Learn by doing: Example of using games to teach software
In my last post, I talked about how I believe that appealing to multiple learning styles is the key to creating valuable instructional content.
Obviously, one of the best ways to learn how to do a new (or frequently forgotten) task is to just do it. Office Labs, a group here at Microsoft, has embraced this concept with their "Ribbon Hero" game. Ribbon Hero is a free, downloadable add-in for PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Each one features a series of challenges that ask the "player" to complete basic Office tasks in order to score points. You can learn more about Ribbon Hero on the Ribbon Hero download page, at the Office Labs website.
Or, if you prefer, you can watch Doug talk about it in this video:
Office Casual: How to play the game of Office Ribbon Hero
So, what do you think, technical communicators? Would you define this as "documentation"? Do you think that this approach will help people learn how to use software? Let's hear your thoughts.
Eric S.