Edible Berries of the Pacific Northwest

An interactive guide to identify and memorize edible berries.

Audience

Youth to adults

Tools

Articulate Storyline, Photoshop

Responsibilities

Research, Mockup, Instructional Design, eLearning Development, Visual Design

Overview

This is e-Learning project was designed for people like myself that enthusiastically research a topic like edible berries, but when it comes time to identify berries on the trail, the information is gone. I created an interactive edible berry guide that gamifies the learning with matching exercises. After creating the course, I successfully identified, consumed, and survived eating some elder berries on a hike.

Challenges

Research

For the purpose of safety around consuming potentially harmful berries, accurate information and clarity were crucial to this project. I wanted to capture the little distinctions among berries, because they often look very similar. I researched numerous print and internet resources, collected data into a spreadsheet of attributes, then condensed the information into specific descriptions for the matching exercises.

Zoom Image

Visually observing the leaves and branches as well as the berries is crucial for berry identification, however it was difficult to see those details in the downsized image. I tried using Storyline's built-in image Zoom feature, but it behaved erratically with the Drag and Drop exercise. To correct this, I replicated the Zoom feature using separate layers with enlarged berries, that are user-triggered.

Drag and Drop Exercises

I wanted to allow multiple attempts to get the quiz correct because the course is intended engage the general public and give a light challenge, but not to formally assess. I did need to find a workaround to reset the pieces between attempts, which included using a variable to count the attempts.

Future Work

I would love to add more berries to the course, including non-edible berries. Further development would include a berry catalogue, a glossary of plant terms, and a game to sort the edible and non-edible berries.