SmartBuilder Reviews

SmartBuilder provides a powerful and intuitive development environment. In addition to the inbuilt coding facilities it is alos possible to insert your own HTML5 code which extends the usefulness of the product. The learning curve is not too steep and it means that you can concentrate on design and development and produce rapid prototypes to test before working on the final product. The support offered, live chat, forums, searchable help documentation and video tutorials, all provide a comprehensive support facility. ALL submitted requests for information were respnded to within 24 hrs. They even dveloped a little bit of a code routine for me that I wanted. This will be my go to develoopmebnt tool for onlione learning projects.

None. Exceeded all my initial expectations.

It is providing an extensive development tool for rapidly developing courses. In addition, the SmartTracker fcaility allows me to manage courses and users through xAPI and LMS facilities. THis means that I can not only quickly develop prototypes and test them but increase the speed at which I get the product to market. With SmartTracker I have the ability to track user metrics and reports. Tis means that I can be more responsive to the users and also track which content types work the best for user engagement. One of the most powerful and creative development tools that I have used.

The software is easy for beginners to make nice lessons, but can also be super advanced for programmers with games, external communication and a lot of programmable features

Besides that the user help is really good. A lot of features that have been implemented were requests by users, and if you're stuck you always get a reply within a day, or they even implement the feature if possible.

It's difficult to find things I dislike about SmartBuilder. Maybe the fact that, because they are trying to be compatible with users from older version, they still have some old block and features which, in my opinion, could get rid of to make the amount of nodes or tabs less to create a better overview. Examples of this are the timeline tab and the breakpoint node

Although a lot of LMS systems have their own 'authoring features', these things most of the time to go further than a video and then a simpel quiz question. With Smartbuilder you can finally make a more gamified way of learning in an easy way. Although most clients at first don't see the added value of an external autoring tool, when you show them some examples of real interactivity from smartbuilder, they often are convinced in seconds that this way of learning or giving information is way better.

Well, up until now, I have used many softwares from PowerPoint to Prezi... They all are great and beautiful, even engaging when made skillfully. Still, none have the factor of interactivity. People suggested making games. However, It was so costly, time-consuming and undoable for someone singlehandedly with no coding knowledge I felt overwhelmed, incapable, and even paralyzed by those suggestions as time passed...

One day, I was suddenly hit again by the idea of my old interactive lesson, Would something like that need as many resources? Could I do it? So I searched and researched until I came upon a software...

Smart Builder!

I knew it instantly by looking at the sample lessons, and Surprise! They are even better than my good old lesson!

It is very easy to get started with SmartBuilder. Many training videos available, and live trainings are excellent. As you learn more, there is so much functionality to utilize.

I would like to see the documentation beefed up with use-case examples. The actions are so functional I would like to take advantage of them. After digging through the written documentation, I'm still not sure how to use some of them.

Definitely recommended

SmartBuilder has provided many training solutions to our organization. We have been able to convert live trainings to automated trainings very successfully.

I love the way SmartBuilder creates actions using drag and drop blocks that snap together. It’s different from other tools – much faster and easier, especially when I want to make more custom learning. With other tools, I spent hours pulling my hair out, trying to create learning exercises that I now do in a fraction of the time. I also love that I can run SmartBuilder on my Mac.

I can’t say enough about their support. I can contact them on chat, and they are always willing to look at my projects if I can’t figure out something on my own. I’ve never had this level of support with other software.

I can’t say this is a real negative, but with so much flexibility, it was sometimes hard to know where to start. However, the recent addition of full course templates provides examples for layouts and interactivity, which would have been helpful when I was learning the software.

Firstly, I understand learning and engagement but I don't know programming or coding. Smartbuilder has enabled me to use my skills and not worry about the technical side. The drag and drop jigsaw nodes are amazing if you can structure thought. There's so much that is possible with SmartBuilder that I'm constantly innovating, trying new ideas and more often than not - succeeding. The customer support is exceptional. Literally every question I've asked has been answered, solved, demonstrated and explained in a manner that has helped me shorten the learning curve tremendously.

Not dislike, but still trying to find my way through features. There are some maps and functions that don't yet have tutorials. Any apprehensions are overcome by the customer service though.

