Instructional Design Essentials

Instructional design is one of the most misunderstood careers online. Most people think the job is creating courses. It isn’t. Courses are just one tool. The real job of an instructional designer is diagnosing performance problems inside organizations. Before designing anything, good instructional designers ask different questions: Where does work actually break down? What are employees struggling to do? Why isn’t the current process producing the right results? Only after those answers become clear do you decide whether training is even the right solution. Sometimes the answer is training. Often it isn’t. Sometimes the real issue is: • unclear expectations • poor systems • broken workflows • lack of feedback • leadership gaps Courses can’t fix most of those problems. That’s why strong instructional designers think like analysts first and creators second. They investigate before they design. They diagnose before they build. Because instructional design isn’t about making content. It’s about improving performance. And that’s a very different job.

The most useful design lesson I got this week came from a 100-year-old building. 👇 This weekend, I visited the Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, and surprisingly, I came away with insights that felt deeply relevant to my work in instructional design. Bauhaus (1919–1933) was more than just a design school. It was a revolution in thinking. They were among the first to unite art, technology, and practicality — shaping a design philosophy that still speaks to us today. Here’s how I’m rethinking some of their core ideas through the lens of modern learning design: 1️⃣ Form follows function — Design isn’t about decoration. It’s about making the purpose visible and usable. In learning, that means cutting the fluff and putting outcomes first. 2️⃣ Honesty of materials — A course should be a course. Let’s not dress it up as a game or a show unless that’s part of the goal. Learners value clarity. 3️⃣ Unity of disciplines — Bauhaus embraced the synergy of different crafts. In ID, it’s the collaboration between designers, SMEs, and AI that brings learning to life. 4️⃣ Simplicity through intention — Less isn’t just more — it’s stronger. Well-structured simplicity improves both focus and retention. 5️⃣ Design as process — Iteration was central to Bauhaus thinking. It’s also at the heart of effective learning design: test, adjust, evolve. 💬 Bauhaus didn’t give us answers. It gave us a mindset, one that prioritizes clarity, coherence, and conscious choices. 👉 Which of these ideas resonate with you most in your learning design practice? #instructionaldesign #learningexperience #bauhaus #LXD #designthinking #elearning

Transitioning into Instructional Design - my thoughts.  I frequently receive DMs from transitioning teachers asking: “How do I break into Instructional Design?” The honest answer is this: everyone’s journey into ID is different. Some people move through corporate training. Some start with freelance work. Some build a portfolio first. Some learn tools before they fully understand the design process. But there are a few practical steps that can make the transition much clearer. My top tips: Start by creating an e-learning course from existing material. Take a lesson, policy, presentation, worksheet, or training document and redesign it as a short digital learning experience. This helps you practise transforming content into learning. Learn the tools — but do not let the tools lead the design. Get comfortable with tools such as Canva, Articulate Rise, iSpring, PowerPoint, H5P, or Moodle. But remember: tools help you build. Instructional design helps you decide why and how learning should happen. Build a portfolio that shows your thinking Do not only show the final product. Show your process: the learning problem, target audience, design decisions, storyboard, interaction choices, assessment strategy, and reflection. Translate your teaching skills into ID language. Teachers already understand learners, scaffolding, engagement, feedback, assessment, and reflection. The shift is learning how to apply those strengths in workplace, digital, and performance-based learning contexts. Keep learning the foundations. Read about learning outcomes, adult learning, cognitive load, accessibility, assessment design, scenario-based learning, and evaluation. Strong ID is not just beautiful content — it is purposeful learning design. My biggest advice? Do not wait until you feel “ready.” Start building. Start reflecting. Start sharing your work. Your teaching experience is not something you leave behind. It is something you build from. #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #Elearning #TransitioningTeachers #TeacherToInstructionalDesigner #LearningAndDevelopment #IDPortfolio #DigitalLearning #AdultLearning #EdTech

Whether you’re designing a new curriculum or leading a high-performance technical team, understanding the "What" vs. the "How" of learning is a game-changer. I’ve often used the metaphor of a sound engineer’s mixing board for leadership—balancing different faders to get the best output. Instructional design is no different. It requires balancing two distinct, yet complementary, frameworks: Bloom’s Taxonomy and Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction. 🎯 Bloom’s Taxonomy: The "What" Bloom’s is our compass for outcomes. It focuses on what the learner should achieve, moving from foundational recall to complex creation. The Goal: Thinking levels, learning objectives, and assessment. The Question: What do we want them to be able to do by the end of this? 🛠️ Merrill’s Principles: The "How" Merrill’s is our blueprint for experience. It focuses on the instructional steps required to make learning "stick" through problem-centered engagement. The Goal: Course design, instructional steps, and active learning. The Question: How do we design the experience so the knowledge is actually integrated? The Synthesis: Think Outcomes + Design Experiences True mastery happens at the intersection. You use Bloom’s to set the bar (e.g., "Analyze a complex AI infrastructure") and Merrill’s to build the bridge (e.g., "Demonstrate via a real-world DGX H200 case study"). When we combine the Thinking Levels of Bloom with the Instructional Steps of Merrill, we move beyond passive information sharing and into true capability building. Which framework do you lean on more when designing your team's growth roadmap? #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #EdTech #HigherEducation #LeadershipDevelopment #BloomsTaxonomy #MerrillsPrinciples #ContinuousLearning

