How To Achieve Aesthetically Appealing Online Training
The subject matter of your online training course is of paramount importance. Corporate learners may not be able to soak up the information if the aesthetics dull their senses, though. We’re visual creatures, and visuals help us form a more meaningful connection with the online training content. The following 9 quick fixes can help you design aesthetically appealing online training and improve knowledge retention.
1. Declutter Your eLearning Course Design
A cluttered online training course serves as a distraction for corporate learners. It also diminishes the aesthetics of your eLearning course design by adding unnecessary chaos. Remove any extraneous elements and keep it simple and clean. One particularly troublesome item to look for is images that don’t support the subject matter, or borders and dividers that merely confuse corporate learners instead of clarifying relationships between ideas and concepts.
2. Peruse Your Online Asset Library
You probably have a good assortment of assets gathering virtual dust in your online asset library, such as images, characters, graphics, and themes, possibly even eLearning templates. All that can be put into use for designing aesthetically appealing online training in a matter of minutes. Look at your online asset library with a resourceful eye. See which elements can be integrated into your online training course, even if it requires making some minor adjustments. If you’re still searching for the ideal rapid eLearning authoring tool, its online asset library should be at the top of your must-have list, as you can repurpose your assets for all future online training courses and avoid learner boredom.
3. Change The Color Palette
Switching up the color scheme of your online training course can have a dramatic effect on the overall aesthetics. Many eLearning authoring tools allow you to simply select a different theme or palette for your existing eLearning course layout, or you can opt for colors that more accurately reflect your brand identity. Another wise choice for more aesthetically appealing online training is to choose shades that have an emotional meaning, such as red to convey a sense of urgency, or yellow to add a touch of cheer and positivity.
4. Incorporate Cut-Out Characters
There are a variety of ways to use cut-out characters in your online training course. You can use them as course guides who humanize the online training experience, or place them alongside your real-world example to put a face to the name. Once again, many eLearning authoring tools feature cut-out characters in their online asset repository. If not, you can always find royalty free images online and then modify them to suit your needs. Cut-out characters in online training may even provide tips along the way in the form of speech bubbles.
5. Add Creative Fonts (That Are Still Readable)
This aesthetic boost requires balance. A creative font will help in the direction of aesthetically appealing online training. However, it still has to be legible so that corporate learners can comprehend the key concepts. You might consider more artsy font types for headers, which can be larger to make them more readable, and rely on the standard fonts for the body text.
6. Integrate Your Branding
Add your logo, messaging, work-related images, and other branding elements to personalize the eLearning course design. This also makes the online training content look more polished and enhances credibility. Another option is to create different themes for every department or group, based on your branding. For example, the customer service online training course features a different color palette or graphics that tie into your company logo. That way you can distinguish between different online training paths while still reflecting your brand image.
7. Add Memorable Images
Images are usually the most impactful visuals you can include in your eLearning course design. They give corporate learners a better idea of how online training relates to real-world applications or help them visualize every step of the task so that they can memorize favorable behaviors. Above all else, images are relatively easy to curate and incorporate into your online training content. There are plenty of royalty free sites that feature low cost media. Some even allow you to use the image for free when you credit the creator. Remember to only use images that are relevant to the subject matter, otherwise it falls into the clutter category and decreases the aesthetic appeal of your eLearning course layout.
8. Break Up Text Blocks
Corporate learners tend to disconnect when they see long text blocks that resemble novels. This means that they’ll never get the chance to assimilate the information and apply it in real-world situations. Another side effect of bulky text blocks is that they diminish aesthetic appeal. A wall of words doesn’t grab your corporate learners’ attention, but a bullet list with images or an eye-catching infographic does. This makes the online training content easier to digest and improves the overall look of your eLearning course design.
9. Use Charts And Graphs To Simplify The Subject Matter
Charts and graphs serve a dual purpose. First and foremost, they improve knowledge assimilation by simplifying the subject matter. Instead of merely explaining the topic with text, you provide a visual representation. They also make for more aesthetically appealing online training and hold corporate learners' attention. Charts help to track trends and provide a general overview so that corporate learners can better understand connections. For example, how one specific policy lead to an increase in employee attrition. Infographics are another great way to improve the aesthetic and make information easily digestible. This applies to trends, percentages, and even work-related tasks that require a step-by-step walkthrough.
These 9 simple but effective tips can help you create more aesthetically appealing online training and keep corporate learners enthralled. It’s also a good idea to consider corporate learners’ personal preferences so that you can custom-tailor the eLearning course design. This includes their backgrounds, learning goals, and accessibility needs.
How do you know which aesthetics to include in your eLearning design? Read the article 9 Visual Elements EVERY Online Training Course Must Have to discover 9 visual elements that no online training course is complete without.
