Did you ever end up on a project that required video and somehow you became the default expert? That's what happened to me early in my career. At first, it was a bit unnerving. But like any hard-core … [Read more...]
How to Unstock Stock Photos for eLearning and Slides
Most people know that stock photos for eLearning and slides are often substandard. When you need photos of people performing various jobs, stock photo collections seem flooded with images of people … [Read more...]
The Visual Design of Checklists
In a previous article, I wrote about the benefits of using checklists for performance support. But how might you design a checklist that fits your needs? Consider that the visual design of a cognitive … [Read more...]
Best Stock Music and Sound Effects For Multimedia Projects
Updated for 2020
Music A musical introduction is one of many ways to attract an audience's attention. Music also sets the mood and potentially adds a professional flair to your work. This doesn't mean music should … [Read more...]
Use Visual Cues To Enhance Learning
When you design or create an informative graphic, do you help the viewer quickly understand it? Do you purposefully direct the viewers' eyes to the elements that are most meaningful? If you don't, … [Read more...]
How To Use Icons In eLearning
Download: 40 Icon Resources Updated for 2020
I have a scandalous confession to make. I'm in love with icons. I think they are brilliant. I love the way icons distill an object or concept to its essence.If you're looking for new ways to get your … [Read more...]
5 Steps To A PowerPoint Redesign
PowerPoint slides are often the currency exchanged between subject matter experts and instructional designers and developers. The slides are almost guaranteed to come with a poor design. You will … [Read more...]
The Art Of Writing Great Voice Over Scripts
Remember all those essays and reports you wrote in school? They were written for a teacher to silently read. They were rarely read aloud. Fast forward to the world of work where you are responsible … [Read more...]
How to Improve Your Visual Design Skills
(for Learning Professionals)
As a learning professional, if you haven't focused on or studied visual design it may seem like a mysterious process. How can you ever improve when you don't understand what it entails? I teach visual … [Read more...]
15 Sources for Free Stock Videos
Using Free Stock Video Clips Let's get on with the bad news first. Free stock videos are most likely not going to provide the instructional content you need. And if you are looking for footage of … [Read more...]
How To Design A Quick Reference Card
A Case Study
You've probably used a quick reference card or sheet for easy access to a condensed set of information, like grammar rules, foreign language expressions, software functions and similar types of … [Read more...]
8 Ways To Choose A Color Palette For eLearning
One of the most frustrating aspects of designing an eLearning course is choosing the color palette. The color palette refers to the limited and predefined set of colors you use in a design. If we … [Read more...]