Designing Digitally, Inc. is excited to see you March 21-22 at Learning Solutions 2012! We’ve got some exciting things going on and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you. Check out the schedule below to be sure you’re ready! Before you get there:  Download the Learning Solutions 2012 App - use this to plan your day! Follow us on Twitter and follow hashtag #LSCON for conference news and updates. Like us on Facebook for updates and to see examples of our work.  Wednesday, March 21 - Visit us at BOOTH 601 to: PLAY our Aircraft Marshalling SERIOUS GAME utilizing Kinect technology for your chance to WIN a $100 AMAZON.COM GIFT CARD (bring a business card*) 12:15pm - 1:00pm: Get moving after lunch! 5:30pm - 6:30pm: Play during the Welcome Reception!     Get your EXPO PASSPORT stamped (9:30am-6:30pm)    SPIN our PRIZE WHEEL to win one of many gift cards, a water bottle, or a can coolie - winner every time! (9:30am-6:30pm)    Learn about our innovative E-LEARNING and 3D TRAINING SIMULATION services (9:30am-6:30pm)     Thursday, March 22 - Visit us at BOOTH 601 to:  Play our Aircraft Marshalling SERIOUS GAME for your chance to win $100 AMAZON.COM GIFT CARD (bring a business card*) 10:30am - 10:45am: Take a break and have some fun! 12:15pm - 1:00pm: Done eating? Play to win! 3:30pm - 4:00pm: Don't miss your last chance! Get your EXPO PASSPORT stamped (9:30am-4:00pm) SPIN the PRIZE WHEEL to win one of many gift cards, a water bottle, or a can coolie (9:30am-4:00pm) Learn about our exciting E-LEARNING and 3D TRAINING SIMULATION services (9:30am-4:00pm)  We’re here to EDUCATE, ENGAGE, AND ENTERTAIN your learners. We’re truly looking forward to seeing you at Learning Solutions 2012! *Person with the highest score at the end of the conference wins! Gift card will be mailed to winner within 7 days of conference end.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is a proud finalist for the Federal Virtual World Challenge! Our team is excited to be selected as one of the few finalists for this annual event led by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Simulation and Training Technology Center. The Federal Virtual World Challenge put the nation's top virtual world developers to the test in two areas of focus: "Engaging Learning" and "Holodeck - Making it So." Designing Digitally, Inc.’s submission of the United States Air Force Academy virtual tour is a finalist in the familiarization sub-category of "Engaging Learning." Finalists receive travel accommodation to demonstrate their developments at GameTech 2012 in Orlando, Florida where the winners will be announced March 29. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at GameTech! If you’ll be there, stop by the demonstrations - we’d love to meet you! If you can’t make it to the event keep checking back as we’ll make an announcement next week when we learn the results.

What’s the Value of Professional Employee Web-based Training Developers? How much bang for your buck do you get from choosing to work with professional Web-based training developers? Management needs to know what the value is for each dollar you spend, and Web-based training activities are not excluded. You may think that developing your training programs in-house is cost-effective and efficient, but the final product is often not as effective as you’d like it to be. Developing Web-based Training In-House When you develop your employee Web-based training in-house, it might appear as though you are saving your company time and money. For instance, if you are developing a one-hour long training course, it can take an estimated 800 hours for you to develop it on your own. For non-math whizzes, 800 hours is equal to approximately five weeks worth of work, but that’s only if you spend every breathing moment working on the development of your Web-based training course. If you break it down even further into 40 hour work weeks with one developer working on the project that equals 20 weeks worth of work. If your head is spinning from all these hours of productivity lost due to one project, you’re not alone. This is one of the main reasons why many people turn to companies like ours to develop their employee Web-based training for them. Developing Web-based Training with an Expert At Designing Digitally, Inc., what could take you 800 hours to develop on your own will take our team of multiple developers far less time. We live and breathe E-learning and have the experience and knowledge necessary for developing engaging employee Web-based training courses that save you time and money, but also have great outcomes. In fact, with our Web-based training programs, your employees will learn faster and course material retention is higher as well. What you develop in-house doesn’t have the benefit of our experts, who incorporate tried and true design rules to ensure professional-grade appearance, as well as the best possible learning experience. The end result is Web-based training that meets your specific learning objectives, is visually appealing and doesn’t eat up the time of your employees. If you want to know more about our employee Web-based training development services, browse our E-learning portfolio and request a quote today.

