Captivate Demonstrations & Simulations

Question

Hi all,
Well, two weeks have gone by, and I'm 75% finished creating my first Captivate class!  Now, I'm running into a little bit of a problem.  I've recorded all my application screens (like in a movie), but I don't know if that's called a simulation or a demonstration.  I've also done all the audio, and I've put in my quiz at the end.  But now, I want to be able to add in interactivity, whereby the user has to do the clicking after just learning from my recordings and audio.  Is that a simulation or a demonstration or something else?  Can you give me some pointers on how to do this?
Also, to Rick, thank you so much for your book!  It's great, and you have been a lifesaver!
Sincerely,
Terri

Answer 1

Thanks Lilybiri,
I really do appreciate your full and comprehensive answers. I simply followed your directions to terri 'steps to be done:' and I must admit that the course came together very quickly. I had of course already spent time developing it in the other software first, which was Authorware.
After a few failed attempts with Captivate, which I thought were perfomance issuses but as you explained to me last week had more to do with my inefficient use of CP objects. I recreated the project in Authorware. I've been Producing CBT/WBT courses for almost 20 yrs using Authorware and Director, I then had to get my head around Flash, all this time attempting to learn/handle SCORM and deliver the courses in multitude of emerging LMS. About 10 years ago I got more into Project Management leaving the development side behind.
In my current role, I was brought in to update a clients existing Authorware courses into my Flash Templates I had. This was all going swimmingly until they also asked me to create some new courses for them. I looked at captivate and saw the many wonderful claims that it made and was sold on it. Particularly, their claim to: 'Import Microsoft PowerPoint files into Adobe Captivate 5.5 (they made the same claim for 5) and magically transform presentations into interactive eLearning content deliverable virtually anywhere'. I thought that this would lend itself to allowing the Lawyers here acting as Learning Designers to create their storyboards effectively in some PowerPoint templates.
All my courses are Interactive training of softskills, so not much IT simulation, but I have struggled with CP logic. Do we really need to be so conservative when building files using CP objects? I'm not sure if it's our servers here or the web conection in general but has anyone else had issues with rollovers not appearing for quite a while, or radio buttons not populating instantly when clicked upon?
I once spent a whole weekend working with a client, who did not have an LMS setting up the alternative reporting, only for it to work once and then never again. After extensive research of this issue I discovered that Adobes Official response was that, 'this doesn't work for eveyone'.
I have seen other peoples examples of CP files and I am impressed but I can't seem to grasp the concept. It is now getting very pressing as I may have to cut my loisses and re-develop the whole course ,18 Modules, in my very dependable flash templates - easily two weeks work.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Simpson