Instructional Design to Learning Experience Design: A Detailed Guide

In recent years, two modes of training development have been spotlighted in e-learning: Instructional Design, or ID, and Learning Experience Design, or LXD. In this constantly evolving landscape, we’ve started using these terms interchangeably. While many instructional designers may be familiar with the concepts of Instructional Design, Learning Experience Design or LXD encourages us to apply Instructional Design principles while wearing lenses related to User Experience Design or UX, Visual Design, Interaction Design, etc.

Remember, as with any evolving discipline, the boundaries between ID and LXD aren’t strictly delineated. They often merge, mingle, and influence each other. It’s about choosing the right approach for the proper learning challenge. Let’s learn more about how the concepts of ID and LXD overlap and differ.

Instructional Design: The Backbone of Structured Learning

Instructional Design has long been the foundation of organized and effective learning. It’s the systematic process of creating instructional materials, activities, and content in a manner that results in efficient, effective, and appealing learning experiences. Historically, Instructional Design was rooted in the military and corporate training programs of the mid-20th century. The focus? Ensuring that training was standardized, repeatable, and outcome-driven.

Over the decades, the introduction of digital tools, eLearning platforms, and multimedia transformed the Instructional Design landscape. However, at its core, Instructional Design has always revolved around a simple principle: crafting content that facilitates the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Learning Experience Design: A New Paradigm in Education

Learning Experience Design (LXD) draws inspiration from the foundational principles of Instructional Design. However, LXD is rooted in a broader perspective. It looks beyond just the content and delves deep into a learner’s holistic experience.

Imagine the role of a Learning Experience Designer as akin to a restaurant manager. This role goes beyond offering tasty and hygienic food. It also involves ensuring the food is served in an enjoyable ambiance, delivered on time, and the customer can provide feedback about the quality of service and food. A restaurant manager oversees the entire customer experience once a customer enter their restaurant. Similarly, LXD borrows user experience (UX) design principles, focusing on the learner’s emotions, motivations, and engagements. It’s not just about what they learn, but how they feel and engage during the learning process.

The significance of LXD in today’s educational landscape cannot be understated. In a world where digital experience reigns supreme, crafting personalized, immersive, and interactive learning journeys is critical to providing an effective learning experience. A Learning Experience Designer doesn’t just impart knowledge but ignites curiosity and fosters deep engagement.

The Key Differences Between Instructional Design and Learning Experience Design

Modern Instructional Designers must understand the distinctions between Instructional Design (ID) and Learning Experience Design (LXD). Below, we’ll dissect their critical differences, shedding light on their distinct approaches, tools, and philosophies.

Focus on Content vs. Experience

• Instructional Design:

  Traditionally, IDs have been the architects of content, ensuring it’s structured logically, is pedagogically sound, and aligns with learning objectives. The primary goal is the effective transfer of knowledge.

• Learning Experience Design:

  While content remains vital, a Learning Experience Designer looks at the bigger picture. How will the learner engage? What emotions will the content evoke? How can the environment be optimized for learning?

Using Tools & Technology

• Instructional Design:

  Historically, IDs have leveraged eLearning authoring tools like Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate. The aim? Creating content modules that can be easily disseminated via Learning Management Systems (LMS).

• Learning Experience Design:

  The technological toolkit for LXDs is expansive. Beyond traditional eLearning tools, they embrace immersive technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and even Artificial Intelligence (AI) to craft deeply engaging learning experiences.

Leveraging the User Experience Paradigm

• Instructional Design:

  For the longest time, UX wasn’t a primary concern for instructional designers. The focus was squarely on content coherence and comprehension. If learners could understand the content, the design was deemed successful.

• Learning Experience Design:

  Here, UX takes center stage. Borrowing principles from the world of UX design, LXDs meticulously craft the learner’s journey. Every touchpoint, from the first interaction to post-course reflection, is designed with the learner’s emotions and engagements in mind.

In Instructional Design, this journey might be seen through the progression of modules in an eLearning course, each touchpoint being a lesson, an assessment, or an interactive activity. The aim? Ensuring content
assimilation at each stage.

For a Learning Experience Designer, the journey takes on a more holistic form. Here, touchpoints encompass content interactions, emotional responses, environmental factors, and even post-learning reflections. The goal?
Crafting an all-encompassing, immersive learning experience.

Emphasizing Empathy and Human-Centered Design

Empathy lies at the heart of any learner-centric approach. It’s about seeing learning from the eyes of the learners and understanding their motivations, challenges, and aspirations.

Instructional Design
has always emphasized understanding the target audience. We design assessments, choose modalities, and select content based on what best serves the learner. It’s a foundational principle that ensures our content is relevant and
resonant.

