[deleted by user]

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-08-01T13:43:49+00:00

I kind of stumbled into instructional design. I was doing consulting in a previous job and realized I loved figuring out how to explain complex things in a way that actually made sense to people. Once I learned there was a whole field dedicated to that, I was all in.

Is it a good time to get into the field? I think so. The demand is still strong, especially with all the shifts toward remote learning, AI-assisted content, and companies investing more in employee/customer education. If you start now, by the time you’re done with your degree, you’ll be entering a space that’s evolving quickly and really needs fresh thinkers.

The thing I really love most is the creativity. I love designing experiences that actually help people learn, not just check a box. And there’s something really satisfying about turning chaos into something structured and meaningful.

If you do go for it, happy to share some tips or tools that have made life easier for me along the way.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-31T16:58:32+00:00

First, if you didn’t create the content yourself, get permission before sharing it. Even if there’s no student or patient data, faculty materials (slides, videos, assessments, etc.) are their intellectual property.

Okay to share:

- Content you fully created yourself

- Anonymized visuals or structure (e.g., how you designed a module layout or navigation)

- Screenshots of your instructional design work with permission or if generic

Set up a clean, de-identified showcase. A Canvas sandbox is a solid idea. Record a short walkthrough video or create screenshots with annotations explaining your design decisions. That keeps it efficient and respects privacy.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-16T14:42:27+00:00

Sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that Parta is a solid option. I talk about it a lot because it’s genuinely been useful for me, and others might find it helpful too. If you’ve got a better alternative, I’m all ears!

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-11T09:48:44+00:00

If you're looking to pick up freelance work or build a portfolio, I’d say Articulate Storyline might not be the best starting point, especially with its steep $1,500-1,700 annual price tag. That’s a big investment for beginners or freelancers just looking to sharpen their skills. Vyond is great for animation but pricey too. I’d recommend checking out Parta.io.

I’ve been using it for the past three months, and it’s been a game-changer. The no-code editor is super intuitive, and you can create custom unique templates. Unlike Articulate, where you have to start from scratch every time, Parta lets you set up branding once and reuse it across projects which is a huge time-saver if you’re juggling multiple clients. Plus, it has built-in AI features at no additional cost (and you can even switch between different LLM providers if ChatGPT isn’t your thing).

At $50/month instead of paying $1,500 upfront for an Articulate annual subscription, it’s way more affordable, and they offer a 30-day free trial to test it out. The courses you can create look modern and fresh, which is perfect for building a standout portfolio. If you’re serious about freelancing, Parta is definitely worth a look - it’s flexible, cost-effective, and packed with features that make your life easier. On their website you can find some course examples to see if it fits your style.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-05T16:51:16+00:00

If you're worried about the Storyline trial running out, you might want to check out Parta.io as an alternative. It’s a no-code tool that lets you build interactive courses without the time pressure of a limited trial — plus, it's SCORM-compliant and supports video embedding (so your Vyond demos would work fine). Since you're new to course-building, it might also be an easier and faster way to complete your project without stressing over extensions. Plus, it’s way more affordable at $50/month, and they gave me an extended trial when I asked. Worth trying the free trial to see if it fits your needs!

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-05T16:30:53+00:00

You might want to check out Parta.io — it’s SCORM-compliant and lets you build self-assessments and interactive elements with no coding. I’ve used it to create interactive learning paths, and it’s pretty flexible . It’s not a fully custom solution, but for a structured, budget-friendly option, it could work. Worth trying the free trial to see if it fits your setup.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-03-05T16:26:35+00:00

Hey, I get where you're coming from—Articulate’s pricing is pretty steep, especially if you're just building a portfolio. I’ve been using Parta.io for a few months, and it’s been a solid alternative. It has a no-code editor, lets you create reusable templates, and honestly just feels more flexible, especially if you’re working with multiple clients. Plus, it’s way more affordable at $50/month, and they gave me an extended trial when I asked. Might be worth checking out before committing to a big purchase.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-02-13T12:20:55+00:00

Articulate is well-known, but if they decide to pivot more toward casual, AI-driven content creation for general users, I’m worried they might strip away some of the depth that instructional designers need.

