There are lots of exciting and interesting technologies, tools and techniques out there. So which ones work best?
1. Keep User Experience Front Of Mind
Often, I see designers swayed by marketing or SMEs that they lose sight of their users. I think of designers as interpreters, interpreting and converting SME speak to user speak. Remember that users, not SMEs, need to learn, enjoy and perform. You’re a learning experience designer! Get users involved in focus groups and design workshops. Visit users in their place of work, see what they do and how they use their tools. It can be helpful for SMEs to hear what users really think.
2. Start With The Outcome And Work Back To The Activity
I love Cathy Moore’s action-mapping approach. It means that the need drives the design, rather than the idea or content, and everything is linked to business outcomes. Just because we want a game or interactivity, doesn’t mean it’s the best approach for the outcome. Likewise, 10 pages of content might not actually be that useful to your learner activities. Link outcomes to business objectives to keep aligned and ensure success.
3. Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Like anyone getting lots of the same thing, learners get bored, so keep surprising them. Consider changing your templates, mixing a short game within some content, or vary the media used. Remember there are many ways to present your idea. Mix it up and force yourself to think differently.
4. Create A Desire And Emotion
It’s said in our high media age we have 8 seconds to engage users. Learners are no different. Engaging intellectually and emotionally needs to happen up front. Find a hook, fear, shock, humour, self-realisation, whatever will impact your learners. We want to create an emotion as well as hook the learner in with WHY they need to learn, so they compel themselves to complete. That might be a short video or animated sequence, an audio track, a story, a headline, something that links to the content and speaks to the learners.
5. Innovate
With so many new and exciting ways to create learning, why stick to one? Why not explore virtual reality, interactive video or micro-nuggets? How could you incorporate an app or adaptive learning path? Don’t be lethargic about new ideas. Find ways to create prototypes and experiment.
6. Design And Then Sprinkle Star Dust From Above
OK, you’ve done your design. But does it sparkle? Will learners enjoy the experience? Design is a process. Taking time to stand back and look at your plan allows you to improve it. Star dust is that little idea that will make it great. Maybe it’s better pictures, a small animation, making a screen interactive or changing the way learners interact. It might be simplifying the interface or adding a button or resource. Look at it, considering the look, the feel, the emotion and the goals.
7. Tailor To The User
Well, at least let them think it’s tailored. Relevance is at the heart of success creating the most efficient way through content that provides the right context for what learners do and see in their job. Tailoring doesn’t have to be a big thing. It might be giving people a choice to follow a business unit pathway, even if much of the content is generic. It might be swapping photos or scenarios, it might be allowing learners to skip content where outcomes are not relevant or using pre-assessments to eliminate learning in areas of competence. Finally, it might be completely separately branded modules. Whichever way you do it, make sure it will make sense to learners and is relevant to their jobs.
8. Think Long And Hard About The 20 And 70
Too often, we focus on the 10 of the 70/20/10. That’s easy for us. But considering how we can create effective coaching and experiential activities will deliver much stronger results. Whether that’s a practical activity, a systems-based activity or something involving real work and feedback, look for ways to anchor your learning in every day work. Having that full engagement will create a powerful transfer moment. Think carefully about how to best support managers, and don’t assume that a manager will automatically know the subject matter. Consider additional coaching support, provide checklists and guidance, perhaps short video clips that demonstrate best practice on soft skills. Providing guidance gives scaffolding to the manager and great visibility for learners.
9. Collaborate Extensively
The best projects work when the designer, SME, graphic artist and developer, work very closely together, iteratively building. It’s about respecting each other’s area of expertise, each person crafting their aspect to fit beautifully together with the other parts. Think about some key relationships.
- SME & Designer: Ensure the SME provided content not so complete that to change it creates friction; but not so loose that the Designer has to make things up.
- Designer & Developer: Ensure the designer creates a product that is feasible, and within budget.
- Graphic artist & Designer: Ensure the visual design supports the instructional model; that the media and design can be achieved within the budget; but that we’re not lured into beautiful design if it’s not what a client wants or goes against the design approach.