As we head into July, we want to point out ATD’s Toolbox Tips video series and highlight some of the most popular videos so far!

If this series is new to you, here is a quick recap: ATD revived the popular Toolbox Tips blog series from 2013 to 2015 as a video series in February 2021. The blog posts featured great e-learning how-to tips and learning design hacks on various content authoring tools and platforms.

As we received feedback from many folks in our ATD community that they were growing new e-learning skills to serve their now remote and distributed learners, we decided to bring back the Toolbox Tips series. We opted for a video format where you can expect useful bite-sized “how-to” tutorials that you can apply directly to your e-learning instructional design work. They include tips to get unstuck, tutorials for a specific task you don’t yet know how to do, or a new feature or tool you may be unaware of.

Check out the top viewed videos so far and tune in for biweekly designer tips to help you troubleshoot on specific tools, learn new tasks, and discover new features.

5 Chrome Extensions Every Instructional Designer Should Use

Looking to speed up your design workflow? Cath Ellis reveals a few of her favorite free Chrome extensions she uses to improve her design productivity. \[module Toolbox Tip: 5 Chrome Extensions Every Instructional Designer Should Use\]Visual Design Tips in Articulate Storyline

Creating effective, beautiful visuals is crucial for learning. It is also easier than we think. Jared Douglas highlights the importance of white space and offers tips on using bold colors when designing our learning materials. \[module Toolbox Tip: Visual Design Tips in Articulate Storyline\]Create Slide Backgrounds Using Articulate 360 Content Library

Create dynamic slide backgrounds that give your e-learning material a sense of personality and modern feel. Nikki O’Keefe demonstrates how to use images from the Articulate 360 content library as slide backgrounds to instantly upgrade your courses’ visual appeal. \[module Toolbox Tip: Create Slide Backgrounds Using Articulate 360 Content Library\]Personalize the Learner’s Name Using Variables

How can you add personalization to your e-learning courses? Use the learner’s name! Nikki O’Keeffe demonstrates a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a variable for the learner’s name in Articulate 360. \[module Toolbox Tip: Personalize the Learner’s Name Using Variables\]How to Select a Subject in Photoshop

Using stock photos is a common way to add imagery to your content creations, and you may be looking for ways to customize these images for your learning solutions. Destery Hildebrand shows how you can select a specific element or subject within a photo, isolate them, and create layers in Photoshop. You’ll learn a keyboard shortcut to create a new layer and see a few different examples of this skill to show you how you can start customizing your own designs. \[module Toolbox Tip: How to Select a Subject in Photoshop\]Why You Should Optimize E-Learning for Screen Readers

Curious how screen readers work with e-learning content? Diane Elkins demonstrates the poor interface design caused when e-learning designers don’t use the accessibility tools. She also outlines how to complete three of the biggest tasks required to set up your e-learning with a screen reader successfully. \[module Toolbox Tip: Why You Should Optimize E-Learning for Screen Readers\]If you have a tip you would like to see, or if you are interested in sharing a tip with the community, I would love to hear about it. Please reach out to me at [email protected].