Is there a difference between learning experience designers and instructional designers, or is learning experience design the latest industry buzzword? Well, it depends on who you ask . . . and who wrote the job posting.
LX Designers . . . merge design-thinking principles with curriculum development and the application of emerging technologies to help faculty tailor content to student behaviors and preferences. — Whitney Kilgore, EdSurge
Learning Experience Design™ is a synthesis of Instructional Design, educational pedagogy, neuroscience, social sciences, design thinking, and User Experience Design. — Six Red Marbles, Learning Design Agency
Instructional designers are typically grounded in learning theory and curriculum effectiveness, traditionally following an ADDIE model to course development. Learning experience designers, at least in theory, blend instructional design with user experience (UX) design thinking practices to design learning experiences with a central focus on the learner perspective.
While there is considerable overlap between ADDIE and design thinking processes, the latter stresses user research and iterative design practices.
Let's examine 8 design thinking practices that will help elevate your instructional design process:
User Research
Instructional designers conducting a needs analysis will often interview learners or analyze learner feedback and course data. While this step is sometimes omitted due to timing or other constraints, user research is foundational to the design thinking process. User research methods can include qualitative methods, such as interviews, surveys, and focus groups, as well as quantitative methods like usability testing.
Empathy Mapping
An empathy map is a simple visualization tool used to sort through research data collected about users. In empathy mapping, the designer sorts information about learners into four categories:
What do they say?
What do they think?
What do they feel?
What do they do?
By empathizing with learners, the designer is better able to understand the learner's needs and identify trends and insights from user research.
User Journey Mapping
Some instructional design models—like Gagne's 9 events of instruction or Bob Mosher and Conrad Gottfredson's 5 moments of need—take into account the learner's journey through the learning experience over time. What is their level of motivation at the start of the learning experience? What do they need afterward?
User journey mapping outlines the events that happen over the course of the learning experience, and maps those to the emotional state of the learner to identify ways to improve the experience.
Personas
User personas are fictional representations of target users, typically including a name, image or avatar, demographic information, and a description of their goals and challenges. Personas help designers develop deeper empathy with their learners and serve as a clear point of reference throughout the design process. Multiple personas will often be created for a given project to address the needs of different learner audiences.
Ideation
Ideation is the process of collaborative brainstorming among the design team. In design thinking, ideation occurs early and often throughout the project lifecycle. Some popular ideation techniques include S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Crazy 8s, Mash-up, and others.
Prototyping
The goal of prototyping is to test an early iteration of the learning experience to get feedback from stakeholders and learners and iterate on the design. Prototypes are designed to fail so the design team can learn how to improve the learning experience. A prototype does not need to be polished: for example, it may be a working sample of an eLearning module with minimal graphics used to test functionality and the user experience.
Iteration
Iterative design is a continuous process of designing, developing, testing, and improving a design on repeat. At IBM, this design thinking model is called the Loop (a cycle of observing, reflecting, and making). Iteration improves the design process by supporting collaboration, frequent user testing, and continuous improvement to elevate the best ideas quickly.
User Testing
User testing, often referred to as user acceptance testing (UAT) or validation testing, is the process of testing the user experience with learners during the design process. Usability testing is one such testing method that evaluates the functionality and ease-of-use of the learning experience. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups are also useful for collecting qualitative data.
For more on design thinking practices, here are some additional resources:
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