I’ve been getting a lot of DMs asking how to start a career in Instructional Design. After 8+ years in this field, one thing I’ve learned is that many people focus too much on tools in the beginning and too little on learning design itself. Yes, tools like Storyline, Rise, Captivate, etc. are important. But tools alone won’t make someone a strong Instructional Designer.🤷♀️ What actually makes a difference is learning how to: • simplify complex information • think from the learner’s perspective • structure content clearly • reduce cognitive overload • make learning practical and engaging A person who understands learning experience design can learn tools faster than someone who only knows tools but struggles with learning strategy. If you’re starting out, don’t wait until you “know everything.” Start practicing with real content.👩🏫 Take a boring PDF, PPT, or policy document and try redesigning it into something engaging and learner-friendly. That exercise alone teaches more than many tutorials online. And most importantly, build a portfolio, even if it’s self-made projects. In Instructional Design, showing your thinking matters more than just listing tools on a resume. Also, if experienced IDs here have more suggestions or advice for beginners, please add them in the comments. Would love to hear different perspectives from the community 😇 #InstructionalDesign #ELearning #LearningAndDevelopment #CareerAdvice

🎓 Why I Stopped Designing Around “Learning Styles” This might surprise some people in L&D, but I used to be a big believer in learning styles. You know the idea — some people learn best by seeing, others by hearing, others by doing. It felt intuitive. It made sense. And it became a staple in how we thought about training design. But here’s the kicker: the science doesn’t back it up. Researchers have found no solid evidence that matching learning delivery to someone’s preferred “style” actually improves learning. What does matter is matching the method to the content — for example, using visuals for geometry, or discussion for leadership development. So, if learning styles aren’t the magic formula, what really makes a difference? Here’s what I’ve learned (and seen work time and time again): 💡 Structure building – helping learners connect the dots and see how new information fits into the bigger picture. 🧩 Rule learning – teaching people how to apply principles, not just memorize examples. 🚀 Active learning – using retrieval practice, spacing, and reflection so learning actually sticks. 🧠 Dynamic testing – focusing less on “what do I know now?” and more on “what can I get better at next?” It’s freeing, actually. We don’t need to label people. We need to design learning that stretches everyone — visual, verbal, hands-on, or otherwise. Real learning isn’t about preference. It’s about progress. What about you? Have you noticed a shift away from learning styles in your organization? #LearningAndDevelopment #LearningScience #InstructionalDesign #GrowthMindset

Design for Learning From my experience working as an instructional designer and leading #instructional_design projects, I’ve seen how often the success of a learning experience depends less on the content itself and more on how that content is structured and evaluated before it reaches a full launch. That’s why in my faculty support sessions I’ve always emphasized the importance of having a clear outline grounded in how learners actually process information, not just how we want to present it. For example, instead of organizing a course by topics or modules alone, I help faculty structure it, so learners first build foundational concepts (like basic terminology) before moving into applied tasks or case-based problem solving. This is where the soft launch becomes especially important. Evaluation at this stage is not just a final check. It’s a critical design moment. It allows us to examine whether the flow of information is truly supporting layered learning. I’ve seen cases where content technically “covered everything,” but cognitively it jumped too quickly between levels, leaving learners confused or disengaged because the progression wasn’t intentional. That’s where frameworks like Bloom’s Taxonomy and well-defined action verbs move beyond theory and become practical scaffolding tools. In practice, they help ensure learners build foundational skills before moving into higher-order thinking tasks. At the same time, I don’t believe learning has to be strictly linear. It can be messy and exploratory, but that messiness still needs an intentional structure underneath it. This is exactly why a soft launch is so valuable in real practice. It gives both subject matter experts and representative learners a chance to experience the flow firsthand. We can then see whether the course feels navigable, cognitively accessible, and whether learners can move through it without unnecessary friction. Over time, I’ve found that the insights from this stage are often more valuable than anything we can fully predict during design. They shape not only content improvements, but also how we think about learning flow itself before the hard launch ever happens. How do you evaluate whether your course structure truly supports learners’ cognitive progression? #LearningDesign #HigherEducation #EdTech #LearningExperience #BloomTaxonomy #CourseDesign #FacultyDevelopment #OnlineLearning #Pedagogy

