Do you automatically think e-learning when training participants are not centrally located? In this situation, it certainly can be more convenient, and sometimes even more cost effective, to deliver training virtually than to deliver it in a classroom.

The issue with e-learning, though, is that generally speaking it tends to be expensive. Our Flash-based courses incorporate custom graphics, professionally recorded audio, a visually appealing user interface design, and flawlessly programmed interactions. The production values are high and so is the cost.

To cut costs during these budget sensitive times, some of our clients have pulled the plug on the interactive exercises. As a result, their once engaging e-learning course ends up becoming a boring page turner. Enter the e-book.

An e-book is meant to be a page turner. It is designed in Adobe InDesign and we deliver the final file as a PDF. This makes it easy to offer through a company's LMS.

E-books have high production value custom graphics. They incorporate navigational elements. For example, the version we are creating for one of our clients has a next arrow, a previous arrow, and a back arrow that takes you back to the last page you were on. We even have a direct link to the table of contents. In fact, e-books have become quite sophisticated.

Here is a summary of what's possible with an e-book, according to our e-book design guru:    

• Hyperlinks to internal and external sources 
• Navigation within the book, including bookmarks 
• Embedded multimedia, such as video, audio, and Flash files
• Search-able text 
• Interactive forms that readers can complete and send
• Password protection
• Special effects, such as layer reveals

In my experience, e-books tend to run about half or even a third of the cost of a typical Flash e-learning course, even one without interactivity. How is this possible? Quite simply, e-books are less complex so they take fewer billable hours to develop than a Flash-based course.

Not quite sure whether e-books might be a good solution for you? Take a look at the two sample e-books on my website. Both are on the Products page and currently available as free downloads. Bear in mind, though, that these e-books are very simple as I can't control how they will be read. You can do much more with the bells and whistles mentioned above if you can control the reading environment.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to learn more about how e-books might meet your needs and fit within your budget.