Everywhere one looks within the learning design community, discussion related to making eLearning interactive, lively, engaging, or less boring abounds. It is of course, one of the most important high-level content strategies needed to make elearning solutions successful. Recently, I’ve stepped back and considered this discussion in context of my own consulting strategies.

First, on one level, it’s easy to create engaging eLearning by simply including engaging interactions like role-plays, scenarios, games, themes, etc. within the design. End of story. Almost. Making a learning or performance solution engaging doesn’t mean it will be effective. Effective = learners love AND use the solution AND it significantly helps solve a business or organizational problem.

Over the years, I’ve had many lessons learned in my quest to make innovative, engaging and effective learning solutions (in any modality). While this is an on-going work in progress, I’ve recognized 3 common designer tics I’ve seen repeatedly (yes–I’ve had these tics as well) that can quickly drag-down hopes for achieving the innovative-engaging-effective design trifecta. In fact, when managing designers, I’ve capitalized on the occurrence of these tics as growth opportunities for inexperienced designers.

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Common Designer Tics That Decrease Hope for
Creating Innovative-Engaging-Effective Design

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1–Quick focus on objectives and not the goal of the solution.
Determing a goal helps condense and sharpen objectives. It actually saves time and helps with rapid design.  If a goal isn’t noted and objectives aren’t aligned to it, the solution tends to be bigger than needed and makes it harder to measure results. Key questions to ask: What will this solution solve? What is “it” supposed to illicit, motivate, enhance, increase or inspire after the learner/user interacts with it or completes it?

2–Pronouncement of how the solution will impact the problem for the client vs. collaboratively calibrating the impact of solution with the client.
Designer says, “Ta-da! Here is the solution that will solve your problem.” Client thinks/says, “This will solve my problem. woo-hoo!”
Issue #1: If the problem is simply a knowledge or awareness gap, the solution at best will fill it for the majority of learners/users. Many times the problem is not that simple and the solution will not solve it without other performance strategies like management support and follow-up. Issue #2: As you know clients enter the design conversation already thinking the solution will solve the problem when it’s really about a orchestrated learning implementation strategy that solves it. One that uses the learning solution as one of the key drivers to lift performance but not the only driver. Helping clients understand the real impact of the solution helps level-set expectations and keeps them coming back. Key question to ask: What is the expected level of impact this solution will really have? Ask clients to describe it in detail.

3–Lack of anticipatory planning (and courage) regarding how to steer a client away from including ALL their content in a solution.
Understanding clients cherish their content is good. Using consulting techniques that help clients let go of the “more is better” mentality AND empowers them to prioritize their content is great. It’s beyond great–it’s a must have when rapidly designing.
Tips:
–Ask the client to share the key messages the learner/user MUST “get.” Align these to the goal and objectives.
–Quickly work with SMEs to determine Critical, Must Have, Nice-to-Have content that aligns to objectives and goals.
–Use a design sequence focusing on critical, must have content and avoid a linear design that shares all content via a stepping stone approach to the final point. Get to the point first.
–Position the storyboard as a “container” sized based on time. Meaning, if the client wants the solution to be 10 minutes long and they want to cover 70 pages/screens of content…approach it this way: A ten-minute solution allows time for 1-2 objectives and practice time. At most, we have space for 20 pages.
–Create a storyboard template that locks the sizes of text boxes and content areas so word counts are reduced from the start. Ask SME’s to share content within the space parameters.

What have you found that inhibits innovative, engaging, effective design?