There is an initial learning curve but the tutorials are really helpful.

Don't get stuck with just conventional e-learning options. There's a lot more you can do and SmartBuilder gives you those possibilities. Push the boundaries

Smart Builder has responsive customer service - giving you great support when you need it. The customisable interface is my favourite and the app is generally easy to use. Tutorials are a must. With regards to the tutorials, they are clear and simple to follow and provide you with what you need to get started. Great App!

There's not much that I dislike about the app. There is a slight learning curve but this is made easy with tutorials that are available on the site.

Use the tutorial as far as you can, they very useful.

Creating a non-linear approach to eLearning. GIving the learners options.

I spent a considerable amount of time searching for a program which would allow me to combine text slides with video, audio, graphics, interactive quizzes, and a navigable menu. I do not have any prior coding experience which made the project of creating a learning module from scratch seem daunting. SmartBuilder is a program for the rest of us- it was so easy to get started after watching just a few tutorial videos. As others have commented, the customer support has been tremendous.

I feel like SmartBuilder has more capabilities than those touched on by the tutorials, but that is what the support line is for I suppose. Also agree that the full price seems a little on the expensive side.

Take full stock of what features the program has, and design your course around them. Also be sure to use the support staff and online community.

Creates a base template for my learning module, which I then have been able to add video, audio, etc to.

As a SmartBuilder user for a number of years, it's become my default tool not only for learning content authoring, but also as a sketchpad and sandbox for experimenting with new and innovative learning experiences and approaches. Unlike some other authoring tools, SmartBuilder doesn't try to push you down particular design paths through templates or pre-set interactions, but instead offers a sophisticated and flexible tool-set to build your own. Despite this, it's still both an easy tool to learn and powerful enough to be pushed hard. Finally, their support team are second to none. Enthusiastic and expert support is always available over chat and email. I'm even on first name terms with a few of the support team as they've helped me find ways to solve design and coding problems. Often they will take a problem of mine and share a solution as a personal screen-grab video or usable project file. No other tool has got close.

In today's mobile world, the one area where I'd like to see SmartBuilder evolve further is in true responsive design.

I've built rich, robust and reliable content in SmartBuilder for many years with minimal issues over multiple years of use. I'm currently exploring its xAPI functionality which is already opening up a world of possibilities for meaningful measurements and analytics.

SmartBuilder provides a great deal of flexibility in the way that one builds a course. Many tools provide only a single way of building an interaction or force you to use predefined, scripted, elements within a course. SmartBuilder provides many of these types of pre-built items; but, they are there to be used by only if you want to do so and not because there is no other way.. For example, there are quiz question templates and drag and drop templates that are ready to be used; but, you can easily use the software's building tools to create your own.

SmartBuilder is one of the few tools that I have used where I honestly have to think pretty hard to come up with something that I don't like.The puzzle piece building elements take some getting used to when creating interactions, but isn't something that I would say I dislike...it is more of being something you don't see in other tools. There is a lot going on in the work space with properties windows, the stage, the various ribbons and such. However, that is dealt with nicely by having the means to quickly switch work outputs to meet what you are doing at any given time.

If you are need of a tool that does not restrict how you develop your content or if you need more power to get creative than you current toolset allows, I would recommend considering SmartBuilder. The learning curve may be higher than some other tools; however, the training and support provided by the company goes beyond anything I have experienced. Many tools rely mostly on their communities to support one another; but, SmartBuilder support is easy to contact and have always been more that willing to jump on a call and work through any confusion I have had about using the software.

SmartBuilder is the first and only tool that I use that actually makes creating ALL kinds of eLearning practical and feasible. Many tools work well for creating content based, knowledge, learning while the strength of other lies in creating software simulation style learning. With SmartBuilder, we have a tool that is able to handle both easily and well. Much of that is owed to the flexibility that it provides in the way you can use it's building tools. We have easily created complex wiring simulations in which learners drag cords to the correct locations and yet are also able to very closely simulate our various computer systems. Having a single tool that does all of these things well has saved us time and money since we no longer feel the need to have a tool for each of those needs.