ITS INNOVATIVE VIRTUAL CAMPUS TOUR PRODUCT CAPTURED ACCOLADES FRANKLIN, OHIO - Designing Digitally, Inc. took first place honors in the Familiarization category in the 2012 Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge with its 3D virtual campus tour of the United States Air Force Academy. The Ohio-based tech firm used its 3D Virtual Campus Tours product to create a virtual replica of the campus that the Air Force Academy now uses for recruitment purposes. Designing Digitally, Inc.’s submission for the challenge was two-part. The first featured the first generation product the Air Force Academy currently uses. The second included enhancements Designing Digitally made to its campus tours product following the creation of the Air Force Academy’s virtual tour. "We are honored by this incredible recognition," said Nick Taylor, Director of Development. "We have been fortunate to have a fantastic partnership between ourselves and the United States Air Force Academy. Special thanks to the United States Air Force Academy for choosing Designing Digitally, Inc. to build this product." Designing Digitally’s 3D Virtual Campus Tours product is not only innovative, it’s also flexible to meet client needs. "Our system allows for multiple types of virtual campus tours, including self-guided and admission representative-led options," explained Greg Wark, 3D & Virtual Development Team Leader. 3D Virtual Campus Tours is meant to replicate the campus experience. When creating a virtual tour, Designing Digitally makes certain that each campus is built as photorealistic as possible. The company has more than seven years’ experience building virtual campuses in 3D, which surpasses others in the industry, said Wark. "The system we create runs in a basic web browser on our clients’ websites," Abby Hughes, Director of Client Relations, added. "Each tour is fully customized for the client. We can also incorporate interactive games such as virtual parachuting, basketball, hockey, flight simulator, trivia and more to enrich the experience for users." While the current version of 3D Virtual Campus Tours is so advanced it won this national award, Taylor said that’s not good enough. "We are constantly updating the system to be more and more innovative and to help our clients take a proactive approach to college recruitment." The system was originally designed to serve as a solution to a problem many campus recruiters face - the cost of travel. The idea was to enable students to "travel" to a campus without having to physically be there. The notion being: If they can see it and enjoy it, they’ll be more likely to attend, Hughes said. "This product does exactly that by allowing students to walk around as a 3D avatar that looks like them," Taylor said. "They can visit the dorms, walk around the campus to see how far the dorms are from the food courts, classrooms and other points of interest. It’s just like being there - only more cost effective." For more information, visit http://www.3dvirtualcampustours.com

Gamified may not be a word that you use in everyday conversation, but if you are planning on offering e-learning modules or game based training then it should be one that you learn. Gamifying is basically the process of enhancing online learning experiences by turning the presentation of material from a standard text or PowerPoint type of presentation into a more engaging, interactive immersive experience. This can be through the use of 2D or 3D simulations, serious games, alternative reality games and scenario based training. Designing Digitally, Inc. specializes in gamification of e-learning modules. This is because our team of professionals features both experts in the field of e-learning development as well as game programmers and developers. Working together these two groups are able to design and develop highly effective learning experiences while optimizing the game aspect. We can also evaluate your technology requirements and learning objectives to create the perfect match. This is particularly effective in bringing learners into the game and providing the opportunity to actually see themselves learning, doing and mastering the skills that are being taught. To get an idea of the importance of making the e-learning experience highly engaging consider the following scenario. You go into a training on a specific procedure that is important within a particular professional field and are presented with two options. You can take a standard class that has an instructor and a test or you can do an online game based training. You first choose the traditional option where you sit in a class and listen to a lecture. Of course you have some discussion and talk about some scenarios, but you never actually use the new procedure. After you listen to the instructor and take the test you walk out of the training with a generalized idea about what was discussed. The first time you have to use the procedure in the field is the first time you actually get to try out the skills you were presented with. In the second option you get to play a highly engaging game. There are great video graphics and animation, sound effects and the opportunity to virtually try different options and scenarios to understand the concept. The serious game is set up as a 3-D scenario with a real online game feel. You practice the procedure online several times in the game, gaining experience in a virtual world. You interact with the game and with characters in the game, giving a true sense of having done the activity in a real world setting. Which option do you think provides the e-learner with the skills, competency and understanding necessary to use the procedure in the real world? The gamified version of the e-learning program is going to be much more engaging, educational and entertaining for a learner of any age which in turn leads to great retention of the knowledge and learning objectives. In addition the virtual practice allows the learner to experience the benefits of the procedure or protocols, helping to ensure that they will use those skills the right way the first time they are actually required to do the activity in the real world.

