Blog posts

2542 bookmarks
Newest
Leonardo: Color tools for design systems
Leonardo: Color tools for design systems
Tool for generating and analyzing color schemes. This site includes a tool for creating color scales for data visualization so that all colors in a range have sufficient contrast. That's different from the typical color scheme requirements, so it requires a special tool.
12/24/24#color#visualdesign#datavisualization
·leonardocolor.io·
Leonardo: Color tools for design systems
Rate My Site: Rate your site in seconds – get instant feedback.
Rate My Site: Rate your site in seconds – get instant feedback.
AI-generated feedback on website design. Enter a URL and get a score and feedback on the visual design, layout and clarity, and content. The site provides recommendations for improvements as well. As with all things AI, the recommendations should be viewed with some skepticism, but I found it overall reasonably accurate for the few sites I tested.
11/19/24#AI#tools#free#webdesign
·ratemysite.app·
Rate My Site: Rate your site in seconds – get instant feedback.
A Quick Guide to Using Tweego
A Quick Guide to Using Tweego
One problem with Twine is that it can start to lag when your story gets too big (often around 300 passages). For larger games, it may be better to break it up into multiple smaller files. This guide explains how to use Tweego to combine multiple HTML files created in Twine into a single file.
11/19/24#Twine#tools#howto
·idrellegames.tumblr.com·
A Quick Guide to Using Tweego
A Modern Developer's Workflow For Twine
A Modern Developer's Workflow For Twine
A developer shares his workflow for working with Twine. Instead of writing in Twine's visual editor, he writes in a text editor and uses VSCode. For larger games (~300+ passages), Twine's visual editor doesn't scale as well. This workflow also includes some information about how he handles version control.
11/19/24
·dev.to·
A Modern Developer's Workflow For Twine
If you give FLUX1.1 a prompt like "IMG_1018.CR2" you get back images that are so very hard to tell they're AI.
If you give FLUX1.1 a prompt like "IMG_1018.CR2" you get back images that are so very hard to tell they're AI.
An odd tip from Twitter/X--use a file name with an extension for raw images as part of the prompt to generate realistic looking photos. I assume this is somehow prompting the model to look for those raw photos, but I wouldn't have thought of trying this.
10/15/24#AI#imagegeneration#images
·x.com·
If you give FLUX1.1 a prompt like "IMG_1018.CR2" you get back images that are so very hard to tell they're AI.
Game On: 6 tips for choice design in branching scenarios - Issuu
Game On: 6 tips for choice design in branching scenarios - Issuu
Miranda Verswijvelen's article for Dirtyword magazine on choice design in branching scenarios. Lots of tips here based on designing game narratives and interactive fiction. I disagree with her point about not starting with the ideal path for writing (although she acknowledges that may make sense for beginners when you're learning how to write scenarios). For game design, I think she's right. For training design, there is typically an ideal path we want people to take. Good to read some thoughtful criticism though, and I love Miranda's work.
Excellent choice design will increase the engagement of your learners in the story, intrigue them about consequences and entice them to replay to check out other paths.
Choices in branching scenarios consist of three closely interconnected parts:Framing: the information the learner uses to make the choiceOptions: the possible choicesOutcomes: what happens due to choosing one of the options.
Choices can offer diverse acceptable ways to achieve the same goal, giving learners opportunity to personalise the experience.
An extra path can also replace boring “try again” situations: the consequence shows your choice was not ideal, but you simply continue and get another chance further in the story to make a better informed, similar choice.
Clear and confined parameters help to make the choice feel integral to the context, while still leaving room for personal expression and emotional connection.
One of my favourite narrative designers, Jon Ingold from Inkle Studios, introduced the accept – reject – deflect model. For example, in a conversational choice where someone asks you a question, this could mean the following:Accept: continue the current conversation, e.g. simply answer the questionReject: react negatively or refuse to answer. Deflect: change the topic, e.g. ignore, bounce a question back or refocus attention
10/15/24#scenario#branchingscenarios#writing#games
·issuu.com·
Game On: 6 tips for choice design in branching scenarios - Issuu
BreezeDoc | Document signing is a breeze.
BreezeDoc | Document signing is a breeze.
This is an alternative to DocuSign that looks like a good option for freelancers and small businesses. The free plan is limited to 2 documents per month, but the lifetime licenses are pretty cheap to increase that number.
10/15/24#freelance#tools#free
·breezedoc.com·
BreezeDoc | Document signing is a breeze.
Free Image Vectorization
Free Image Vectorization
Convert PNG files to SVG. Useful for converting AI-generated PNG illustrations to SVGs for editing. Works best with flat illustrations without much detail.
10/15/24#images#tools#free
·vectorizer.com·
Free Image Vectorization
The politeness effect: Pedagogical agents and learning outcomes
The politeness effect: Pedagogical agents and learning outcomes
Using polite language in elearning improves learning outcomes.
The polite version yielded better learning outcomes, and the effect was amplified in learners who expressed a preference for indirect feedback, who had less computer experience, and who lacked engineering backgrounds. These results confirm the hypothesis that learners tend to respond to pedagogical agents as social actors, and suggest that research should focus less on the media in which agents are realized, and place more emphasis on the agent's social intelligence.
