Hello Everyone, a recent conversation with a group of eLearning professional sparked off a debate on –
How does the design of an online course impact a learner’s overall experience and engagement?
My 2 cents was very simple – it was like walking into a well organized book store. If the layout was good – clear and appealing, i am more likely to spend more time, explore books and probably even pick up a few of them. Similarly, a well-designed online course can make learning materials easily accessible and engaging, keeping learners motivated.
Lieve Weymeis , Edu_fusion , Adam_Smith , Violet Parker – your expertise in this field is vast and I look forward for your insightful comments.
I completely agree with Greg. The closing line says it all.
There has been a lot of discussion over the excessive emphasis on the design rather than the course content. While content quality is a precursor to the learning experience, a good design definitely ensures that the content has the desired impact and retention.
Based on my experience, some of the design aspects that play a pivotal role in the overall learner engagement are:
Visual appeal- Visually appealing graphics and a coherent structure, consistency in design elements like fonts and colors ensure that the learners remain hooked to the course.
Course navigation – When learners can easily navigate the course without hassle, it enhances their experience.
Responsiveness- Ensures learners can engage from anywhere with minimal friction.
Learner engagement elements- Videos, interactive activities, and animations break the monotony of text, catering to diverse learning preferences and sustaining interest.
Sense of accomplishment- Instant feedback, certificates, and leaderboard points help drive learner engagement.
I think striking the right balance is key to an impactful course design that positively influences the learning experience.
Good thoughts and inputs Adam. Thank you
Building upon the fantastic insights we gathered from our chat last week on the learner experience, let’s take the next natural step into the broader world of user experience (UX). While our previous discussion mainly focused on how learners engage with e-learning content, this week, we aim to explore the bigger picture – user experience – which covers every interaction users have within digital environments.
Now, learner experience is a vital part of e-learning, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. When we talk about user experience, we’re diving into the complete encounter users have with digital platforms, apps, websites, and systems. This includes everything from how easy it is to navigate and the overall design to how accessible it is and whether users walk away satisfied.
Our aim for this week’s chat is to understand why user experience matters, share the best tricks of the trade, and discuss how a smooth UX can really make a difference in the effectiveness of e-learning and other digital interfaces.
We’ve seen a lot of wisdom and experience in this group, so I’m really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this!!
Violet Parker Paul Wilson Greg Stager Lieve Weymeis Edu_fusion CrimsonR looking forward to your thoughts and insights.
In the context of online course design, multiple aspects play a critical role – first and foremost being the course content and strategies. The factors that influence a learner’s experience are, whether or not the course effectively addresses the specific requirements of the target audience and successfully solves a business/performance problem, if it includes clearly defined objectives, and if there is an alignment of course content with these objectives. The other factors are, whether the information is well-structured for easy retention, if the interactive elements are thoughtfully designed, and above all, if it enables a learner to seamlessly apply the knowledge gained through the course in their professional endeavors.
Another crucial element is the course’s structure, navigation, and user interface. A consistent way of information display, a well-defined learning path, and effective use of various media to engage and accommodate diverse learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), all these factors play a significant role.
At the center of all these considerations is our “learner”. The more we prioritize making the course learner-centric, the more it enhances the overall learning experience. Perhaps, the emphasis on this aspect is one of the major reasons why we are seeing a big shift in the eLearning industry today. Many L&D practitioners are transitioning from instructional design to a more holistic approach called learning experience design (LXD). To me, it’s a marriage between Instructional design that focuses on cognitive psychology and teaching methods, with the elements of design such as user experience and interaction design, that offers a unique form of learning for our modern-day learners.
Thanks @Edu_fusion very detailed and insightful. Key take away for me per se here is – Many L&D practitioners are transitioning from instructional design to a more holistic approach called learning experience design (LXD). When I started this discussion, I honestly did not expect so much of traction. What started off as a healthy debate in a closed group has eventually evoked a lot of – thoughts, insights, experiential learning, etc. Thanks stagprime Paul Wilson Violet Parker & Edu_fusion
PS: The points can be marketed as a mini-play book 🙂
I would say it makes or breaks a course, Nagendra. I think course design goes beyond organizing content. There are so many aspects we consider when designing a course, such as clear objectives and navigation, engaging content, hands-on activities, relevant assessments, personalization, responsiveness, etc. Each of these aspects helps in crafting an experience that keeps learners hooked, fuels their curiosity, and most importantly, enables them to internalize and apply the information they consume.
