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Adobe Connect

Score7.5 out of 10

410 Reviews and Ratings

What is Adobe Connect?

Adobe Connect is a web conferencing platform that enables users to create presentations, online training materials, and learning modules. The product is entirely Adobe Flash-based and has several add-ons for customizing its software to suit each users’ unique needs.

Top Performing Features

  • Live chat

    Participants can use one-on-one and group instant messaging to communicate privately or selectively during meetings.

    Category average: 8.5

  • Confidential attendee list

    Presenters, moderators, or admins can see a confidential list of attendees that is not visible to all attendees.

    Category average: 8

  • Participant roles & permissions

    Administrators can grant users different levels of access to conferences, as moderators, presenters, attendees, or participants. Permissions can be set for individual users, or based on user role/group.

    Category average: 8.3

Areas for Improvement

  • Slideshows

    Presenters can present slideshows during the meeting within the web conferencing platform.

    Category average: 8.3

  • High quality video

    High quality video connection is consistently available, with few or no interruptions.

    Category average: 8.3

  • Low bandwidth requirements

    Software is optimized so that meetings do not require a huge amount of bandwidth.

    Category average: 7.4

Adobe Connect Expert Level Learning Experiences

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I work as a webinar producer on Adobe Connect, we use the seminar version for several webinars each week. The platform is an efficient way to deliver a consistent experience using templated layouts for a universal learning experience for all of the networks learners. Each webinar we run has the sample pods, layouts, polls and chat available. As producers we then are able to easily alter the layouts for customizing the experience for our session leaders. Easily adding polls, or other interactive elements. The platform allows for more interactivity than any other virtual meeting/webinar platform I've seen on the market.

Pros

  • Custom layouts to guide the learners attention to various elements of the event.
  • Interactive polls, handout pods, chat options that can be filtered and reported out post session.
  • Cues in the attendee pod to see who is in through app, browser, and to see how they've connected via phone or mic...helps in troubleshooting as a producer

Cons

  • PPTs are rendered in a pod, and sometimes fonts aren't rendered correctly, changes line breaks and font sizes.
  • Notes section for PPTs could use a font resize option to remain redable.
  • Ability to turn on / off the back stage individually rather than for the group of hosts/presenters.

Return on Investment

  • Delivers a consistent branded experience that our attendees have come to expect
  • Allows for accessible content that is important in the L&D industry
  • Has unique offerings for pods that can be shown alongside other content, you are not relying on one window in the experience

Usability

An Excellent Product Only Held Back by Company Subscription Strategies

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We chose Adobe Connect because it was the best way to execute our product design, marketing strategies, and visual storytelling efforts all through a cohesive and integrated software universe.

Pros

  • Top level design tools and options
  • Integration of software with other products
  • Leader in format shareability and common utilization

Cons

  • Pricing is expensive
  • Subscription plans at times don’t seem transparent and even exploitive
  • Tools are incredible but also need a level of experience and expertise.

Return on Investment

  • Contributed positively to better designed and unique meeting outcomes
  • Served as differentiator for other options that was commented on in affirming ways by multiple clients and partners.
  • Ultimately did not impact our ROI in any discernible way and struggled with process of canceling our subscription without a lot of time and major penalties

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Zoom Rooms, Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Citrix Workspace (discontinued)

Other Software Used

Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Acrobat

Engage and Collaborate from Anywhere and Everywhere

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

When providing live and on-demand training sessions for our business partners, utilizing Adobe Connect has made all the difference in being able to create a virtually engaging learning environment that allows both facilitators and participants to exercise creativity during the learning and development process. Other platforms commonly used in our and other organizations work well for meetings, but Adobe Connect allows us as facilitators to create that in-person feel and have the same level of engagement and collaboration that so often seems to be absent from virtual spaces.

Pros

  • Love how you can create custom layouts ahead of time and seamlessly change from one to another during a session.
  • There are so many creative ways to use the whiteboard features.
  • Being able to keep participants in one layout while you go into other layouts and make changes, updates, etc. has been incredibly helpful.
  • The breakout rooms have endless use cases.

Cons

  • I wish Adobe provided the audio directly to the customer rather than requiring an outside telecom provider be selected if you want audio beyond VOIP.
  • It's nice to be able to upload PPT presentations into a share pod, but if the PPT is more than basic, I find several animations, fonts, etc. are not supported, completely changing the way the presentation comes across. This makes it impossible for me to utilize the feature most of the time and a screen share is the next best option.

Return on Investment

  • Helped to provide more quality virtual training experiences for our business partners, resulting in higher satisfaction and greater loyalty.

Alternatives Considered

ReadyTalk (Discontinued), Cisco Webex Board Series and GoTo Meeting

Other Software Used

Microsoft Teams, Zoom

Usability

Adobe Connect- the best platform for conducting your training!

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Adobe Connect as the platform for our training programs.

Pros

  • Multiple simultaneous chats under a video
  • Multiple simultaneous polls
  • View white boards and note pods in real-time as teams are filling them out in breakout rooms.
  • Short answer polls
  • Layout options
  • Customize what people see in the breakout rooms
  • Engagement meter on an individual level

Cons

  • Share polls between various rooms

Return on Investment

  • While it is the most expensive platform we use for training, it is the most robust and continues to give our customers a great learning experience.

Alternatives Considered

UserZoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex Meetings

Other Software Used

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Adobe PhotoShop

Usability

Adobe Connect Review

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Adobe Connect to develop eLearning modules and move them over to our LMS.

Pros

  • Build e-learnings.
  • Voice recording.
  • Graphics.

Cons

  • Updated icons.
  • No freezing.
  • Edits slides.

Return on Investment

  • Positive impact in allowing us to develop eLearnings.
  • Helped us upload eLearnings to our LMS Adobe Prime.
  • No negative impact.

Alternatives Considered

Adobe Primetime

Usability