I was recently contacted by a client who wanted me to create software simulations of mobile apps. At first I thought he wanted me to create software simulations that could be accessed and used by mobile devices. Since I use Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate for my eLearning development, publishing projects as HTML5 would have taken care of his requirement. However, the client wasn't looking to create content that would play on mobile devices; he wanted lessons that were captured from a mobile device.
I'm betting you're wondering if there's an easier way to capture software simulations of mobile apps. And there is: mirroring. There is a ridiculously easy-to-use application (Reflector) that will project (mirror) just about any mobile device onto a desktop or laptop screen. From there, Captivate or Storyline can be used to capture whatever is being done on the mobile device.
Here are the steps I took to create an interactive a simulation of my iPad in Adobe Captivate:
To begin, I downloaded and installed the Reflector program to my MacBook Pro. (There's a free trial of the Reflector available. Once you determine that you like it, and I'm thinking you will, you can purchase Reflector outright for a paltry $12.99. You can also purchase group licenses.)
I made sure that my MacBook Pro and my iPad were on the same wireless network, then I started Reflector on my Mac.
I switched to my iPad and enabled AirPlay. (While most mobile devices support AirPlay, accessing the option varies from device to device and from operating system to operating system. My iPad is using iOS8. To enable AirPlay, I swiped up from the bottom of the device to display the Control Panel. I tapped AirPlay, scrolled down, and selected my MacBook Pro. I also enabled Mirroring.)


And here's what the mirror image of my iPad looked like on my Mac:

Any gestures, taps, or swipes I performed on my iPad were displayed at the same time on my Mac. However, any clicks I made to the mirror image displayed on my Mac had no affect on the iPad.
I started Adobe Captivate and recorded a Software Simulation. During the recording process, I targeted the iPad as the Application to be recorded. When I finished recording, the result was a Captivate project just like any of the thousands of projects I've recorded over the years.

I was able to add interactivity, quizzes... the works... and then publish as SWF, HTML5, or both. Pretty cool, eh?
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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Captivate, Presenter, or Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.
Thanks for the article Kevin.
Posted by: Stephanie Gering | December 16, 2014 at 01:55 AM