From my experience, you can only get away with a design that is not optimal in cases where the reward or motivation is extremely high, for example, government sites that are not easy on the eyes or easy to navigate. However, we keep coming back to it because it is necessary to complete a transaction. Even in these cases, the experience is frustrating.
So, the content may be excellent, but we need to ensure that it is presented in a way that learners are motivated to see it through. Poorly designed courses are a major cause of learner abandonment and poor knowledge transfer. It defeats the purpose if learners don’t remember or use much of what was learned.
Fully agree with you Violet. Great real-life example of the government websites. Haven’t we all gone through that ordeal several times in our lives !!
Perhaps I’m oversimplifying, but if you were going to go for such a walk, where would you want to take that walk:
- Beautiful gardens with green grass surrounded by mature trees, lush vegetation, birds singing, etc., or
- The hallways of an apartment building
Both will allow you to accomplish your goal or exercise, but the first will be a more pleasant experience, leading to less resistance to perform that task.
Hard to say…
- Is it raining?
- Are the mosquitoes out?
- Are the gnats thick?
What is appealing to one person may not be to another.
@Paul i really like the contrast that you have brought out here! Definitely the first one for me…
It’s a dynamic field where we constantly strive to improve and provide the best possible experience for as many individuals as possible. Your input is valuable in reminding us of the multifaceted nature of learner experiences. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Greg
I think the impact is great whether it be poor design or superior design. I suppose it may also depend on how you define ‘design’.
There is quite a range of directions to go here. Some to include might be…
- Instructional Design – How well does the course define and meet objectives?
- Visual Design – How well does the course dazzle the eyes?
- UX Design – How well does the course navigate and otherwise function?
I would also reference a book I read called “Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things” by Donald Norman. In that book, Norman makes the case that to be successful, a product must satisfy three areas.
- The Visceral – this is the gut reaction, or the first impression. In retail – it is what drives the impulse buy. It is why we see that shiny red sports car and crave one – or for those of us who are more financially challenged see a candy bar in the checkout aisle and it looks so yummy that you just have to get one. Ever hold something in your hand and immediately feel as though it is well built versus one that is not?
- The Behavioral – this is the part where the product delivers what it promised. Does it live up to all the marketing hype? Does it work as advertised? Did it turn on? Did it break after only two uses?
- The Reflective – this is how we feel about the product. Was I happy to use it? Do I loathe the idea of having to use it again? Do I desire to go back for more?
So let’s apply this to the online course as the product. Now I think it is important to consider your target audience.
Visceral – visually speaking, the younger learner will respond more favorably to colors and characters with animation etc over simple text and videos for example. That will draw them in initially and may even keep them engaged for a time. As an adult, however, I think that while visual appearance does play a role in choosing one course over another, it will become less of a factor in maintaining engagement once into the content.
Behavioral – As an adult, I want quality information and function over visual aesthetics. If there are interactions, I want them to work, if there are videos, I want decent audio quality. If the course says I will learn something, I expect that information to be covered and in a way that is easy to understand. When I try to apply what I learned, I expect success. Click bait is a NO GO. This part, I think is where we start to tune out and lose interest or not.
Reflective – I will remember whether a particular course offered true value or not and that will affect whether or not I take another from the same place. Same for simple YouTube videos. I will remember whether or not navigation was intuitive or frustrating. This will weigh in as part of the overall experience.
So – if it is well designed to me means that it meets all these things with the heaviest weight being placed on the quality and understandability of the content to deliver the stated objectives. As an adult, I go into a course with desired outcomes that match the objectives.
As youth, well designed might mean it was fun or looked cool. Many perhaps are obligated to attend or stick around to attend because it is fun and pay little attention to the fact that they may be learning something. Apathy could be mistaken for bad design. Perhaps I am overgeneralizing but my main point is that what qualifies as good design depends a great deal on the audience so if we have done a proper learner assessment – this should help focus the rest of the design process. In the end, it should be good enough to draw me in, good enough to keep me there, and good enough to bring me back for more.
Hey Greg, thanks for your response. It is not just insightful but very well thought out. I completely agree that the definition of ‘design’ can vary depending on context and audience. Your closing point, about design being “good enough to draw me in, good enough to keep me there, and good enough to bring me back for more,” captures the essence of effective eLearning design, really well.
@elearning community members, looking forward for your inputs and insights…
Regards
Nagendra
Adobe eLearning Community Manager
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