BRowser
OnLine Guide Applet (BROLGA)
(Concept, design,
writing and programming)
|
Telstra's web
portal is growing at an incredible
pace. New products and
major changes on tight deadlines meant
they needed a new way of supporting their
support staff.
This 'virtual browser'
sits over the top of all other
windows providing users with the right
depth of information when
they need it. New
topics are easy and quick to develop
and deploy and updates are very simple
at any time.
BROLGA automatically
'pulls down' tiny text and graphic
files to provide
up-to-date information. These
guide users through web site and
online products. It provides
assessment and feedback to help with
continuous improvement
of both BROLGA and the web pages it
trains.
Find out more about BROLGA  |
Introduction
to the EPA Network
(Concept,
design, writing and programming)
|
The Environment
Protection Authority found that
new recruits often thought
they were computer literate and so
didn't
bother to learn about the EPA Network. The
result was lots of errors and lost time
by recruits and support staff.
An interesting
challenge - an effective solution
~ Working with EPA staff,
we put together an online
training package to show
people how to use the Network and where
things were. Next we created a system
which recognises new recruits the
first time they log
in anywhere on the Network and forces
them through it.
Until they actually
complete the training, exiting completely
closes Windows
so they can't do any damage! Once they
finish, they have full access rights.
And support
when they need it ~ Learners
can return to the training at any
time then to refresh their knowledge. We
have since added an Ergonomics training
module (see below) which automatically
starts up the next day!
|
| I Can
Do That! Literacy and Numeracy in the
workplace
(Concept,
writing, DTP, audio and programming)
 |
This was our first multimedia training
project back in 1992. It started
as a refresher course for factory workers
- about 800 paper pages and twenty audio
cassettes. We also produced a
pilot conversion of four
of the twenty modules as multimedia
- text, graphics, animations and full
audio support. We
were responsible for the concept,
research, instructional
design, writing,
desktop publishing, audio production & programming.
Automation
~ While we were putting the
storyboards together, we quickly realised
the possibilities
for automating the development. Using
carefully planned naming conventions
meant we were able to automatically generate
screens from the storyboard and place
standard objects on them ready to fill
in.
Audio automation
too ~ In those early days
of multimedia, we found a way
to very quickly digitise
and log sound files and to set animations
to exactly synchronise with them.
The result
~ I Can Do That! was trialed
at Huntsman Chemicals in Melbourne
and became something
of a benchmark for its time. The project
was initated by DEET
through Holmesglen Institute of TAFE
with WELL
funding.
|
| Medici
Medical Training
(Conversion
methodology and programming)
|
Adelaide University
had developed this training package
in HyperCard for the
Macintosh. It had evolved over a few
years and the programming was pretty
primitive although the information and
graphics were great. Our brief
from SmithKline Beecham was to convert
it to Windows for a
larger audience but there would be
no help from the original Mac programmer
and there was no documentation!
Automated
conversion ~ Hizer in the
US had built a kit to convert to
ToolBook and we
gave it a try on this
project. It managed to convert the fields
and text but we built our own 'engine'
to automatically read the converted
information stored
in hidden ToolBook files. This was presented
in our copy of the original interface
and you couldn't tell
the difference.
|
| OfficeWise
Online and ErgoWise
(Concept,
research, design, writing and programming)
|
OfficeWise Online
is designed to help computer users
to reduce the risks of Occupational
Overuse Syndrome and fulfil many of an employer's legislative requirements. We
started the project in response to a request from the Environment Protection
Authority but quickly realised we had a wider market for it which justified
extra effort.
OfficeWise can be easily configured to any network
and readily edited for different environments.
We even put
together a
kiosk version for the Australian Securities & Investment Commission.
Not just training, it teaches and tests and can gather information
from users through a workplace self-audit. It also monitors computer use and
will prompt users to take
an exercise break with video instructions. ErgoWise
is a subset that is available on CD-ROM for home and small office users.
It has full audio support and comes with a free exercise reminder
screen saver.
Find out more about OfficeWise
Online and ErgoWise 
|
| And
more traditional media as well |
Triton
Home
Renovation Video Series
(Research, writing, offline editing,
video graphics, voice-over)
|
When Triton
Manufacturing asked us to do the post-production
of this instructional video series,
we jumped
at the chance! They already had over
a hundred hours of raw footage. We quickly
mastered their LightWorks non-linear
video editing
suite and brought their FileMaker tape
database up to date.
Next, with the script writing under
way, we came up with a style for the
high quality technical graphics and
figured out how to get them onto tape
economically. By fitting out a cupboard
as a recording booth, we were well
on our way!
Tape
1 - Outdoor Projects ~
The Outdoor Projects tape includes building a carport and pergola, decks and
steps, fences and gates and paving. It runs for over 4 hours.
Tape
2 - Studio Workshop ~ Studio Workshop
covers the building and fit-out of
a brick and weatherboard
building and runs for 5 hours. |
| Telstra / The Virtual Company
(Research,
writing and DTP)
 |
Telstra's Products and Services Integration
is changing the way Telstra works and
does business with its major trading
partners. The Virtual Company uses a participative
process based on the work of Fred Emery,
the brilliant Australian management
consultant.
Good
design always works ~ We've
been helping Manager, Neville Brien,
to put his case to top management
and to spread the word to other Business Units.
Using clearly
written documents and sound instructional
principles, it's
working well. We can do the same with
anyone's ideas. |
