New Macromedia solution delivers rapid training without programming

Macromedia has announced Macromedia Captivate, which enables anyone to easily record onscreen activity and create software demonstrations and interactive simulations.
Demonstrations visually show the steps required to complete a task, instead of forcing users to learn by reading step-by-step text-based instructions. Simulations provide an interactive learning experience that requires user input. Both content types can be automatically created with Captivate and can include audio, animation and scored interaction.
"As more organisations invest in software as a critical component of their infrastructure, Captivate enables them to train users rapidly and more efficiently," said Tom Hale, general manager, Macromedia. "Instead of the time investment and cost of training users in person, Captivate lets anyone record actions, add annotation and voice and create an experience as rich as having an instructor in the room."
Captivate goes beyond basic screen recording by letting users create customisable software simulations with scored interactivity and instructional feedback. The simulations and demonstrations can also be easily edited, which increases the productivity of content creators and training organisations.
Like Macromedia Breeze, Captivate automatically delivers engaging Macromedia Flash content that can be immediately viewed by more than a half billion web users. Used together, Breeze and Captivate provide a robust technology solution to bring understanding and retention to the end users of rapid training and e-learning solutions.
"Solutions that optimise business processes are playing an increasingly critical role throughout the enterprise," said Sandra Rogers, Program Director, Web Services and Integration Software, IDC. "Interactive simulations and demonstrations can provide a rich learning experience by integrating varied content and mediums to promote better understanding of real-world scenarios and workflows."
With Captivate, trainers and teachers can provide a hands-on experience for learners by building interactive simulations that don't require programming or multimedia skills to develop. Support representatives can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce costs by delivering visual tutorials 24/7. Marketing and sales professionals can enrich the customer experiences they deliver through high-quality, low-bandwidth product demonstrations.
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