1.Do not add extraneous information
Greedo was that green alien Han Solo shot in Star Wars, that’s all you need to know about him. You don’t need his life story to get the movie. In scenario-based learning, it is tempting to add too much detail that does not support the learning objective.
Instead, keep only what supports learning
Kills Your Darlings
Learning is the thing, anything else is noise. KYD is an expression taught in creative writing. It means getting rid of anything that does not support the story, no matter how pretty or clever it is. The same is true when designing learning, everything must support the learning objectives.
2. Avoid unnecessary clicks
Big Maze, Little Cheese
Avoid needless clicks, flashy intros, voice-overs that can’t be muted, sub-navigation, or anything else that gets in the way of learning. If you use a click to reveal, make sure the reveal answers a question and does not just rehash the same material
Remove barriersto information
Who hasn’t been frustrated by customer service phone menus? Don’t do that to the learner. Give them the right information, at the right time, and in the right format, without punishing them. Keep your design simple and consistent. Each click should have value and purpose.
3.Avoid wordiness
Terms and conditions apply
Training, especially compliance training sometimes tries to pack so much into one shot – like a full spectrum vaccine. The worst is, at the end of this laundry list, asking the employee to certify they have read and understood everything. Activities and performance are the proof, not attestations.
Instead, use word economy
1,2,3
One topic at a time, reinforced by two approaches or lessons, with no more than three objectives per session. For example, this infographic has one topic (i.e., effective instructional design) it presents three learning points and explores each from two perspectives.
Hello how are you
- test
- why
- why is this happening like this?
- The bullet points should come in the above paragraph