10/15/24#research#elearning#multimedialearning
·sciencedirect.com·
The politeness effect: Pedagogical agents and learning outcomes
StoryArtAI - AI Kid Stories Art Generator
StoryArtAI - AI Kid Stories Art Generator
StoryArtAI is an AI image generator designed specifically for creating illustrations for children's books. This probably isn't the most useful tool for workplace training or adult learners, but it might be useful for K12 educators. The tool includes support for creating consistent characters and detailed prompting tips.
10/15/24#ai#imagegeneration#tools
·storyartai.com·
StoryArtAI - AI Kid Stories Art Generator
#BasicDesign — Never Use Pure Black in Typography
#BasicDesign — Never Use Pure Black in Typography
Explanation of why to avoid using pure black for text for online reading (which applies to websites and elearning). This article talks about how to pick shades of dark gray that are both readable and align with the color scheme.
White with code #FFFFFF has more striking brightness compared to pure black with code #000000. The brightness polarity requires the eye to work harder to read pure black text on a white background.
10/15/24#webdesign#accessibility#color#graphicdesign
·uxplanet.org·
#BasicDesign — Never Use Pure Black in Typography
Reflecting on Research and Practice
Reflecting on Research and Practice
How do we put research into practice in L&D? Clark Quinn reflects on the work of the LDA (Learning Development Accelerator) to improve the field of L&D with approaches informed by science and research. Clark discusses how science is always improving, so our understanding can change over time. Research can also be misleading or biased (or shared in misleading ways). Still, we can be more effective in our work with evidence-informed practices.
9/10/24#research#instructional design#learning
·linkedin.com·
Reflecting on Research and Practice
Make consistent and editable vector graphics with AI
Make consistent and editable vector graphics with AI
Brushless is an AI tool focused on creating consistent illustrations, icons, and vector graphics. The tools make it easy to edit the colors, and you can create multiple images in a consistent style. You can get a small number of images as SVGs for free, and for low prices for more downloaded images.
9/10/24#ai#imagegeneration#images
·brushless.ai·
Make consistent and editable vector graphics with AI
https://leonfurze.com/deepfake-game/
https://leonfurze.com/deepfake-game/
Can you identify which images are generated by AI and which ones are real? Test yourself with these 10 pairs of images. I got 9/10 right, but I think more of these AI images would have fooled me if they weren't in a context where I knew one image in each pair was fake.
9/10/24#AI#images
·leonfurze.com·
https://leonfurze.com/deepfake-game/
DeepBrain AI
DeepBrain AI
Generate avatar videos from text. This tool lets you adjust the gestures for the presentation, as well as generating scripts from links or PowerPoint presentations. These videos definitely hit the uncanny valley and are clearly AI. Plus, how useful are talking head videos even when it's a real person, let alone an AI talking head? However, the free test might be worthwhile if you're interested in experimenting with these sorts of AI video avatars.
9/10/24#AI#tools#video
·deepbrain.io·
DeepBrain AI
How long does it take to build a WordPress site? - White Canvas
How long does it take to build a WordPress site? - White Canvas
How long does it take to build a website? The answer is like asking for elearning--it depends on a lot of different variables. This article has some benchmarks based on different factors. In the UC-Irvine elearning portfolio course that I co-teach, we offer choices of different platforms. This article may help people understand what they're getting into if they choose WordPress. I still prefer WordPress myself, but it's definitely overkill for a lot of elearning portfolios.
9/10/24
·wcanvas.com·
How long does it take to build a WordPress site? - White Canvas
3D AI Studio - Create Custom 3D Models with AI
3D AI Studio - Create Custom 3D Models with AI

Instead of text to image, this tool lets you generate text to 3D model. You can also generate an image in another tool like Midjourney or Flux and then generate a 3D model from a reference image.

One of the challenges for developing training in VR has always been the development time and cost, including time to develop custom 3D assets. This feels like a step towards making 3D development much more affordable and faster.

9/10/24#3D#AI#tools
·3daistudio.com·
3D AI Studio - Create Custom 3D Models with AI
(PDF) Storifying Instructional Videos on Online Credibility Evaluation: Examining Engagement and Learning
(PDF) Storifying Instructional Videos on Online Credibility Evaluation: Examining Engagement and Learning

This study researched whether adding story elements to an instructional video affects motivation, emotional engagement, and learning. In the research, they explain that they did not find any difference between a well-produced instructional video and a storified instructional video.

However, the storified video feels very artificial to me. This isn't a story about a relevant character the learners can identify with who uses the concepts in realistic situations (or even slightly exaggerated ones). This is about a fake detective agency. I'd be cautious about assuming this research applies to realistic stories as well.

9/10/24#research#storytelling#instructionaldesign#video
·researchgate.net·
(PDF) Storifying Instructional Videos on Online Credibility Evaluation: Examining Engagement and Learning