Learning Experience Design
takes this empathetic approach a step further. Borrowing from human-centered design principles, LXDs seek to understand the learner’s entire ecosystem. What motivates them? What are their fears? How do they feel during the learning process? By answering these questions, a Learning Experience Designer crafts experiences that don’t just educate but resonate on a profoundly personal level.

Whether you identify as an Instructional Designer or a Learning Experience Designer, the core philosophy remains the same: placing the learner at the heart of the design process. By understanding their journey and touchpoints, and
emphasizing empathy and human-centered design, we can craft learning experiences that are impactful, memorable, and transformative.

Steps to Transition from Instructional Design to Learning Experience Design

You can consider transitioning from an Instructional Design role to a Learning Experience Design by following a five-step process, which involves the following:

1. Expanding your skillset with User Experience (UX) and Visual Design concepts and associated technology
2. Embracing Design Thinking
3. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach
4. Staying updated with trends and technologies
5. Building a portfolio

1. Expand Your Skill Set to Learn for Learning Experience Design

• User Experience (UX) Design: The key to LXD lies in creating intuitive, engaging user experiences. Delve into the world of UX. Understand usability principles, explore interaction design, and get hands-on with user testing.
• Visual Design: LXD often requires a deeper engagement with visual elements. Familiarize yourself with advanced graphic design principles, dive into color theory, and master typography to make your learning experiences aesthetically pleasing
  and effective. For example, this can involve making decisions around whether:
  
• The colors, design, placement, and fonts in an interactive element will encourage learners to click
• Visual layout of the screen to decide whether content or images should be placed on left, right, top, or bottom of the screen
• Tech Skills: The technology landscape in LXD is vast. From AR/VR tools to advanced eLearning platforms, ensure you’re equipped to use the latest tech to your advantage.

2. Embrace Design Thinking to Transition to Learning Experience Design

Design thinking is the backbone of Learning Experience Design. Here’s how you can integrate it:

• Empathize: Begin with the end-user. Understand the challenges, motivations, and aspirations of your learners.
• Define: Set clear, actionable learning outcomes. What do you aim to achieve with your design?
• Ideate: Think outside the box. Brainstorm diverse strategies and methods to deliver content.
• Prototype: Bring your ideas to life. Create mockups, beta modules, or even rudimentary AR/VR experiences. Conduct pilot training sessions.
• Test: Seek feedback. Iterate. Refine. Perfect your learning experience.

3. Adopt a Multi-disciplinary Approach to Adopt the Learning Experience Design

Learning Experience Design or LXD, thrives on collaboration:

• Engage with professionals from diverse domains, psychology, neuroscience, or tech. Their insights can enrich your learning experiences.
• Integrate diverse learning methodologies. Use storytelling for emotional engagement, gamification for motivation, and scenario-based learning for real-world relevance.

4. Stay Updated with Trends and Technologies

The world of Learning Experience Design is dynamic:

• Learn creative ways on how to use your existing toolset to provide an effective learning experience
• Stay updated with emerging technologies like AR, VR, and AI. Understand how they’re reshaping the educational sphere.
• Engage with the global LXD community. Attend workshops, webinars, and conferences to stay ahead of the curve.

5. Build a Portfolio Reflecting LXD Competencies

Showcase your evolution as a Learning Experience Designer:

• Design a portfolio highlighting many projects, from traditional eLearning modules to avant-garde AR experiences.
• Let potential clients or employers see your design process, from initial research to the final product.

Conclusion: The Evolution from Instructional Design to Learning Experience Design

The world of education and training is constantly evolving. As instructional designers, staying at the forefront of these changes is not
just beneficial—it’s crucial. One of the most transformative shifts in recent years has been moving from traditional Instructional Design (ID) to the more holistic Learning Experience Design (LXD).

Here are the key takeaways from this post:

Definition & Evolution:
While Instructional Design focuses primarily on content organization and delivery, Learning Experience Design prioritizes the entire learning journey, emphasizing a learner’s interaction with content, tools, and environment.

Learner-Centricity:
Central to both ID and LXD is the learner. A deep understanding of the learner’s journey, touchpoints, and the importance of empathy can lead to more impactful and memorable learning experiences.

Skill Expansion: Transitioning to LXD often requires broadening one’s skill set. This includes delving into UX design, visual design principles, and getting hands-on with emerging tech tools.

Design Thinking & Collaboration:

Embracing design thinking and adopting a multidisciplinary approach can significantly enrich the learning experiences we craft. This means understanding the learner’s needs, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, testing, and iterating.