Scarcity of Professional Training Materials for Designer Pro 7

[Manawatu]

The much heralded release of Designer Pro 7 was well worth the wait. The product is in a class all its own. And while I realise that there are numerous sources of help -- including this handy forum, the Xara site, the always helpful Xara Xone and one or two others -- it remains unfortunate that Xara do not support their products with better training materials. Every time Adobe release a product there are magazines, books, DVD's, those terrific online training classes over at Lynda.Com and the huge Adobe web presence. With my upgrade to Designer Pro 7, wonderfully priced though it was, I get an archaic-looking help file and, on disc, a nice but wordy PDF manual -- not exactly a pocket guide. Yet Xara make up for that to a certain extent with the free and nifty Quick Reference Card. Still, at the end of the day, would it be all that difficult for someone at Xara to call someone at a place like Lynda.Com to get the ball rolling? Does EVERYTHING have to be done on the cheap, Mr Xara?

[ShapeShifter]

Have you seen this YouTube channel? It's free

http://www.youtube.com/user/XaraXhris

Specifically the Designer Pro 7 features videos?

[zaphodeist]

Adobe stuff needs all those extras for people to understand the program

[Manawatu]

Yes, SS, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the two-part video by XaraXhris. And no disrespect intended, but I am referring to professional training materials, not an amateur walk-through. I design online learning courses for a living and cringe every time I see Xara tripping and stumbling over themselves when it comes to promoting their product. Indeed, their whole training philosophy has barely altered since the late 1990's. Some of their videos go back to the stone-age (well, almost.)

Certainly, Neo makes a good point because, as he implies, the Xara programs are relatively easy to learn and intuitive -- but the advanced design features and their many applications require a good deal more skill.

If enough users tell Xara to outsource their training to professional outfits, like VTC and Lynda, I'm sure they'll at least begin to consider it.

And what became of Gary Bouton, the man who wrote the only ever book for a Xara product? Who remembers "Xara Xtreme 5: The Official Guide"? Gary, are you hiding? Why was he not engaged to write further books? Where is my Designer Pro 7 Official Guide? This product, alas, remains guide-less!

[ShapeShifter]

Mr Bouton has hinted he'll be producing videos from time to time and if his first effort is anything to go by, then there's a level of professionalism in his presentation which ought to please you?
He also makes a comment concerning another Guide Book..

[Manawatu]

Wow, yes, Gary shows he's certainly got the chops -- it was great to see him in action again. But from what I read in his posting it looks as if there will be no more official guide books. I notice Xara didn't present him with a complimentary upgrade to version 7 either. ;-)

Still, all of these mini-sessions -- a written tutorial here and a three-minute video there -- is a bit like throwing wet towels at a forest fire. You kinda realise that there needs to be a concerted, coordinated effort to bring it all under control, a comprehensive training program. Only Xara can do that...by either employing Gary full-time or outsourcing to a bigger outfit.

[handrawn]

the level of support you suggest would cost money - up would go the price of the program[s] ....