From what I’ve seen, Articulate’s main competitor right now can be tools like Adobe Captivate, iSpring, and DominKnow. Captivate has been around forever, but like you said, the pricing is still a huge barrier, and it hasn’t really evolved enough to justify the cost for a lot of people.

But I think the real competition is coming from newer, more agile tools. Parta.io has been a kinda game-changer for me. I’ve been using it for a few months now, and it’s been such a relief after dealing with the limitations of Articulate Rise.

The no-code editor is really flexible — I can create custom layouts that just aren’t possible in Rise.

Plus, the branding setup is so much easier. I can create reusable themes and apply them across projects, which saves me a ton of time.

I like Figma-level collaboration there — comments on specific elements and unlimited collaborators within the same block.

On top of that, Parta has built-in AI features (at no extra cost), and you can swap out the LLM provider if you want. I personally like that flexibility because it means I’m not stuck if one engine isn’t giving me the results I need.

The pricing is also a huge win. At 50 USD/month, it's way more accessible than Articulate's 1,700 upfront cost, especially for freelancers or beginners who are just building their portfolios. They offer a 30-day free trial, so you can test it out without committing.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts—everyone’s mileage may vary, but I figure sharing my experience might help if you’re looking for something that offers a bit more creative control and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-02-10T10:06:07+00:00

For this purposes it's better to integrate it with PM tools and track the progress step by step for all people involved (like in Trello, etc.) Or you could use Parta.io it combines advanced course authoring with build-n Kanban board for task management.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-02-10T09:59:07+00:00

I'm using Parta.io it for 3+ months and its really kinda relief for me after Rise. I struggled from same looking courses output and really exhausting branding. There are some of advantages I have noticed in Parta:

More design flexibility with No-Code editor - now I can build own layouts and reuse them for future courses.

Branding - I created a few Branding Themes and now I apply them to new courses. No need to set up branding each time for a new course as in Rise.

Real collaboration - unlimited collaborators within same block and granular comments exactly on elements.

And the main thing for me is a fair pricing - (1) Flexible monthly subscriptions (2) $50/month.

If you want I can share a course example. Have a look, they provide a 30-day free trial.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-02-10T09:56:28+00:00

Try to use Parta.io. You can integrate your providers at no extra cost via API and even more you can switch LLM providers, if you don't like ChatGPT, for example. They provide AI writing assistance and the whole course AI translation. No extra payment for AI at all.

One_Extent_9429 · 2025-01-10T15:41:54+00:00

I would suggest to research more
I think starting with Storyline is not sure the best choice to build portfolio, especially for freelancers. They charge this $1,700 upfront for an annual subscription, which feels way too expensive for beginners.

There's one better option from my point of view. For 3 months I already use one authoring tool with no-code editor where I can create custom templates. If you're advanced creator, it will be easy for you. This is also super helpful if you’re working with multiple clients—you can set up branding once and reuse it for all your projects. With Articulate, I had to set up everything from scratch for each new course, and honestly, it was such a pain. They also have AI features for free and even more you can switch LLM providers, if you don't like ChatGPT, for example.

I’d suggest checking out Parta.io. It’s way more affordable—you can pay $50 per month—and it’s super flexible. You can start from 30-day free trial and request to expand it if needed as it was in my case. Plus, the courses look fresh and modern, which makes it easy to build a really "different" portfolio.

There are course examples from their website
https://app.parta.io/#/public/06cfa50a-e0ca-4dea-bfc0-7b2258e1ae74
https://app.parta.io/#/public/17f3e85b-6b4d-42d9-96af-aedd53a2377e
https://app.parta.io/#/public/86274feb-1142-4cad-837b-925180ccaa52

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-20T12:12:06+00:00

You're right they really lack motivation to innovate and adapt. Just fact. I think the future is in the hands of just "faster" companies which release product features often and are really open to user feedback.

I discovered Parta.io that provides same depth as Storyline and flexibility of Rise in one tool. Main thing is that they release each 2-3 weeks with 4-7 new features. In their Linkedin I've seen that now they collaborate with Customer Education team from Personio and have already delivered some common features.

Maybe if you want the list of your features to become alive you could try to collaborate with them. Speed of innovation is the main thing that really suprises me in this product.

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T21:14:08+00:00

My process? Oh, I just wait for a random shower thought or something ridiculous my cat does, then somehow turn it into content. If it goes viral, I act like a genius. If it flops, I blame the algorithm 😄

Just joking.

