Instructional Design Beyond Pretty Faces

Your instructional design portfolio is a great opportunity to SHOW you’re an ID, not just tell people you are. When I designed my About Me page, I treated it like a learning experience. I designed it with the learner in mind: What do they need to get out of this? How can I provide all of this information with the least amount of friction? At the top, there’s a clear snapshot of who I am as an instructional designer today, including my design philosophy, how I approach learning design, and the tools I use. It’s meant to work for someone who wants a quick, high-level understanding and nothing more. From there, the learner can choose to go deeper. The next section, How I Got Here, is optional. It’s for anyone who wants context. While I haven’t always held the instructional designer title, I’ve been designing learning my entire career. That journey is part of what makes me effective today. Each chapter of my career is grouped intentionally, and within each chapter there are three tabs: • Skills: for a quick, skimmable view of what I gained and how it applies to instructional design • Story: for anyone who wants context and a more human understanding of that phase • Stats: for a fast snapshot of outcomes, scale, and impact The learner can choose how much information they want to take in and in what format. If they choose to skim one tab they’ll still get the idea, or if they want to view all three, they won’t feel like they’re reading the same info over and over. Designing it this way forced me to think like an ID, not a job seeker: What’s essential? What’s optional? How do I chunk information so it’s meaningful and usable? I’m proud of how it came together and I would love to know your thoughts! I’ll put a link in the comments 👇 #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #PortfolioDesign #IDPortfolio

The biggest mistake new instructional designers make is acting like an order taker instead of a strategic partner. Sitting quietly, taking notes, and agreeing in meetings may feel respectful, but it is not enough to create the right learning solution. Instructional designers are problem solvers. Your role is not to build exactly what is asked for. Your role is to uncover the real problem behind the request. That starts with asking questions. Lots of them. Clarifying what matters, separating what is nice to know from what is need to know, and understanding real learner challenges. Ask your subject matter expert questions that uncover context, examples, and real learner challenges. When you do this, you move from order taker to trusted partner. You become the person who helps clients and stakeholders make smarter learning decisions, and that is when they start seeing you as an expert. #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #InstructionalDesigner #ElearningDesign #CareerChange #PortfolioTips

The biggest mistake new instructional designers make is acting like an order taker instead of a strategic partner. Sitting quietly, taking notes, and agreeing in meetings may feel respectful, but it is not enough to create the right learning solution. Instructional designers are problem solvers. Your role is not to build exactly what is asked for. Your role is to uncover the real problem behind the request. That starts with asking questions. Lots of them. Clarifying what matters, separating what is nice to know from what is need to know, and understanding real learner challenges. Ask your subject matter expert questions that uncover context, examples, and real learner challenges. When you do this, you move from order taker to trusted partner. You become the person who helps clients and stakeholders make smarter learning decisions, and that is when they start seeing you as an expert. #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #InstructionalDesigner #ElearningDesign #CareerChange #PortfolioTips

Here's a quick reality check for anyone trying to break into instructional design or eLearning... If your work only exists on your hard drive, it might as well not exist at all. We see this all the time...smart, capable instructional designers sitting on solid samples of work because they’re waiting to build the perfect portfolio website first. The domain isn’t right yet. The branding isn’t figured out. The layout still needs work. Meanwhile…no one can see what they’re actually capable of. Here’s the shift that unlocks momentum: your portfolio is not a website project. It’s a visibility tool. Its job is to make your skills obvious. To show how you think. To demonstrate the kinds of problems you can solve as an instructional designer or eLearning developer. That can happen in a lot of formats...not all of which is a website. So, in our latest video, Tim Slade breaks down real-world portfolio examples that don’t rely on traditional websites at all. You’ll see instructional design portfolios built with Google Slides, Carrd, Articulate Rise, and Notion...and learn why these approaches often remove friction instead of adding it. We also talk through how to choose a format intentionally, based on the kind of work you want to do...not the tool you feel like you’re “supposed” to use. If you’ve been stuck polishing instead of sharing, this one’s for you. 🔗 Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gxJMdasj #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

