Shape or comparable software

Only used it few times and did not like the initial results but that may be due to the content  I used to try it out...it was pretty basic. That said, I agree that it’s a little cost prohibitive when you can buy a full-fledged tool like Articulate and use it for years for 1 time cost. I found the AI suggestions were not that great but am assuming this would improve over time.

@Stephanie Dreiling I’ve been playing around in Shape too and was blown away by what it can do. It’s clearly a v1 and I am assuming that since it’s using Artificial Intelligence it will keep getting better at matching text and imagery/video and that Docebo will continue to enhance the feature set. I didn’t reach out to my rep and was the afraid price was going to be cost-prohibitive for us . We’re using Articulate Storyline and mostly Rise but it would be great for us to be able to create Shape vignettes as another kind of engaging content within a Rise course. I’ve also been using Visme which is similar to Canva but I like it a little better. It’s super easy to use, affordable, and since we lack extensive design skills (as in I lack design skills) and I am a one person shop (as in only me), Visme has made it easier for me to create some good looking content.

I too look forward to more convo and consideration around Shape and pricing. We’re a small nonprofit and many of Docebo’s offerings are unfortunately out of our price range.

You got it! Happy to chat!

We’ve been playing with it too, I like the overall format but I’m having a few issues with the focus that it puts on pictures.  That means that you can’t use screenshots because it crops them down and you miss out parts of the image.

We’ve not heard back from our rep yet on pricing, so it was really interesting to hear you say it was expensive.  We currently use Articulate Storyline to make SCORM and clipchamp https://clipchamp.com/en/ or Camtasia to make video content.

I’ve loved seeing everyone’s feedback and perspective on Shape in this thread. Thank you all for sharing!

I can relate to many of the thoughts/reactions shared here. I was fortunate enough to get beta access to Shape when I was still a Docebo customer and was blown away by what it could do. I still remember the demo at Inspire 2019 and looking around the room thinking “whoa, is this the future?”

 @SuperShaune and I talked about Shape in the How to Build Social Learning Content in Minutes webinar last week. I encourage you to check out the recording if you missed it! @Cindy McElhinney @Stephanie Dreiling @agilleland @joanna.lay – you all might find the conversation at around 3:10 interesting as Shaune and I discuss Shape compared to other authoring tools, including a few that you all mentioned.

Here are some of my own thoughts on the tool:

What are some use cases for Shape?

Shaune and I talk about a few use cases for Shape in the webinar, so I encourage you to check it out. One of my favorite ideas is to use Shape to create “promo content” for your courses. It’s important to give learners a preview of your content before they dive in and Shape is a perfect tool to create a quick and engaging preview of your course content in minutes. Shaune even shared the brilliant idea of embedding a Shape into a Newsletter (and showed us what it would look like).

What tool (if any) can Shape replace?

Of the tools I’ve seen mentioned in this thread, I believe Shape could best replace Captivate (though I’m open to being challenged on that). In the case of other tools, I believe it would be best used as a complementary product, or for a new segment of users at your organization who have no instructional design experience.

Where Shape really shines (in my opinion)

Like @ryan.woods mentioned in his post, I see Shape as being a tool primarily to help organizations who are looking to put the power of content creation directly into the hands of subject matter experts who might not have the time or skills to use authoring tools like Rise, Elucidat, etc. It’s best used to create microlearning social content. As Shaune puts it, it’s great for creating “quick little activity bursts” that are 60-120 seconds and cover a limited number of learning objectives.

Where Shape shouldn’t be used (in my opinion)

My team creates a lot of content focused on product training. Articulate Rise is a perfect tool for us because it allows us to build long-form content that covers a number of learning objectives and allows us to easily include multimedia like images and videos of our product alongside step-by-step instructions and informational text. I have yet to see an example of a Shape that tackles this sort of use case well (but I look forward to being surprised by someone somewhere!) In this product training example, Shape could best be used to create an introduction or promotion to a course, or as a summary/takeaway snippet that we present following the primary course content. It wouldn’t work well as the primary method of delivering functional step-by-step product content.

Let’s keep the comments rolling here! We would love to hear more thoughts and feedback on Shape from our customers.

Using Shape - Experience to date

It is a cool tool for producing quick, engaging, simple communication.

The AI

This tool has enormous potential to summarise and extract key concepts, but results are hit and miss right now.  The capability to match images and video also has promise because if well-done speeds workflow and the impact of communication.  However, this function is not yet ready for prime time because, like most users, we expect close to perfection from day one.

Of all the capabilities of SHAPE AI, it has the most potential to add value, especially if it learns from users.  For example, seeing how expert users edit the first cut of a SHAPE creation.  

In summary, I got a great result from key concept extraction from a specialist website with some good image results. Unfortunately, in other cases, the results needed to be rebuilt manually.  If Docebo can provide a great AI assistant to the creation process, that would be a game-changer.  I am using Grammarly to help improve my writing and love (mostly) how it makes suggestions to help me achieve that outcome. 

Know your Customer (Pricing)

There are cheap apps that do the same thing as SHAPE (without the AI), so if Docebo is looking to charge very high licence fees, your uptake might be limited. On the other hand, many content creators work with Docebo products but are not licence holders, so high costs would also be a barrier to purchase.

An alternative to SHAPE without AI is the latest version of Powerpoint that looks like it can do many of the things possible in your app. However, for people who have and are video editors, SHAPE is probably pretty limited.

Then, people like me see real value in a speedy, straightforward tool and can turn communication or simple learning snippets around very quickly.  SHAPE looks like it can be such a tool as long as the price is right.  An example of an app that fits into this space is Doodly, and in tandem with SHAPE would be a potent combination.

The impact of a SHAPE outside the learning community

I have built some SHAPES and shared them with companies with complex stories to tell, websites that are mostly text-based and are therefore very painful to use.  A SHAPE is a fast, engaging way of adding simple communication to an existing website without rebuilding the website from the ground up.

Would I recommend SHAPE?

Yes, and I have if the price is right.

 

What tool (if any) can Shape replace?

Of the tools I’ve seen mentioned in this thread, I believe Shape could best replace Captivate (though I’m open to being challenged on that). In the case of other tools, I believe it would be best used as a complementary product, or for a new segment of users at your organization who have no instructional design experience.

I will start by admitting I’ve never used Shape or even seen a bonafide demo of it but have been an avid user and advocate for Adobe Captivate for many years. I am curious now to hear more of your thoughts on this. It is rare that I come across something that I am unable to accomplish with Captivate - at least for any of my past or current needs - thus making it a challenge to replace. It is that flexibility that I appreciate most.