Design principles for my case (WIP)

Definitions

design principles – what influences how you create a learning environment, how the principles can improve learning

innovation: the introduction of something new; a new idea, method, or device 

impact on learning: the direct effect on the knowledge or skill acquired by instruction

reliance on technology: dependence on technical capabilities to accomplish a task; confidence in a manner of accomplishing a task based on experience

risk: the possibility of loss or injury; someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard; the chance that an investment will lose value

the value proposition of innovation in design: a clear, simple statement of the benefits, both tangible and intangible, that [a new idea, method, or device in [a plan or protocol for accomplishing learning]] will provide, along with the approximate price … for those benefits

Simplicity

I see simplicity as about minimalism – include only what is absolutely needed to contribute to learning. If it doesn’t add value for a learner, don’t include it. Simplicity encompasses language, aesthetics, navigations, and all other elements of the user experience.

• innovation – including only what is essential will be a new idea for my clients who will likely want lots of “bells and whistles”
• impact on learning – reduces cognitive load for learners
• reliance on technology – the technology tool needs to match the complexity of the learning needs
• usability; – want to test how usable the software is for development and for end users; not sure whether it will live up to its promise of usability
• risk – to learners: not being able to use the elearning platform; to me: offering a solution that doesn’t work; to clients: technology fails, learning outcomes not achieved
• the value proposition of innovation in design – benefits = better learning outcomes

Customization

All content I develop is unique for my clients and based on their situations; it cannot be pulled from off the shelf resources because even if the technology is off the shelf, their business processes aren’t.

I also need to include design elements that provide contextual clues so learners feel like what they are learning is part of the corporate culture and brand. There should be no cognitive dissonance and they shouldn’t be distracted by elements of the design that aren’t on-brand or what they would expect from their company.

• innovation – all content is new
• impact on learning – avoid cognitive dissonance with branding
• reliance on technology – the technology is off the shelf, not customized;
• usability – how much will the software allow for customization? is it a hard or soft technology?
• risk: to learners – content included is too out of the box to be of value; to me: software doesn’t allow for level of customization required
• the value proposition of innovation in design – benefits = unique to the company, contextual – link to adult learning best practice

Productivity = Effectiveness + Efficiency

End users are busy and have demanding jobs on top of the training they are being asked to take, so it’s important not to waste users time. Users should be able to advance as quickly as possible through the training if they are able to demonstrate they are able to meet learning outcomes. Learners should be given the choice to take longer to learn some concepts than others if needed. This ultimately comes down to learner control and self-paced instruction. Anything that doesn’t need to be included shouldn’t be because it is inefficient and ineffective. This connects to the design principle of simplicity.

• innovation – allowing users to be self-paced and have learner control will be new
• impact on learning – self-pacing and automoty follows adult learning best practices
• reliance on technology – using the technology to develop the training will allow for faster development, feedback, revisions; productivity will only be achieved if the technology works the way it promises
• usability – how quickly can you learn the software, as both a developer and a learner?
• risk: to learners, the software is hard to use and will embarrass them if they don’t know how to use it; it will take them longer to do than in person; to me: solution is not cost effective for clients; to clients: they will lose money/time vs. costs of delivering in person
• the value proposition of innovation in design – saves money vs. in person time; users see value in taking the training; may be more receptive to future training

Pragmatism

This design principle is less learner focused and more client focused. I believe that learning solutions need to reflect the reality of a situation and not always the ideal or best practice, depending on the constraints you are working with. Sometimes that means learning is compromised, and that’s a trade-off I will advise my clients of so they can make an informed decision against other variables. The technology solution I propose needs to work for my clients. The risk to them needs to be minimal. The solution needs to meet my clients needs.

• innovation – the new authoring software is a new development method for my clients; e-learning delivery in this format will be new to my clients and some end users
• impact on learning – there may be trade offs here and some end users may have a hard time learning technology while also learning how to use elearning
• reliance on technology – as long as the client can keep the package, and it works, they don’t care what technology is used
• usability – will using the software be practical for office workers to use?
• risk – the solution will not be pragmatic; this solution minimizes risk of other solutions
• the value proposition of innovation in design – can be delivered on time and on budget and meet needs

Sustainability

This is where I see the biggest opportunity for innovation, because my clients don’t seem to understand the value of creating something that will have some longevity. They are only focused on the here and now, and are less concerned with updates to the content later on. For example, the materials created for online learning can be accessed over and over again as performance support but delivering an ILT course in the classroom can only be used once. Clients don’t care if a course is responsive, but they will be happy the course can be converted to responsive once that becomes a requirement, without having to redo content. Using a subscription based cloud software also ensures that clients always have access to the latest functionality for future improvements.

• innovation – the idea of easy iterations and updates will be new to my clients
• impact on learning – delivery is not one time but can be delivered over time as performance support tool
• reliance on technology – will have access to the latest technology features going forward
• usability – how can usability features be built in at the outset to ensure future updates are easy? how easy is it to make revisions based on user feedback?
• risk to learners – it’s hard to re-access content; to me: clients are unhappy with needing to engage me for changes rather than making them in house; to clients: that they will have spent more on a solution they never intend to sustain
• the value proposition of innovation in design – future changes will cost less; reduce errors by learners because they can revisit content

Quality

This is a personal value that I hold. I take pride in my work and want to make sure that whatever I deliver to my clients is above average. I define quality as meeting my clients needs, being learner focused, following instructional design and graphic design and technology and multimedia best practices, delivering by deadline and within their budget, and making sure every deliverable is one I would be proud to include in my portfolio. It really is about doing good work. I would need to reflect on how this connects to innovation.

• innovation – new management will not know what to expect, so they will be surprised by the level of quality I deliver; the technology provides superior quality to PPT
• impact on learning – a focus on quality will ensure learning outcomes
• reliance on technology – Rise is a quality product and industry recognized
• usability – if users can’t use it, the software isn’t a quality product
• risk – that the software is low quality
• the value proposition of innovation in design – delivers on need for prototype and is sets a standard of excellence for the rest of the company – makes clients look good; learners want to work for a company that invests in them

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_propositionhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riskhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usablehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usabilityhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovationhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learninghttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impacthttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technologyhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relied