pages of PDF as reading material. It wasn't really fun back then – even if you printed out the fun!
Specialized Authoring Tools vs. Multicontent Authoring Tools
WordPress, as a multimedia content management system (and somehow also an authoring tool), is more in line with my interests: A good authoring tool should actually have something "WordPress-like," as it can handle many different types of media and present them in a nicely organized manner on a page. With the right plugins, "interactivity" can even be created, and feedback can be received from the system through quizzes or similar.
With all due respect: Final Cut, Word, and InDesign do not compete! Why? Because they are very specialized tools that can do at least one thing extremely well and comprehensively. However, as soon as you want to break out of this world a little, these programs often present extensive problems, and it requires a lot of time and expertise to achieve good results. Or you have to inconveniently switch tools again and build workarounds. And actually, that is precisely what content creators struggle with – for just like the learning consumer, they appreciate a seamless user experience without major barriers.
Perhaps the modern learning element is a kind of website, simply because we know websites so well and visit them constantly. 🤔
PS: Evil tongues would claim that WordPress isn't really good at anything, yet it is still used everywhere. Perhaps because it is quick to understand and easy to use. 🤭
What about Articulate?
Oh yes, there was something. Articulate is, as we know, the market leader among authoring tools, known from radio, television, and far beyond. Especially in L&D, it is used in various companies for creating learning content – simply because that’s how it’s done and because it works well. Most often, it is used in conjunction with a distribution system or a Learning Management System that manages and distributes the learning content accordingly. And this is because Articulate is not an LMS but an authoring tool that works in its world in a specialized way.
And we believe that any authoring tool that wants to survive in the market rightly has to measure itself against this software, which, by the way, has been around since 2012 (!). However, it must be noted that "the big Articulate" is a fully installed software, while the browser version is noticeably watered down and reduced compared to the very extensive software version, not to mention being minimalistic in its presentation.
This naturally relates to the fact that it wants to look as good as possible on mobile devices, as Articulate is also known for running robustly on any device and looking nearly the same. Nevertheless, the impression of the browser version compared to the Articulate software is somewhat "less beautiful" (absolutely subjective judgment). For some features, one might then be inclined to switch tools again and start crafting. This is annoying, slows you down, and is not really the point of it all…
The Multicontent Blink - made for authoring tool users who want to use only ONE tool
At blink.it, our approach is always to make the creation of learning content or "blinks" as easy as possible. This also applies in a world where it is no longer enough to simply work with PowerPoint, PDFs, or videos. Ideally, everything should come together in a single learning element, similar to how we find websites that have been created with a CMS like WordPress.
That is why our design department has conceived the Multi-Content Blink, which is already on our roadmap and aims to make the creation of learning content in the browser even a bit prettier, easier, and more intuitive. From then on, all sorts of media can be packed into blinks and arranged and structured – similar to a content management system. And suddenly, you are using a CMS within an authoring tool with LMS features!
With this, we hope to make the work of the learning content creator-designer-educator, who likes to save time and appreciates a great UX, a bit easier and more seamless. The goal is to continue to be simple to use and to enable beautiful blinks that engage learners in a multimedia way and promote the learning effect based on different learning preferences. Because everyone has different learning preferences and different media that help them learn especially well.
We hope this article has provided you with some useful insights on the topic of "authoring tools" and we wish you much success in creating your online courses!
