The Visual Lounge

Should AI avatars replace human presenters? In part two of this research series on The Visual Lounge, host Matt Pierce is joined again by TechSmith Senior Market Researcher Stephanie Warnoff to discuss the latest findings from TechSmith's research on AI avatars in instructional video. Building on episode 275 about AI voices, this conversation explores how different on-screen presenter styles affec...

How much does audio really affect learning? And does it matter whether that voice is human or AI? In this episode, Matt sits down with Stephanie Warnoff, Senior Market Researcher at TechSmith, to walk through new research that looks at how audio quality and AI narration influence learning outcomes, perceived professionalism, and retention in instructional video. The study, conducted by TechSmith,...

Have you ever struggled to get the information you need from a subject matter expert? Or maybe you're the expert (SME), and you're not quite sure what the instructional designer actually wants from you? In this episode, host Matt Pierce explores what subject matter experts actually need from instructional designers (IDs) to do their best work. Drawing from his experience on both sides of the dynam...

Change is emotional. Even when the strategy is solid, people still feel uncertain, skeptical, or overwhelmed, especially when the vision feels huge and the path feels unclear. In this revisited episode of The Visual Lounge (originally Episode 168), Matt sits down with Jake Gittleson, who leads McKinsey’s Learning Research and Innovation Lab. Jake shares why storytelling is one of the most effectiv...

As the new year starts, it’s the perfect time to reflect (and look forward) on how we create and communicate learning content. In this special episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt is joined by some TechSmith team members (or TechSmithies!) who share their favourite tips, shortcuts, and features in Snagit and Camtasia. These are real workflows used every day to support creators, teams, and organizati...

AI is reshaping learning and development faster than any of us expected. So how do we adapt? And what skills will matter most as tools, workflows and expectations keep changing in the workplace? In this episode, Matt speaks with Josh Cavalier, an AI and L&D expert with more than two decades of experience helping organizations modernize the way they design learning. Josh is also the author of A...

Ever clicked play on a learning video that looks polished and professional, only to finish it and think, “Wait, what did I just learn?”   In this episode, we’re revisiting a conversation with Patti Shank, an internationally recognized learning designer, researcher, and author who has spent years studying how people really take in information. Patti knows that effective learning isn’t abo...

Imagine logging in next month to find your bill for the AI tool you use has doubled, or that you've run out of credits halfway through a critical project. The explosion of AI video tools has brought incredible capabilities to content creators, but alongside these innovations comes a new challenge: complex pricing models that make it difficult to budget, explain costs to your boss, or know if you'r...

What happens when everyone can create AI videos with just a text prompt? We’re entering the “watch bait era” where AI-generated short clips may start dominating social media feeds, making it harder to distinguish between AI content, misinformation, and reality. The technology is improving but still has real limitations. While AI avatars and lip-sync are getting better, we’re still dealing with 8-s...

We've all sat through presentations that feel like a performance, polished, professional, but somehow disconnected. The speaker hits every point perfectly, yet we walk away feeling nothing. So, what's missing? For this episode, we're revisiting a conversation with Leslie Chamberlain, Head of Customer Success at Gibbs Smith Education. Leslie knows that great presentations aren't about perfection, t...

What if your carefully crafted training course could become a content campaign that actually drives behavior change? Most L&D professionals create amazing content that gets consumed once and forgotten. But what if that single course could spawn dozens of touchpoints that reinforce learning over time? We're seeing a shift where smart L&D teams are borrowing from marketing playbooks, and it'...

Have you ever watched a learning video and felt completely overwhelmed, even though the topic itself wasn't that complicated? That feeling of mental exhaustion is cognitive overload, and it's often the result of poor instructional design. Host Matt Pierce introduces Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), a framework that explains how our brains process information and, more importantly, how we can design le...