I’ve been revisiting some foundational readings in instructional design, and it’s been a great reminder of how much depth and intention goes into this field. One thing that really stood out to me is how long instructional design has been around — dating back to the 1960s — yet it’s still a profession many people struggle to clearly define. I was also surprised to learn that ADDIE didn't start out as a formal model, but has widely been adapted to different design instruction (Morrison et al., 2013). Also see attached image of the author's take on ADDIE. Another takeaway that stuck with me from "10 Superpowers of the World's Greatest Instructional Designer" (https://lnkd.in/g5vFF-fu) is the idea that we’re all visual learners in some way. Not in the oversimplified learning-styles sense, but in how visuals, structure, and clarity help reduce cognitive load and improve understanding. Good instructional design isn’t about flashy content — it’s about making learning easier to process and apply. What resonated most, though, is the reminder that instructional designers aren’t meant to be subject matter experts in everything. Our role is to ask the right questions, organize information meaningfully, and design experiences that help people succeed — regardless of the topic. It’s been a helpful moment of reflection on why I enjoy this work so much and how thoughtful design can truly improve learning experiences. 📚 Inspired by: • Designing Effective Instruction — Morrison, Ross, Morrison, & Kalman  • 10 Super Powers of the World’s Greatest Instructional Designer — Karla Gutierrez • Perspectives from Sarah Dampier, Jason Gorman, and Joe Ryan #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #IDCommunity #LXD #LearningDesign #ProfessionalGrowth

In the past year, I’ve had incredible opportunities to build my Instructional Design (ID) skillset. Which prompted the idea of ‘how do I showcase these skills? and where should I invest my focus in building these qualities further?’ If you’re asking yourself the same questions - check out this article. Practical advice to build a portfolio that shines ✨ https://lnkd.in/gXQz4kM3

So what do you do as an Instructional Designer?🤔 Design e-learning and storyboards.👩💻 But that’s only half the story. 👀 With experience, I’ve realized that a big part of an instructional designer’s role is actually Stakeholder Management having the right Conversations, Aligning Business Goals, Managing SME Expectations, Handling Feedback, and sometimes pushing back for the right reasons.🤓 Designing learning is important. Managing People, Expectations, and outcomes is equally critical.✅ That’s when you stop being just a Content Creator and start becoming a Learning Consultant.😍👩💻 💬 What was your biggest aha moment as an Instructional Designer?😅 #InstructionalDesign #LnD #StakeholderManagement #LearningConsultant #IDLife

An Instructional Designer is often called a jack of all trades. 🧩 And for a long time, that label sounded like a weakness. Too much design 🎨 Too much psychology 🧠 Too much technology 💻 Too much content 📚 But here’s the truth. Instructional Design demands range. 🔍 On any given project, you’re expected to: • Understand the business problem 💼 • Ask the right questions of SMEs 🗣️ • Structure information logically 🧩 • Design visuals that reduce load 👁️ • Choose the right tool 🛠️ • Think like a learner 🎓 • And still deliver on time ⏱️ That’s not confusion. That’s integration. 🔗 An Instructional Designer isn’t trying to master everything. They’re skilled at connecting everything ✨ They take fragments from different domains and turn them into one coherent learning experience 🧠➡️📘 So no, we’re not “just” jack of all trades. We’re translators 🌐 We’re connectors 🔌 We’re sense-makers 🔍 And that’s exactly why good learning works. That’s the craft. ✨ #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #ProfessionalDevelopment #Elearning #EdTech #WorkplaceLearning #CareerGrowth

Most instructional design consulting projects don’t fail because of bad intentions. They fail because of small, preventable missteps that compound over time. From unclear scope to misaligned stakeholders, we’ve seen the same issues surface again and again in real engagements. In this #TProsBlog, we break down 10 surefire ways instructional design consulting projects derail and how consultants can avoid them. #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #ConsultingLife #WeAreTrainingPros

Instructional Designers don’t have a learning problem. They have a positioning problem. We often introduce ourselves as: “Content creators”, “Course designers”, “Training developers”, etc. And then wonder why we’re brought in after the decisions are made. The moment you shift your language, your impact changes. Instead of asking: “What content do you need?” Ask: “What’s not working on the job today?” Instead of delivering: Courses Deliver: Performance improvements The most impactful L&D professionals are not the best designers — they are the best problem framers. They speak in the terms of: 1) Business risk 2) Time saved 3) Errors reduced 4) Adoption accelerated When Instructional Design is positioned as a business solution, it stops being optional. Designing learning is important, but designing relevance is critical. What are your thoughts on this? #InstructionalDesign #LearningConsulting #Enablement #PerformanceSupport #FutureOfLND #EdTech