Saving the Planet, One Learner at a Time: Interactive Training at San Diego Zoo

Learners are busier than ever these days and with the face of work shifting away from the office and into the home, finding a way to educate staff can feel challenging at best. All the learning events an employee would typically participate in, such as onboarding, skill development, compliance training, and more, now have to be delivered remotely. Animated online training videos offer learners the opportunity to engage with your content no matter the time or place and present a viable alternative to webinars.

Why Animate?

Animation in online training videos does a number of things well, starting with setting a tone. Whether you want your video to feel formal or fun, animation allows you the latitude to communicate your message the way you want it to be received.

Because they tend to be shorter in nature, animated online training videos make the content easier to absorb. Most videos are less than ten minutes long and cover only a single topic. Viewers can find what they need readily to learn in almost any situation.

Learners learn best when the information they’re interacting with is engaging. Animation in online training videos is an excellent way to keep the viewer focused on the content.

Animation in online training video production

Learners are busier than ever these days and with the face of work shifting away from the office and into the home, finding a way to educate staff can feel challenging at best. All the learning events an employee would typically participate in, such as onboarding, skill development, compliance training, and more, now have to be delivered remotely. Animated online training videos offer learners the opportunity to engage with your content no matter the time or place and present a viable alternative to webinars.

Why Animate?

Animation in online training videos does a number of things well, starting with setting a tone. Whether you want your video to feel formal or fun, animation allows you the latitude to communicate your message the way you want it to be received.

Because they tend to be shorter in nature, animated online training videos make the content easier to absorb. Most videos are less than ten minutes long and cover only a single topic. Viewers can find what they need readily to learn in almost any situation.

Learners learn best when the information they’re interacting with is engaging. Animation in online training videos is an excellent way to keep the viewer focused on the content.

Using Animation in Online Training Video Production Effectively

San Diego Zoo’s online training video included an animated version of the scientist who was acting as the narrator as well as a re-creation of the experiment. The video was so well received and well understood that the zoo asked for a second video, one that detailed how to use animation in scientific explainer videos.

Online training video production is easy when you have an experienced partner to support you achieve your goals. reach out to us today to learn more about how Ninja Tropic can help you elevate your training.

Animation in an online training video should always be purposeful and used as a tool to enhance a learner’s
experience, not detract from it. To ensure your videos are as effective as they can be, take note of the following tips:

Focus On One Topic At a Time

You don’t want to create a bunch of “visual noise” for your viewer with too many animations happening all at once. Bulleted points, a scenario, and a demonstration shouldn’t all happen simultaneously. Allow your learner to give their full attention to one animation at a time so they can make full use of your content.

Be Consistent

If bullets fade in during one segment, they should fade in for all segments. If scenarios have speech bubbles, they should appear anytime a character in a scenario is talking. Using animations in one area and not another may make the learner believe you’ve made a mistake and bring down the professionalism of your training video.

Use Relevant Audio

Having an animation on the screen with no audio to give it context won’t support your learner. They should always be able to hear, or access captioning, for what the animation is communicating to enhance their understanding.

Learn more about 5 ways to use 2D animation for
eLearning.

Read more here.

Training Video Animation Production

San Diego Zoo, home to more than 3,000 animals, is visited every year by tens of thousands of patrons. In an effort to engage audiences of all ages in and outside the grounds and safari park, the zoo wanted to create live-action videos featuring their staff scientists.

The Problem

The challenge that the zoo soon faced was a common one, how to find or create footage that accurately represented their content when the topic wasn’t something easy to film. In this instance, it was an experiment on plant growth

The zoo wanted to demonstrate the steps taken when conducting research on plant propagation. Taking cuttings from plants, replanting them, and then watching them grow under various conditions isn’t an easy process to communicate. Even if they’d chosen to set up cameras for months and edited the footage, it would be a difficult feat.

Our Solution

The solution to the zoo’s issue was animation. Using the audio the staff scientist had already recorded, we created an animated explanation of the experiment then married the two. The process was simple, we started with the recording and converted it into a script. From the script, we were able to develop a storyboard that accurately represented the narration and helped the zoo staff envision what the final product would look like.

The Process

San Diego Zoo’s online training video included an animated version of the scientist who was acting as the narrator as well as a re-creation of the experiment. The video was so well received and well understood that the zoo asked for a second video, one that detailed how to use animation in scientific explainer videos.

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