Artisan Learning Builds Accessible Training for Every Learner With Articulate 360

El reto

Create truly accessible custom training for diverse global clients

For Artisan Learning, accessibility isn’t a compliance requirement—it’s a standard. People need accessible training to do their job well, full stop. 

Yet for any training that requires a learner to hear audio, distinguish colors in a chart, or use a mouse to navigate to fully grasp the content, there’s an invisible conditional: You get to get better at your job if you can distinguish colors on a chart—if you can use a mouse. The learners who can’t? They’re at a distinct disadvantage. 

Co-owner Diane Elkins remembers the story of how a friend of hers, who is legally blind, once had to abandon a compliance course mid-session when she encountered an embedded document that was inaccessible to her. She had to stop the session and track down help to access the document—and by the time she returned to the course, it had timed out. She had to start over. 

The wide range of companies Artisan creates courses for means no two projects look the same. What must stay constant is the expectation that every learner, regardless of ability, circumstance, or trade, gets a fair shot at quality training. To make that happen, Artisan needs the tools to create highly customized training that also prioritizes accessibility.

La respuesta

Endless customization and built-in accessibility with Articulate 360

For decades, Artisan Learning has relied on Articulate to deliver custom e-learning courses for a diverse client list. The company builds roughly 80 percent of their work in Storyline. To make those courses accessible, Elkins draws on a feature set that has grown with each Storyline release: AI-generated closed captions, alt text fields for images, and full keyboard navigation so learners can complete a course without a mouse.

The remaining 20 percent of training is built in Rise, often as companion resources for in-person workshops that Elkins can update on the fly. 

“One of the things I love about Articulate is the ability to talk to the people who are making decisions about the software,” says Elkins. That way, engineers can iterate on the software based on her feedback to make it even more accessible.

Beyond accessibility, Storyline’s flexibility lets Artisan build training that matches the complexity of clients’ needs. “If we can dream it, we can do it,” says Elkins of working in Storyline.

A standout example Elkins recalls: a project for an international relief agency on how to evaluate the effectiveness of their relief efforts. The two-hour scenario-based course in Storyline helped learners practice their quick thinking before encountering challenging situations—for example, a tsunami—in real life. As they progressed through the course, complications would emerge—they’d receive notifications that supplies were delayed, or a crucial road was washed out. The low-risk virtual environment created a safe space for learners to think critically, respond, and practice their skills. It was Storyline, Elkins says, that gave her the tools she needed to create an unconventional course that fit her client’s needs exactly.

Being able to create accessible courses—from simulations like these to onboarding courses to traditional compliance training—for a wide variety of industries means that Artisan Learning can create learning that is truly available to everyone. 

“I have the ability to put barriers in people’s way, and I have the ability to remove those barriers. And I love Articulate’s commitment to helping me remove those barriers,” says Elkins. “That commitment to equity, that commitment to inclusion so that everybody has a chance to get better at their job, that’s something I can get behind.”

Desbloquear el potencial humano

Customized, accessible training that boosts employee retention, commitment, and performance

With Articulate as the foundation upon which truly accessible courses are built, Artisan Learning enables its clients to unlock the true potential of all employees. This drives tangible business results like increased employee retention, stronger engagement, and faster ramp time.

For example, a national industry association came to Artisan to address serious workforce problems with recruitment, retention, and early job abandonment in a skilled trade. Artisan built an onboarding program focused on the first 90 days—the window when new workers most often walk off the job. In just over a year, the association doubled its membership growth target, with new organizations joining specifically to access the training. The member company now reports less job abandonment, faster time to proficiency, and stronger early commitment from new hires.

“We’ve gotten really positive feedback from the member company, saying this is absolutely helping that entry level worker get in, get trained, and feel connected to the industry,” says Elkins.

It’s another testament to how much course designers can customize with Articulate 360—and how that customization can drive true business impact.

“When people know how to do their jobs well, everybody wins,” says Elkins. “There’s no downside to people knowing what to do—and tools like Storyline and Rise help us get that message to more people.”

With Articulate 360, Artisan Learning builds training that removes barriers instead of creating them—so every learner has a real chance to do their job well.