Mastering an authoring tool does not make you an instructional designer. If you are going into the role of a digital learning developer, then having a sound knowledge of authoring tools is necessary. For instructional design you don't need to be the next Storyline whizz or Evolve expert, but having an awareness of authoring tools can help when mapping interactivity and understanding limitations. But... In my opinion, if you're looking to transition into the field of learning design I would focus more on the underlying skills you need, as opposed to acing a specific tool. Because don't forget that instructional design isn't limited to digital platforms. As an ID you need to have the necessary knowledge, skills and theory to create learning for a variety of methods. For example... Wearing my instructional design hat, I use these skills: ⭐ Client relationship management - to liaise with stakeholders and subject matter experts. ⭐ Project management - to manage timescales, milestones and keep everyone on track! (this is particularly crucial when it comes to gathering feedback and any necessary info from subject matter experts.) ⭐ Needs analysis - to identify the best method for the learning, based on the outcomes, audience and the client's current offering. ⭐ Creative copywriting - to ensure content delivers key messaging in a way that is clear, concise and keeps the learner engaged. ⭐ Content development - creating learning content, often in a storyboard format, based on key topics and learning outcomes. These are to name just a few... When I switch my hat to digital learning developer I use these skills... 🌟 Problem solving - not everything always goes to plan, sometimes the authoring tool simply won't play ball and a workaround is needed. 🌟 Agility and creativity - to bring written content to life in a way that supports the learning and does not detract from it. 🌟 Graphic design and editing - to create custom imagery and edit video and audio. 🌟 Quality assurance - testing and quality checking is key to ensuring a top notch finished product. 🌟 Accessibility in design - to ensure the finished product is accessible and functional. (these skillsets can overlap too) And whilst I do invest time in ensuring my knowledge of using functionality within authoring tools is top notch, it is my content development as an ID which makes the learning relevant and engaging. It's my agility and creativity as a developer which elevates this content and presents it in a way that supports the learning. Not the authoring tool alone. In reality, an authoring tool is just a vessel and a very small piece of the jigsaw. So think beyond the tech and get to the bottom of what it is that will make you a great learning designer. #learningdesign #instructionaldesign #elearning #digitallearning

Good instructional design doesn’t start with content. It starts with a business question: “What needs to change? And how will we know it did?” Everything follows from that. Instead of: “What should we include?” It becomes: • What will people do differently? • Where will they apply it? • What happens if they get it wrong? That changes the design completely. You get: • Fewer topics, more focus • Real scenarios, not generic ones • Practice tied to actual decisions And most importantly, you can trace the impact. Not just: “They completed it.” But: • Sales conversations improved • Errors reduced • Customers adopted faster That’s when training stops being a cost center. And starts becoming a performance lever. I’m Jessica, an instructional designer for corporate & academic learning. What’s one example of training you’ve seen that actually changed outcomes and not just knowledge? 👇

Ever heard of the Lindy Effect? 🤔🤓 It’s a phenomenon that whatever has lasted for ages is likely to stick around even longer! You might not see its immediate connection to our career in instructional design, but let’s connect the dots and watch you nod in agreement. 😏✨ Think about the timeless classics: ADDIE, Dick & Carey, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Robert Mager, Gagné’s Nine Events. These frameworks are like the cockroaches of the instructional design world — they just won’t die. 🪳💀 Instead of hopping onto every shiny new tech bandwagon (hello, metaverse learning!), invest your time in understanding why these dinosaurs of design are still around. 🦖💪 Simply put: it’s because they work. Tools may come and go, but the core principles that keep learners engaged? Lindy-proof, baby. 🔒🧠 Chasing trends in our field is like buying every new iPhone model — exciting at first, but mostly pointless in the long run. 📱💸 The instructional designers who outlast their peers aren’t the ones mastering the latest authoring tool (which will probably be obsolete by next Tuesday). They’re the ones who know their way around: • 📊 Needs analysis • 🎯 Performance objectives • 🗂️ Planning and storyboarding • 🧠 Educational psychology & evidence based learning It’s a slow burn, but it’s what builds that rock-solid base and portfolio you’ve been dreaming about. 🔥💼 If your career learning plan is a buffet of every hot topic in L&D, it’s time for a reality check. 🚨 Remember those timeless principles you rolled your eyes at back in your early days? They’re like the kale and quinoa of this industry — not trendy, but annoyingly effective. 🥬🥗 Double down on foundational theories like cognitive load management instead of chasing the latest AI-powered interactive hologram nonsense. 🤖✨ Trust me: you’ll use AI even more effectively when you have that solid backend knowledge. 💡🔧 And it’s not just your skills that need longevity — it’s your network, too. 🤝 Sure, LinkedIn connections are a dime a dozen, but the ones you actually nurture over time? That’s where the real Lindy magic happens. 🪄 Long-term relationships in this field tend to pay off far more than any frantic, one-off networking sprint at the latest training expo. 🎟️🏃♀️ 📚 Further Reading: 📖 Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder”, if you’re ready to dive deeper into the Lindy Effect rabbit hole: https://lnkd.in/dmgAmM-s 🧠 Cognitive Load Theory: https://lnkd.in/d63wnRVs 🤯 ADDIE vs. Agile: https://lnkd.in/dR77cBfX #learninganddevelopment #learningdesign #instructionaldesign #traininganddevelopment