Creativity

Lately, I've been working on a elearning module about data standards. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. DOB means date of birth everywhere. Very exciting, huh? Every industry has them, and you have to learn what they mean for your industry.

I have an alphabet soup of acronyms to tell my audience what, why and who created these standards and why our company is using them. I have to tell how this pertains to our products and why they should care.

I think of myself as a translator, technical jargon into plain English. My job is to relate this information in a format that is somewhat interesting. Or at least relevant. That's where my creativity comes in. How do I do this? How do I put the pieces into Adobe Captivate and come out with a reasonable product?

I'm always a little amazed at my creative process. For two days I've been researching that alphabet soup, trying to figure out what is necessary to convey. I've been scouring the Net for elearning tips and tricks, hoping to glean something I can transfer into my module. When I left work today I felt drained. There was no way I could come up with interesting ways to explain the facts, much less make it interactive.

But after some down time, and a good walk with my dog, my mind has relaxed. Ideas start popping up. The alphabet soup will literally become that on the screen. The user will click a spoon to find the acronym and its definition. The standards will be explained via an assembly line with standardized parts. Maybe a soup factory.

Amazing. Just a few hours and the brainstorming doesn't stop. Wish I could bring my dog to work.