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Getting the Most Out of RoboDemo

Lots of developers are excited about Macromedia RoboDemo for lots of different reasons, but many of you haven’t considered the broad range of uses for this versatile product. Even if you already happily use RoboDemo for one purpose or another, there are probably several potential uses that you haven’t even considered yet. And if you don’t have RoboDemo at all, read on to learn how it can improve your work in ways you might not expect.

The Basics of RoboDemo

Simply put, RoboDemo is the easiest way to create interactive demonstrations and software simulations in Macromedia Flash format. You use RoboDemo to record a series of actions on your computer screen as a compact Flash movie (SWF); then you can easily publish the movie online or send it in an e-mail.

As you can imagine, being able to quickly save and share anything you do on your screen creates tremendous potential for improving communication with both your customers and colleagues. With RoboDemo, you can demonstrate an onscreen activity to anyone, regardless of whether a user is a customer visiting your website or a colleague down the hall.

External Uses for RoboDemo

RoboDemo is a powerful tool for enhancing user experiences you’re already creating with Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash, and other Macromedia products.

Marketing and Sales

If you’re a developer working with marketing or sales to showcase your company’s software or website, RoboDemo can be a powerful vehicle for conveying your product message. By recording a simulation of your software or website, you can express its value to potential customers in a very short amount of time. It’s always easier to show a product than to explain it, and since RoboDemo supports interactivity, you can even create a simulation that actively engages your potential customers. There is no better way to help your customers “get it.”

eLearning

eLearning developers using Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver, Breeze, Authorware, or any combination of these products will welcome RoboDemo as a powerful addition to their toolbox.

RoboDemo simulations can include sophisticated interactivity, including click boxes, buttons, text entry boxes, and multiple-choice quizzes. RoboDemo includes branching and scoring capabilities that developers can use within stand-alone RoboDemo simulations or integrate into a larger eLearning course.

Since RoboDemo simulations are SCORM 1.2 certified and AICC compliant, eLearning developers can effortlessly integrate their RoboDemo projects into a Learning Management System (LMS), Macromedia Authorware, or other eLearning applications.

Application Tutorials

Regardless of what type of application you create, your users could likely benefit from a brief, animated tutorial that introduces them to your application and helps them get started. Use RoboDemo to create a tutorial that calls their attention to the major features of your application and simulates common tasks.

If your application is fairly sophisticated, you can use RoboHelp, RoboDemo’s sister software, to create a comprehensive Help system that explains your application's features in full detail. You can further enhance your Help system with individual RoboDemo tutorials.

Technical Support

Developers providing technical support can use RoboDemo to create a knowledge base of tutorials for common topics or FAQs. Instead of having to read and follow difficult instructions, users simply view your demonstration and complete the task in question. And since the tutorials are compact SWF files, you can easily e-mail or publish them online to answer questions before an issue escalates to phone support.

Internal Uses For RoboDemo

By communicating visually instead of wasting time explaining things in words or e-mail, RoboDemo helps you cut through the confusion that hinders many internal processes.

Flash Development Shortcuts

The less glamorous side of Macromedia Flash development is the repetitive work that can burn up a lot of development time. Many developers wish they could skip the routine stuff and focus on more creative pursuits.

You can use RoboDemo as a companion to Flash that automates many of these tedious tasks, such as taking screen shots, creating mouse tweens, and animating text captions. With the RoboDemo FLA Module (sold separately), you can import your RoboDemo simulation to Flash and save it as an editable Flash file (FLA) that you can further enhance or integrate into a larger project.

Bug Fixing

Fixing bugs is a common task among developers and QA personnel, but these groups often waste time just trying to describe or replicate bugs before they can fix them. Inaccuracies and misunderstandings throughout the process inevitably lead to unnecessary delays and frustration.

With RoboDemo, you can capture bug behavior instantly, accurately, and permanently. After discovering a bug, you simply start recording and repeating your actions to recreate the bug. RoboDemo saves the steps you took and the resulting error in a Flash movie that you can easily e-mail from within RoboDemo to appropriate colleagues.

Training the New Guy

We all know it’s important for developers to understand the “big picture” of their application, but who has time to learn? Hiring a new developer to help you reach your deadline, for instance, can exacerbate the problem. How do you get him up to speed on the app so he can get to work as soon as possible?

The answer is RoboDemo. Create a simple movie of your application that demonstrates the basic features, functionality, and purpose. You can make the movie in minutes, it only takes minutes to watch, and it will show your teammate how his work will integrate into the overall application.

Feature Development

It’s a classic catch-22: You don’t want to spend time building a feature that you won’t include in an application, but you can’t share your idea without spending the time to build it. RoboDemo breaks this cycle because you can use it to quickly mock-up a feature. You can record the existing application interface and easily overlay small images in a series of frames to quickly simulate your idea – without coding a single line.

How Do You Use RoboDemo?

As you learn more about RoboDemo, imagine how you can apply it in your own work. Many customers have already let us know their innovative uses for this tool—uses they hadn’t even anticipated. These comments are inspiring development on the next RoboDemo version release, so please continue to share them with us in the RoboDemo Community.

If you haven’t tried RoboDemo yet, download it here and see what it can do for you.

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