What do they need to do?

What do they need to do? What do they need to do?

Make sure they can use the information

Make sure they can use the information Make sure they can use the information

Design experiences, not information

Design experiences, not information Design experiences, not information

Latest posts

action mapping for instructional design

How action mapping can change your design process

Happy action mapping users say that the model helps them create lively elearning. But would it fit into your design workflow? Here’s a look at the process from start to finish. Read more

Are your learners idiots?

Are learners idiots?

Are you under pressure to treat your learners like clueless children? Here are some ways to manage a stakeholder or that voice in your head that wants to lead learners by the nose. Read more

Mini-scenario that uses job aid

How to create a memorable mini-scenario

Often we’re told, “Put this information into a course.” But what happens if we put the information into a job aid instead, and then design mini-scenarios that help learners use the job aid? Here’s an example. Read more

machete

Do they just know it, or can they USE it?

It’s easy to write activities that test whether learners know something. How can we make learners use their knowledge as well? Let’s compare two types of activities. Read more

Instructional design

Action mapping

Be an elearning action hero!

This quick, visual approach to instructional design helps you change what people do, not just what they know. It keeps your team members focused on a measurable business goal, and it can keep stakeholders from adding extraneous information. Read more

Big mistake in elearning

The big mistake in elearning

Why is so much elearning so boring? Because we’re obsessed with designing information when instead we should be designing experiences. We need to focus on what people need to do, not what they need to know. Read more

nigel

The anti-course: An instructional job aid

Here’s a short video that shows how we can break our addiction to the course and move training closer to the job. It shows how we can use an instructional reference to help people learn by doing at work. Read more

Scenario design

Branching scenario

Elearning example: Branching scenario

You’re a US Army sergeant in Afghanistan. Can you help a young lieutenant make a good impression on a Pashtun leader? That’s the challenge behind “Connect with Haji Kamal,” a thought-provoking branching scenario. Try the activity and learn how it was designed. Read more

Screenshot of Twine flowchart view

Sample branching scenario + cool tool

Branching scenarios can be a pain to design. Happily, you can use a simple tool called Twine to easily draft the scenario and produce it. In this post we’ll look at a scenario that I wrote to demonstrate Twine’s basic features and to make a point about teaching through stories. Read more

Why use scenarios?

Why you want to use scenarios in your elearning

Imagine that you’re in a competition to overhaul an information-heavy course so it creates a real change in the world. What changes would you make? Check out this story-based presentation to see what one fictional company did. Read more