Core Concepts

This section outlines the fundamentals for creating effective learning experiences in Colibri.

Experiential Design

Colibri is built for active, event-driven scenario-based learning. Engagement comes from active participation - thinking, deciding. Progress happens when players click, choose, submit, or interact.

Avoid long passages of text and long videos to watch - it's usually boring and players will want to skip it. Make your exercises participatory and think all the time about how to get players interacting.

Player agency is central. Designers can publish content across multiple channels at the same time and create parallel paths for exploration. This increases immersion, but it must be used with care. Keep choices clear, avoid unnecessary complexity, and guide players so they never feel lost or overloaded.

The Editor places some restrictions on what designers can do so that there is always player feedback in the same channel

Exercise length

Exercises work best when they are short and focused. Aim for a 10–15 minute session that maintains momentum. If there is more material than fits comfortably, divide it into smaller chunks and show progress so players understand where they are in the journey.

Exercise Structure

An exercise contains all authored content. Designers organise their work using Serials and Chapters which exist only to keep material tidy and easy to navigate. These organisational elements do not affect publishing and have no impact on what the learner sees. Their purpose is to help designers manage large exercises.

Colibri Jargon

Colibri exercises are built using a familiar table format - so the exercise will look like a Master Events List but advancement is through player action, not time.

The sketch below shows the exercise structure as seen by the Designer. The key component is the step.

Steps can be questions (requires player interaction), narratives (no player action) and actions (participatory or automatic).