--- title: "The Gold Beneath The Gloss: Unlocking Software's True Potential" description: Not all features in learning tech are created equal. Sometimes its the hidden features that provide real 'gold' for the end user. image: https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/planet-volumes-ldi8ZM3d-bQ-unsplash.jpg --- **** [![pacific-blue-logo-white](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/White%20transparent.png?width=520&height=105&name=White%20transparent.png) ![Pacific Blue Logo](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Corporate%20blue%20transparent.png?width=520&height=105&name=Corporate%20blue%20transparent.png) ](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk) [![LET'S TALK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/31306/0bee0e88-7dab-4481-aa27-3e0ea6439460.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/31306/0bee0e88-7dab-4481-aa27-3e0ea6439460) [**](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/the-gold-beneath-the-gloss-unlocking-softwares-true-potential#tmpmodule_1568761248550301) ** #### Evaluating Training Effectivenes [![mega-menu-graphic](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/f5zha8dh6586r0z/mega-menu-graphic.jpg "mega-menu-graphic")](https://marketplace.hubspot.com/products/design-with-speed/clean-premium-pack) #### Learning Re-Framed In-House Programme #### Articulate Storyline #### Storyline In-House Programmes #### Storyline Scheduled Public Courses #### Course Bookings ![Complete ID Brochure Image - CLEAN](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/Complete%20ID%20Brochure%20Image%20-%20CLEAN.png "Complete ID Brochure Image - CLEAN") #### E-Learning Design & Development Services [![Happy in front of laptops](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/Happy%20in%20front%20of%20laptops.jpg "Happy in front of laptops")](https://marketplace.hubspot.com/products/design-with-speed/clean-premium-pack) #### Other Design & Development Services ![placeholder_200x200](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/content/email-template-images/placeholder_200x200.png "placeholder_200x200") #### More ![Customers](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/Customers.jpg "Customers") ###### 3 min read # [The Gold Beneath The Gloss: Unlocking Software's True Potential](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/the-gold-beneath-the-gloss-unlocking-softwares-true-potential) By [Andrew Jackson](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/author/andrew-jackson) on Fri, Aug 22,2025 ###### Topics: [Performance Support](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/topic/performance-support) [Learning Tech](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/topic/learning-tech) ![Gold bars](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/planet-volumes-ldi8ZM3d-bQ-unsplash.jpg) This isn’t the first time that I’ve made reference to what I call *Storyline’s* ‘secret weapon’. A *Storyline* ‘advanced’ feature that gets buried away in the background because it’s not very ‘sexy’ nor particularly easy to market. Yet learning to use it can transform the e-learning courses you build. In case you are wondering? I’m talking about *Storyline* variables. However, the purpose of today’s post is not to write extensively about *Storyline* variables. (If you are interested, I have written about *Storyline* variables [here](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/articulate-storyline-training-variables-explained-storylines-secret-weapon)). What interests me today is the fact that lots of software/technologies often have some kind of ‘secret weapon’. In other words, a hidden something that a majority of users don’t know about, which is incredibly powerful or useful but somehow never gets the attention it deserves. Typically, the hidden something is conceptually abstract or technically a bit complex; so, it takes some care and effort to explain it clearly and easily. And it often takes some care and effort by software users to really reap the benefits of it. Which usually leaves it friendless. Tucked away in an obscure corner of the interface by UX and UI designers. Shunned by the marketers (just not ‘sexy’ enough). Glossed over by the technical writers and technology evangelists. And you can understand why. In the push to get a piece of software or a technology widely adopted as quickly as possible, the most popular and easiest to use features are, inevitably, going to get the most attention. And in lots of ways, that **is** a good, user-centred approach. After all, if the software or technology in question isn’t obviously solving some kind of problem or making it easier or possible to do something that was previously difficult or impossible to do, what’s the point? But this also misses an important point. Hiding that more difficult-to-explain feature probably results in inferior user output. Returning to the example I opened with, this is absolutely true in the case of *Storyline *variables. It’s not that you need to use them in every single