Storyboarding Assists Working Memory eLearning storyboards are a cognitive aid. They not only communicate your vision, but they help you think things through. Working memory is too limited to plan an … [Read more...]
How to Reduce Friction in eLearning
It's not unusual to encounter a high-friction experience. Remember when you had to re-enter data into a long form because it didn't submit? Or when your online purchase got lost in the … [Read more...]
Answers To Instructional Design Career Questions
I get lots of emails from people who are considering a career in instructional design. In fact, that's why I created a free 12-lesson email course called Breaking into Instructional Design. It's all … [Read more...]
25 Story Ideas For eLearning
In the past decade, there has been much written about how well people learn from stories. We've been told that storytelling is a primary strategy humans used in times past to convey teachings. If … [Read more...]
Using Scale in Your eLearning and Slide Layouts
One powerful aspect of visual design you may not be optimizing is the use of scale in the composition of your eLearning, slides and job aids. This design principle has the power to enhance visual … [Read more...]
Using the Think Aloud Protocol to Test Usability of Learning Designs
Usability testing is missing from the traditional instructional design process. But not having a way to find problems is a problem. We need to make sure that eLearning courses, learning portals, … [Read more...]
Six Ways to Use Examples And Nonexamples To Teach Concepts
Your brain likes to generalize. It forms generalizations out of individual examples, similar to fitting together the pieces of a puzzle. This is more or less how we form concepts—by grouping together … [Read more...]
Talent Stacking For An Instructional Design Career
Sometimes an obvious concept takes on a deeper meaning when you see it from a new perspective. For me, talent stacking was one of those ideas. We all know that being multi-skilled increases your … [Read more...]
Stealing From Product Design
Seven Principles for Innovating
Like all designers these days, learning experience designers are under pressure. We must find the most effective ways to meet the needs of a target audience, improve workplace performance and measure … [Read more...]
Are Your Online Tests Valid?
How to Improve Test Validity
You can't make it through a year of designing eLearning without having to write test or assessment questions. If you don't have formal training in this area you may not be familiar with test validity. … [Read more...]
How to Write Instructional Design Case Studies for Your Portfolio
One aspect of a portfolio that can make yours stand out is to provide the proper context for every work sample. You can achieve this by adding instructional design case studies to your portfolio. Case … [Read more...]
How To Be More Creative At Work
For Learning Experience Designers
If you continuously come up with compelling and novel ideas at a moment's notice, you won't need to read this article. But for the rest of us, there are times when it's difficult to be creative on … [Read more...]