One of the most frustrating aspects of learning design is choosing a color palette for eLearning. The color palette refers to the limited and predefined set of colors you use in a design. If we … [Read more...]
Which graphic should I use for eLearning?
Choosing the right chart or graph.
Visuals have the potential to add great meaning to a learning experience. The human brain devotes more resources to processing visual information (for sighted individuals) than to any other sense. Yet … [Read more...]
6 Alternatives To Bullet Points – Updated
Get Rid Of Those Text Heavy Slides
Bullet points make a sequence of important ideas easy to read. When those near-perfect little circles are vertically aligned, readers can quickly process the text. Yet too many bullet points in an … [Read more...]
How To Write A Visual Style Guide for eLearning
The most efficient way to achieve consistency in the visual design of eLearning and presentation slides is to create a visual style guide. A style guide provides one graphical standard for everyone. … [Read more...]
How Visual Clarity Affects Learning
Research on Processing Fluency
How do you react when you see a very complex diagram or a screen of dense text? Are you motivated to work through it? Or do you groan and turn away if it becomes too difficult? Complex or dense … [Read more...]
10 Lesser Known Free Or Inexpensive Stock Photo Sites
Stock Photos for Instructional Design
Many of us must work on projects with small budgets that require free resources. Fortunately, free or cheap stock photo sites can save the day. In the last several years, the quality of free stock has … [Read more...]
21 Reasons Why Stock Photo Sites Make Me Cry
The Problems with Stock Photo Sites
Do you get frustrated with the laughable photos you find when doing photo research? Then you've noticed there are many problems with stock photo sites. Typically, the photos are shot for advertising … [Read more...]
The Power Of Visual Grouping
In the very early stages of vision—before we're really conscious of it—our perceptual processes are humming away, attempting to organize the sensory data from vision into something that is meaningful. … [Read more...]
The Visual Design of Checklists
Job Aid Design for Performance Support
In a previous article, I wrote about the benefits of using checklists for performance support. But what about the visual design of a checklist that fits your needs? Consider that the visual design of … [Read more...]
How To Establish A Visual Hierarchy in eLearning
Guiding the Learner's Attention
An important dimension of eLearning is communication through the elements on the screen—the visual elements, text, and graphic space. The arrangement of these elements transmits a secondary message … [Read more...]
Use Visual Cues To Enhance Learning
Directing Attention with Visual Cues
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? This is important … [Read more...]
5 Steps To A PowerPoint Redesign For eLearning
Did you ever want a consistent process for a PowerPoint redesign? PowerPoint slides are often the currency exchanged between subject matter experts and instructional designers. These slides are … [Read more...]