course that you create. But **never** using them at all will absolutely reduce the creative potential and the effectiveness of your instructional design. So, why am I obsessing about all this, at the moment? Well, you may already know that I’m working on a new software tool for L&D called *PerformaGo*. And the AI technology that this software is designed to help L&D folk like yourself unleash, definitely has its own buried treasures. (Something I’ve been writing about [here](https://andrewjackson.ai/lessons-from-secret-weapons-in-software/)). In essence, it’s about how you provide specific knowledge to your custom GPT so that you get reliable, accurate output when it’s being used by a learner. Which means that this particular ‘buried treasure’ is going to play a very significant role in making the *PerformaGo* tool a success. The question of how that specific knowledge is packaged up and accessed can’t be glossed over, in the hope that some users will find it and work out how to use it. It needs to be front and centre. And that will be a challenge. Because in some respects this element is a bit abstract. It will definitely require some careful thought around how it is presented and explained to users within the software interface itself and in any related ‘help’ content or software onboarding. But once you consider the benefits for L&D folk of getting this ‘buried treasure’ front and centre, the challenge of achieving that goal seems small by comparison. If any of this interests you, or you like the idea of becoming an early adopter or pilot user of *PerformaGo* or you would just like to find out some more about the tool, [why not regis](https://pacificblue.ai/performago-the-tool)ter your interest. And you can follow a more ‘behind-the-scenes’ take on the journey to build the *PerformaGo* software tool [in my online diary](https://andrewjackson.ai/). - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Andrew Jackson](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/andrew-jackson-profile.jpg) #### Written by [Andrew Jackson](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/author/andrew-jackson) Hi, I’m Andrew Jackson — co-founder of Pacific Blue Solutions and founder of Pacific Blue AI. I’ve spent almost 20 years helping L&D teams design learning that actually changes what people do at work. Alongside my weekly writing on Learning Re-Framed, this Learning Academy blog is where I share practical, evidence-based ideas for improving learning design and performance support in a changing, AI-enabled world. [**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtjackson/) ###### [** Previous Post](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/instructional-design-success-its-within-your-grasp) [![A man celebrating success](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/Happy%20man%20in%20red%20sweater.jpg) ](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/instructional-design-success-its-within-your-grasp) ###### [Instructional design success: it's within your grasp...](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/instructional-design-success-its-within-your-grasp) ###### [Next Post **](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/lost-in-translation-why-tech-jargon-drives-me-nuts) [![Computer code](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/markus-spiske-cvBBO4PzWPg-unsplash.jpg) ](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/lost-in-translation-why-tech-jargon-drives-me-nuts) ###### [Lost in translation: why tech jargon drives me nuts](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/lost-in-translation-why-tech-jargon-drives-me-nuts) ##### Impact and Instructional Design - Guides Impact and Instructional Design - Guides ##### Learning Re-Framed Programmes Learning Re-Framed Programmes ##### Storyline Training - Courses Storyline Training - Courses ##### E-Learning Design - Guides and Toolkits E-Learning Design - Guides and Toolkits [![White transparent-2](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/White%20transparent-2.png?width=150&height=30&name=White%20transparent-2.png "White transparent-2")](https://www.pacificblue.co.uk) Copyright © 2026 Pacific Blue Solutions Ltd ** ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/1071354352/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Andrew Jackson", "url" : "https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/author/andrew-jackson" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-19T09:39:53.704Z", "datePublished" : "2025-08-22T10:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Gold Beneath The Gloss: Unlocking Software's True Potential", "image" : [ "https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hubfs/planet-volumes-ldi8ZM3d-bQ-unsplash.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/learning-academy-blog/the-gold-beneath-the-gloss-unlocking-softwares-true-potential", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.pacificblue.co.uk/hs-fs/images/communicating-information-22.png" }, "name" : "Pacific Blue Solutions" } } ```