Lynda.com: Redemption

August 14, 2009

Lynda.com holds a place very near my heart as a superb training resource, but Lynda.com also has the dubious honor of an eQuixotic first (and possibly last): a dual 2008 nomination for both eQuixotic Hall of Fame (Lynda.com: Saving Grace – The Content) and Hall of Shame (Lynda.com and Navigational Pain (Or “Please Don’t Punish the Learner”)). How did they accomplish this seemingly impossible contradictory feat? By pairing stellar training content with a learner-punishing delivery system.

I’m happy to report that Lynda.com has heard my anguished cries (well, our collective anguished cries as Lynda.com users) and responded by improving the learner experience tremendously. The new course player allows you to play an entire chapter at once (yes!) and also allows you to jump to the next or previous movie within the player window itself (yes!!!). Hallelujah! Gone are the aggravating mouse gymnastics required to move from one topic, or chapter, to the next. Thank you Lynda.com!

The new intro animations are very slick, and the welcome segments with the course author are very nicely done:

Sadly, there seems to be no keyboard control of the player. Restoring this (I swear it was there before, unless my memory fails) would be a welcome improvement.

But hey keyboard control, get off of our cloud! For now we celebrate the vast improvement to the Lynda.com learner experience. With this change I hereby retract Lynda.com’s nomination to the eQuixotic Hall of Shame. Their nomination to the Hall of Fame, however, remains secure. And deservedly so.

If you are an eLearning developer or presentation designer, a yearly subscription to the Lynda.com training library will probably be the best self-development money you’ll spend. And now more than ever.

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