We were pretty excited when we learned about the initiative being pursued at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by Constance Steinkuehler, a senior policy analyst there with several advanced degrees who has received her orders directly from President Obama himself. It seems our President is aware that entire generations are now growing up schooled in the use of video gaming, and that there is much potential for using the medium for education and training. Or, as Mr. Obama said himself to Tech Boston Academy students in March of 2011, "I want you guys to be stuck on a videogame that's teaching you something, other than just blowing something up." In a very recent NPR story and podcast about video games and learning, it was revealed that the White House is studying the benefits of video games on those who play them, and ways that video games can be taken to the next level in terms of helping players to become more physically fit, for example, or for developing innovation through scientific crowd-sourcing projects using the video gaming model. This is quite stimulating stuff, because it’s exactly where Designing Digitally is working in the areas of E-Learning and 3D training simulations for various industries and agencies. We guess that makes us technological visionaries! Video Games to 3D Training Simulations to Skills Development & New Scientific Discoveries As Ms. Steinkuehler explains in the NPR interview, the initial research was focused on how the violent themes in video games might be affecting players, and how the minimal findings in that direction morphed the project into more positive directions on video gaming and its potential uses in fitness, education, problem-solving skills development & collaborative innovation. She found herself transfixed by the potential skills development possibilities that were inherent in many game systems: "And then that was the first time I downloaded a videogame. And the first game I downloaded was a game called "Lineage," by NCsoft. And at that point, after spending about a week watching people do tasks far beyond the level of sophistication that we would have asked them to do in our spaces and realizing that they were not only there voluntarily, they were paying to be there, I realized there's something here that we have to understand. So I dropped everything I was doing and switched gears and have studied games ever since . . . well, let me back up and say, you know, our federal investments in games have been going on since long before the Obama administration. You know, many of those games started off especially in the military space, around military training and simulations." So the bottom line is that even the White House is recognizing the educational and training potential that resides within the interactive online model used for gaming, which we at Designing Digitally work to turn into E-Learning applications and 3D training simulations for many types of industries across the board. As more and more companies and industries become aware of the efficiencies inherent in online 3D interactive simulations and E-Learning, expect to hear more from us about this exciting area of design and development. If you’re already on-board with the future of training and education, feel free to request a free quote from Designing Digitally, Inc. and let’s see what we can do for your company’s needs.

At Designing Digitally, Inc. we strive to ensure that the developments we create will provide a positive return on investment to the clients that we serve. Often times the ROI takes awhile to come to fruition, but regardless of time the ROI continues to be positive for each client that we work with. This cannot be anymore true for the State of Vermont DMV’s online permit drivers course. Designing Digitally, Inc. built the Vermont DMV drivers course in 2010 and it has now been live for a year and a half. The stats are in from this effort and it is apparent that by choosing Designing Digitally, Inc.'s interactive strategy to build the project has paid off. On May 1st,The State of Vermont announced the results of utilizing the module. The State of Vermont's DMV’s Commissioner stated the following in a press release: "Young people learn more when they are involved with a learning process that is interesting and fun," said DMV Commissioner Robert Ide. "This has proven to be the case. Since its launch a year and a half ago, the DMV has seen a dramatic increase in the number of individuals demonstrating they have the knowledge required to pass the DMV’s written exam. Prior to the availability of this tutorial, 55% of those individuals who took the DMV written test passed. The pass rate now exceeds 75%. The popularity of the DriveVermont tutorial is also evidenced by the fact it is receiving well over 3000 visits each month." This interactive learning tool can easily be accessed through the Internet on a home PC, which makes it a convenient tool for student drivers to use both by themselves and with the help of family members. To access the DMV’s online tutorial, visit http://www.drivevermont.vermont.gov/ A 2 minute preview of the tutorial can be viewed at http://dmv.vermont.gov/Interactive_Tutorial_Video

New technology quickly becomes old hat and the traditional options for serious games in web-based learning programs are no longer unique. How many times have you seen a serious game or e-learning program that is touted as engaging and interactive only to find it is a take-off on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy? While these aren't necessarily bad e-learning types of games they certainly aren't new anymore and they definitely do not represent a true online gaming experience. At Designing Digitally, Inc. our goal is to keep moving forward with the options we offer in serious games and e-learning programs. Gamifying your e-learning program to us means creating a highly interactive, highly engaging experience for the learner that is in keeping with the technology used in the latest computer and video games. This is our major focus as we know that highly engaging online training results in better retention and mastery of the concepts the training is designed to provide. Gamifying e-learning and game-based training makes a lot of sense for several reasons. One of the major reasons is that your current traditional 2D e-learning information can be recycled by our online learning developers to create a true game experience. This