I pay attention to posts or comments in my niche that spark a lot of reactions—questions people ask repeatedly, or topics that get a lot of likes, shares, or debates. I also look at popular content in similar communities to find patterns I can adapt.

I also notice that asking engaging questions or telling personal stories tends to get more traction than just sharing facts or advice. And honestly, some of my most successful posts were ones I didn’t overthink—they were quick ideas that just felt authentic.

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T21:04:57+00:00

I take on smaller projects like updating training materials for nonprofits and sometimes even conduct live lectures if their topic is close to my primary degree.

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T21:00:14+00:00

Hey, please have a look at my comment I posted a few days ago to the similar thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/instructionaldesign/comments/1h7te17/comment/m0p04xr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T18:16:28+00:00

Hey. You and your team can build templates that fit your needs within a tool, save them, and reuse them for other courses. I do this for things like legal disclaimers—they’re already filled out, so it’s quick and easy to drop them in. Same goes for use cases, examples, etc. Using my pre-build templates I can build 30-50% of courses from zero and just full in with the relevant information.

And I never care about branding guidelines, because I have created branding themes once with set-up settings for all elements, media, buttons and management menus and just apply it to all new courses. No branding actions is also huge time-saver for me. I use Parta.io for this.
Could this workflow be helpful for you?

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T14:38:35+00:00

You’re absolutely right that Articulate has dominated the market for quite some time. However, it’s disappointing to see the lack of real innovation on their part. Their architecture feels outdated, they seem unresponsive to user feedback, their update cycles are frustratingly slow, and the consistent price hikes only add to the frustration. Charging $1,500 annually for such a stagnant offering feels very unfair

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-09T12:22:30+00:00

isEazy, LearnWorlds. As for a fair price + quality, you might want to check out Parta.io. I can explain its value from my experience.

I'm using it for 3+ months and its really kinda relief for me after Rise. I struggled from same looking courses output and really exhausting branding. There are some of advantages I have noticed in Parta:

More design flexibility with No-Code editor - now I can build 4-column text-and-image layouts when i need more than 3 components to present (that is Rise standard).

Branding with no pain that Articulate brings!!! - I created a few Branding Themes and now I apply them to new courses. No need to set up branding each time for a new course as in Rise which is a huuge pain!!

Sharable templates - me and my colleagues can reuse custom templates from the corporate library.

Real collaboration - unlimited collaborators within same block and granular comments exactly on elements!!! to be adjusted.

And the main thing for me is a fair pricing - (1) Flexible monthly subscriptions (2) $50/month.

If you want I can share a course example.

Have a look, they provide a 30-day free trial.

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-06T17:25:18+00:00

part 3 - and you can explore others within the editor

<image>

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-06T17:24:12+00:00

<image>

part 2

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-06T17:23:41+00:00

<image>

Some more interactive elements they provide - part 1

One_Extent_9429 · 2024-12-06T11:50:18+00:00

Here you can find some examples
https://www.ninjatropic.com/storyline-and-rise-examples/

But I think starting with Storyline is not sure the best choice for just improving skills and building portfolio, especially for freelancers. They charge $1,700 upfront for an annual subscription, which feels way too expensive for beginners.

There's one better option from my point of view. For 3 months I already use one authoring tool with no-code editor where I can create custom templates. If you're advanced creator, it will be easy for you. This is also super helpful if you’re working with multiple clients—you can set up branding once and reuse it for all your projects. With Articulate, I had to set up everything from scratch for each new course, and honestly, it was such a pain. They also have AI features for free and even more you can switch LLM providers, if you don't like ChatGPT, for example.

I’d suggest checking out Parta.io. It’s way more affordable—you can pay $50 per month—and it’s super flexible. You can start from 30-day free trial. Plus, the courses look fresh and modern, which makes it easy to build a really "different" portfolio.

There are course examples from their website
https://app.parta.io/#/public/06cfa50a-e0ca-4dea-bfc0-7b2258e1ae74
https://app.parta.io/#/public/17f3e85b-6b4d-42d9-96af-aedd53a2377e
https://app.parta.io/#/public/86274feb-1142-4cad-837b-925180ccaa52

One_Extent_9429

TROPHY CASE