Most people, particularly in North America, are used to seeing comics and graphic novels as a fluffy diversion often just for kids. But that mindset blinds us to a tool that’s portable, easy to comprehend, and highly engaging to readers. Comics are fantastic at communicating and simplifying diverse types of information, from step-by-step procedure instructions to complex case studies. More comics-friendly countries like Japan use comics quite successfully for educational purposes.
Session participants will explore what features of comics work particularly well for training, examples of how others have successfully used comics for communicating content, and how to write comic scripts that take advantage of the strengths of this learning tool and avoid its weaknesses. You will learn about some of the technology available to help people create their own comics, with a particular focus on tools that can help those who aren’t themselves artists.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why comics are a viable option for creating training
- How others successfully use comics for education
- What you need to know about comics in order to create ones that are effective
- What technology is out there to help you put a comic together (even if you don’t have strong art skills yourself)
Audience:
Novice and intermediate
designers, developers, and managers who are familiar with writing training of
any kind.
Technology discussed in this session:
Professional
software for creating comics, such as Manga Studio and Adobe Photoshop, along
with software, apps, and web services that let people create comics from photos
or editable artwork (such as ComicBook and Manga Camera for iOS, Bitstrips, and
even PowerPoint).
Student technology needs:
None