Clarity In Instructional Design: A Necessity, Not A Luxury
Let's be honest: Instructional Designers have a problem. Too often, trendy jargon, intricate frameworks, or flashy visuals take priority, stripping away the learner's clear path to understanding. What remains is a course that may appear polished but falls short of delivering meaningful impact where it truly counts: the learner's understanding and ability to apply knowledge. Lack of clarity in Instructional Design is not a minor flaw; it is a critical issue that affects how well learners understand, engage with, and use what they learn.
The Value Of Clarity In Instructional Design
Clarity Is More Than A Nice-To-Have: It Is Respect
Imagine juggling a job, family, hobbies, and maybe even learning a new skill, like jump rope tricks or a new language. The last thing anyone wants is another dull, 45-minute training that does not answer their real work questions. It is frustrating, it wastes time, and it makes learners feel undervalued.
For many professionals, especially those learning English as a second language, clarity is not an aesthetic choice; it is a lifeline. Confusing instructions, jargon-filled modules, or bloated interfaces create barriers. By sending the message that learners' time and effort are not valued, Instructional Design loses its way, revealing a breakdown in empathy.
The Curse Of Knowledge Is Real: But So Is Our Ego
Instructional Designers face a challenge: even though we design for others, we often become so immersed in the content, whether provided by a Subject Matter Expert or created ourselves, that we forget what it is like to be unfamiliar with the material. At the root of this problem is a mindset that goes beyond losing perspective. Attachment to polished presentations, specialized jargon, and clever metaphors can lead us to mistake complexity for effectiveness.
The result? Content that overwhelms and confuses learners. Our job is to bridge that gap: to simplify, clarify, and make learning accessible. Recognizing the "curse of knowledge," which assumes others share our understanding, helps us focus on the learner's experience, not just our expertise or preferences.
Clarity Is Not Simplicity: It Is Precision And Empathy
Clarity does not mean dumbing down content. It means cutting ruthlessly, removing anything that does not directly help the learner take the next step. Choosing every word, interaction, and example with intention, asking "What does this learner actually need right now?"—and giving it to them plainly and clearly.
Learners Do Not Care About Your Frameworks: They Care About Their Problems
Instructional Designers love their models: Bloom's Taxonomy, Cognitive Load Theory, Mayer's Principles, and more. While these theories matter, learners do not open courses to admire the Instructional Designer's work. They want help.
In workplace training, language may be clear on the surface but layered with nuances that trip up even skilled non-native speakers. Phrases like "circle back later" or "take this offline" sound simple to native speakers but often confuse others, unsure about what action to take or when. These subtle misunderstandings slow communication and silently erode both confidence and inclusion.
Clarity Is Equity
Clarity is more than style or quality—it is justice. Learners with lower literacy, neurodivergence, or those learning in a second language depend on it to access and succeed. Every confusing instruction, jargon-filled slide, or unnecessary click is a tax they should not have to pay. Designing for clarity means removing barriers, making learning accessible and fair to all.
Kill Your Darlings: Design For Impact
Removing a slide or deleting a paragraph you have carefully crafted is never easy. Having faced this challenge repeatedly myself, I understand the difficulty. But if it does not serve the learner, it only adds clutter.
Workplace Example #1
John logs into a mandatory compliance course packed with dense text and layered jargon. After 10 minutes, he is lost and frustrated. Instead of focusing on what matters, he is stuck trying to decode the language, losing motivation, and doubting if he can complete the training. He clicks through the rest of the course to finish, but retains almost nothing.
Workplace Example #2
Maria, a high-performing employee learning English as a second language, starts a new onboarding course. But she stumbles over vague directions and idioms like "circle back later" and "touch base next week." She is unsure what action to take or when, and her takeaway? That the course, and perhaps the company, was not designed with her in mind.
Clarity Demands Discipline
Your course is not a showcase of what you know—it is a bridge to learner action. When your course helps someone feel seen and capable, that is a real impact.
Clarity is not optional—it is a lifeline. It transforms confusion into confidence. When content is overloaded with jargon or unclear ideas, frustration builds, causing learners to lose motivation and confidence in their ability to succeed. Instructional Designers committed to making a real impact recognize clarity as a core responsibility grounded in equity. Clarity is not just design; it is the foundation for learner success and meaningful change.
