In July 2017, Adobe announced that it would stop distributing and updating Flash Player at the end of 2020 and has been encouraging web developers to migrate any existing Flash content to open standards since then. Apple too has been working with Adobe, industry partners, and developers to complete this transition.
News Flash- Times up Flash-based eLearning!
Open web standards like WebGL and HTML5 have advanced and are now equipped to offer many of the web game, interaction development capabilities provided by Flash. A while back we talked about the death and resurrection of Flash but looks like things are now moving towards an HTML5 driven eLearning development scenario with multi-device, multi-faceted learning in the mix.
So, what do we do with the Flash content? Here’s a roadmap to assist in the transition. For starters, we should evaluate whether:
- it is time to discard/retire the existing eLearning
- it is good enough to be converted to HTML5
- it is better to rebuild/redesign the eLearning.
While the first option would mean having an entirely new eLearning approach without being influenced by the past. The second and third options call for a well-planned Flash to HTML5 migration, wherein the former involves conversion while the latter involves reconstruction using only raw data from the flash content. In the past we have shared a few tips for getting better ROI while opting for Flash to HTML5 migration. This post is more about the actual process behind Flash to HTML5 conversion and could easily be a roadmap to a successful migration.
So, it all starts with one crucial question. Do you have the source files? If not, then conversion is not an option here, only redesign and redevelopment can be done. Knowing the tool that was used to create the flash content is a plus as it helps in accessing the source files easily.
Then comes Extraction, the tedious task of creating a list of all courses and other assets that are available and evaluating those to determine what can be used and what cannot. As a good practice, often a cross-reference list is created for reference during conversion and for tracking the process.
What follows is a selective process of checking what course assets can be reused including graphics, animations, and other content. It is good to be choosy at this point as the content and style may be outdated.
Once the content is gathered and the gaps are filled, instructional designers take over and the storyboard is created to suit the current learning requirements. Here interactives, scenarios, game-based models, etc. are incorporated as deemed fit and after a series of corrections, changes and modifications the final storyboard is ended of development.
If the legacy content was created using a tool that can deliver HTML5 output the conversion is done using the same. Otherwise, the raw content is imported into the authoring tool or the development framework. The process thereafter is similar to that of any eLearning creation.
The final output then undergoes a quality check before being rolled out.
This is basically the story behind the curtains. While we often talk about Flash to HTML5 conversion, the actual process is hardly discussed. Understanding the process can assist in creating a better strategy for transition and in getting better results.
Hope this post helps you to get the best out of Flash to HTML5 conversion. And if you need our assistance, we are just a mouse click away.