Lo-fi and authentic works. Just look at the best short-form creators, they’ve figured out engagement. They know how to be authentic, intentional, and drop hooks that make people actually want to watch. No matter what kind of video’s you make, what can you learn from how short-form creators do it? In this episode of The Visual Lounge, host Matt Pierce explores how creators, educators, and businesse...

We've all been there, clicking on an instructional video only to sit through minutes of backstory when all we wanted was the solution. In a world where attention spans are shrinking, viewers want one thing: get to the point. For this episode, we're revisiting a fantastic conversation with Doug Brunner, Customer Education Manager at TechSmith. Doug knows firsthand what makes instructional content w...

AI is transforming how we create content, but there’s also a growing problem: AI slop. It’s the flood of auto-generated videos, images, and text that takes up space without adding value; and we’re seeing it everywhere. So how do you use AI to enhance your work without the noise?   Host Matt Pierce introduces TechSmith’s HUMAN Framework, a practical approach to keeping the human element at the...

What if pro-level video creation didn't require a film crew, expensive equipment, or weeks of production time? Imagine literally describing what you want and having it appear on screen.  We're living through a moment where AI video generation has gone from science fiction to "just about usable" reality. The technology is still rough around the edges (and yes, you might find yourself shouting...

Customer education is a must-have for a lot of businesses these days, especially software companies. But reading thick manuals and wordy passages of jargon is no one’s idea of a good time.  So what’s the key to great customer education? For this episode, we look back at an older conversation we had with Greg Mead. Back then, he was Senior Instructional Designer at ClickUp, so we talked about...

What if we had to rebuild L&D from scratch? What could we do differently? There have been rumblings in the L&D world that roles are gradually going to be replaced by AI. While we don’t predict an L&D apocalypse coming our way, maybe it’s time to start thinking differently about the role of L&D in broader business terms.  Joining this episode is Tracie Cantu, Chief Learning Str...

The internet’s relationship with visuals and video has been a rocky ship over the past few years, constantly pivoting and evolving. And most creators are either playing catch up or are stuck playing by the same old rules with limited success.  But luckily, we have Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and CMO of Orbit Media Studios, on the show to share his current strategies on how to make your visual...

Need to create an e-learning presentation but don’t have an eye for good visuals? This episode is for you!  We revisit a great past episode with Diane Elkins, instructional design pro and owner of Artisan Learning. There’s so much solid advice in this episode on what works, what to avoid, and how visuals impact the learning experience (probably more than you think). Diane explains how bad vis...

It’s time to ditch the lectures. The secret to creating powerful learning content that people actually pay attention to and use in their daily lives is all about action.  Dr. Karl Kapp introduces us to action-based learning in this episode – his go-to tactic for making learning more engaging, useful, and practical. Karl is a Professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University and t...

How do some people just seem to command attention the moment they walk into a room? They’ve nailed their personal brand. Dr. Dustin York, who's worked with everyone from the Obama campaign to Nike, breaks down the science behind personal branding and shares actionable tips you can start using today. Today he’s a Professor at Maryville University of St. Louis and a professional speaker for his busi...

What if all that time you spent learning Python on YouTube or mastering Photoshop through online tutorials could actually count toward formal education credits? For this episode, we’re at the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) latest conference, to talk with Dr. Joe Sallustio, veteran higher ed expert and Co-Founder and Host of The EdUp Experience podcast. We chat about how learning has...

What makes you click away immediately from a video vs. stay glued to the screen? Maybe it’s overwhelming background music or cursor movements that make you feel seasick. We’ve all seen videos that don’t quite click for us (and perhaps made a few of them ourselves). So, in this episode, we look at common instructional video mistakes to avoid to keep your learners watching. It’s an older episode and...

Learning and development isn’t just up to the folks in the L&D department anymore. In this episode, we hear how modern workplace communication and learning extend to the wider organization, thanks to technology breaking down barriers in visual communication. Host Matt Pierce sits down with David Kelly, former Chairman and CEO of The Learning Guild, to explore how L&D has changed over his c...