can include adding scoring to the program, which will naturally trigger the competitive nature of the learners. With a little healthy competition learning goes up, especially if scores are posted and visible to everyone playing. Another key reason why gamifying your existing e-learning program will show real benefits is because it allows the learner to actually experience the information you are providing. Instead of reading about financial management they can actually experience being a person in debt that has options in the simulation to get out of debt. A firefighter or police officer can really engage in a particular type of procedure within a very realistic virtual environment. By practicing in a virtual setting the learner becomes more competent and comfortable with the new information. This type of training can be used for anything including protocols and procedures, skills training or learning new techniques. Practicing specific scenarios in a simulation is just like doing it in the real world, but requires no special mock-ups and costly time to coordinate with trainers. Learners can log on at their convenience and play the game, which is much more relevant than just reading information. A points system can be built into the e-learning experience to allow managers or supervisors to track a learner's progress. Specific correct choices can be worth points, with different choices in the scenario leading the learner down different paths within the game. This can be factored into the e-learning experience using a variety of different techniques and game ideas, all which are already conceptually familiar to the target audience. This totally new look at gamifying e-learning is adding to the interest in professional development and learning, allowing the company to increase the employees skill levels, competence and understanding of protocols and procedures. Below is a strong example of gamficiation for learning created by Designing Digitally, Inc.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is honored to be chosen as the 2012 Business of the Year for the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Designing Digitally, Inc.’s mission is to not only provide engaging, educational, and entertaining online learning, but also to provide jobs and experience to people in and around the city of Franklin. We have been recognized by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce for our rapid growth, community outreach, and our effectiveness in recruiting talented people to the city. President Andrew Hughes said, "We have worked hard to find the best of the best in interactive media, game development, and online learning in Ohio and brought them to the city of Franklin. Being in this city allows us to pull people from both Cincinnati and Dayton to work here and it has been a blessing. The City and the Chamber have both been accommodating and open armed to a technology company not thought to exist in this area. We thank the City of Franklin and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce for recognizing our hard work, flexibility, innovation, and outreach for the community." Designing Digitally, Inc. will be accepting the Business of the Year award at the June Chamber of Commerce meeting in Franklin, Ohio. Congrats to everyone on the team at Designing Digitally, Inc. for this achievement! For more information about Designing Digitally, Inc. please click here.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is proud to announce that they will be continuing their partnership with the United States Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, Ohio. Designing Digitally, Inc. is providing virtual world technology support, infrastructure support, and virtual world instruction to the Tech^Edge Summer-at-the-Edge (SATE) program participants. The contract is a continued effort put forth by Designing Digitally, Inc. in 2011 that is now extended by the Air Force into 2012/2013. Andrew Hughes, the President of Designing Digitally, Inc. stated, "This is a great opportunity for the Air Force, Designing Digitally, Inc. but also the Universities in Ohio that are working alongside of us to provide innovative ways to educate and socialize with virtual worlds. We are grateful to have our contract renewed and look forward to working with ARFL for the next year. We will be exploring innovative ways to use Virtual Worlds and providing support for the Summer-at-the-Edge (SATE) which is a summer internship program for college students. Hopefully some of those innovations will be brought behind the walls of the base and can become military uses." The Tec^Edge center was created as a partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Wright Brothers Institute. It is meant to better facilitate educational and research partnerships between industry, government and academia. Dr. Rob Williams, research director for the Discovery Lab at Tec^Edge and the creator of the 1,000 student Virtual Discovery Lab concept, is responsible for running the Summer-at-the-Edge (SATE) program where students are able to work side-by-side with industry professionals both physically and virtually through OpenSim. The goal of the SATE program is to accelerate technology innovations important to Department of Defense and to grow future technology leaders. "You will see our faces around the building as we are here to integrate our company with the effort put forth by the Summer-at-the-Edge (SATE) program. We are delighted to share what we do with students," said Nick Taylor from Designing Digitally, Inc. "Some of the students involved in the Discovery Lab at Tec^Edge may very well be responsible for the next innovative breakthrough." About Designing Digitally, Inc. Designing Digitally, Inc. is a full-service interactive design firm specializing in E-Learning, 3D Training Simulations, and Virtual World Development. Company Website: http://www.designingdigitally.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ddinc Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/designing.digitally.inc About Tec^Edge Tec^Edge is a partnership between the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the Wright Brothers Institute. Located in Dayton, Ohio, the center facilitates research and educational partnerships between academia, government and industry. It seeks to create educational opportunities while stimulating the growth of technologies companies and the advance of technology.