Designing Instructional Materials for the Digital Age: The Biggest Trends, Tips and Tricks

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The digital age is upon us and it’s transforming the way we learn, communicate, create, and share information. Even if you’re not on social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat, everyone has access to the internet through desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. With so much online content, learners have more access than ever to the information they seek. To keep pace with this new digital era, instructional designers need to rethink the way design principles are applied to digital materials. Your designs must be user-friendly and engaging from start to finish for learners to remain motivated and interested in your materials throughout study or learning experience.

 

The Evolution of Instructional Design Online

Learning online has become more than just a way to access and complete training. Digital tools are helping to transform the way people learn by creating online courses, tools and programs that people can use on their own schedules. As online learning tools have evolved, individuals have found more convenient ways to learn. Online programs can be accessed on a variety of devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and televisions. This flexibility allows learners to learn when and where it’s most convenient. Online courses can be completed at your own pace and can help you stay on track with your long-term goals. Online programs can also help you stay motivated and reap the benefits of learning. Online programs can be accessed anytime, at any place and on any device. Online programs can also be used in conjunction with in-person training to help you achieve your professional goals faster.

 

User Research and User Needs

It’s important to conduct user research before designing your first digital materials. You’ll want to consider who your audience is and what they need. Remember, learners have different needs, interests and preferences. As an instructional designer, you’ll conduct user research to find out what your audience wants and needs. By finding out their motivations, interests and learning styles, you can design digital courses that are truly engaging and relevant. You can conduct user research by asking your target audiences what they want out of your digital materials. You can also ask them what they find difficult about your course or program. Doing so can help you stay on track and make adjustments as needed to better suit your learners.

 

Key Principles of Instructional Design

Your courses should be engaging and interactive. This will help learners retain information and feel like they’re getting a solid workout as they’re studying. Your courses should be adaptive. Learners will often want to come back to your material and revisit information. With adaptive courses, this is possible. Your courses should be engaging and scalable. As more people use your materials, the experience will get better and better for everyone. Your courses should be accessible and search-friendly. This will help learners find your content, navigate your content and stay on track with their learning experience.

 

Before you jump in to designing your first digital materials

Let’s say you’re inspired to begin creating digital materials. What should you do before jumping in? There are a few important things to keep in mind. First, be sure you have the right education and training. Many educational institutions offer certification programs for instructional designers. Others have courses designed to teach the basics of creating digital learning materials. Second, get your ducks in a row. Before you get started, make sure you have all the necessary tools and software to meet your design needs. Third, make sure you have the right processes in place. Many educational institutions have procedures in place for creating digital materials. Make sure you’re following them and getting the desired results.

 

The 3 principles of great design for learning outcomes

When designing your first digital materials, keep in mind the three principles of great design for learning outcomes. These principles will help you design engaging and adaptive materials that are easy to navigate and accessible to all learners. They will also help you create scalable, engaging and search-friendly content that is relevant and helpful for your learners.

 

Bottom line

The digital age is here and with it, comes a new way to learn. Digital learning materials are becoming more and more popular. This is important because these tools provide more flexibility and allow people to learn when and where it works best for them. If you’re a learning professional looking to make the transition to designing your content for digital, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll help you re-think the way design principles are applied to digital materials and create engaging, adaptive and scalable courses that will help your learners succeed.