Shocking Visual Design Principles for Educational Design
Most educational designers know that the ability to write clear and concise texts is a requirement for effective educational design. They recognize that text is the basis of the entire instruction design process, from design/development to delivery to project evaluation, as explained below.
Texts necessary for educational design/development (inner text)
Learning Objective Scope and Sequence Stakeholder Sign-Off Instructor Guide Storyboards and Scripts (for multimedia production) Blueprint
Texts required for instructional distribution (texts for learners)
Course packages (e.g. LMS homepage) Schedule/syllabus-oriented content (assigned textbooks and articles, etc.) Activity/rating instructions All unspecified practices Interactive assessment and rubric video transcripts, closed captions, callout image titles, captions, pronunciation
Texts required for educational evaluation (inner text)
Stakeholder Feedback (e.g. Manager Report) Evaluation Metrics and Reports
However, while there are many excellent resources for educational designers who want to improve their writing skills effectively, the perception that education designers must also be familiar with and apply basic yet influential visual layout and design principles is not very understood. There are few resources available to access. That’s a problem because formatting and layout can create and destroy the ability of learners to create meaning from text.
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Higher visual design principles for designing learning experiences
Below are the most important and shocking visual principles to keep in mind when designing a learner’s experience. Whether it takes the form of an educational package such as a course homepage, web copy, printable documents, slide decks, or step-by-step or step-by-step interactive.
Comparison
Contrast refers to the visual difference between the colors and values of the foreground and background elements. The high contrast makes the foreground elements sharp and stand out, making it easy for learners to see. Low contrast causes learners to struggle to distinguish between foreground and background elements. This struggle affects not only visual appeal but also the learner’s ability to make meaning. This is how the human ear consumes the audio stream, as the human eye does not consume text linearly. Instead, our eyes repeat the page as we create and reinforce connections between the facts, ideas and concepts presented.
Quick Win
For sentences with text longer than one or two words, always use black text on a white background. This is a specific high contrast combination that has been proven to be the most effective in consuming text delivered on print or screen.
shape
Shape allows learners to quickly interpret and distinguish basic concepts. For teaching design, the most valuable applications of shapes are elements such as icons (such as pre-built icons provided in the design software) and grouping.
Quick Win
Simplified icons or shapes in pairs, with short text labels, simple icons or shapes describe the flow of relationships and processes (label more elaborate illustrations and photos, convey unrelated information, and slow learners’ perceptions unnecessarily).
size
Because humans tend to associate importance with importance, learners instinctively interpret content represented by small images as more important than content represented by small (or no) images. Similarly, learners assume that concepts presented using disproportionately large amounts of text, activities, assessments, or video/live lecture minutes are more important than concepts with fewer texts or less live action/running times.
Quick Win
Select only the most important teaching points to supplement the visuals and avoid “eye care” (a charming but unrelated image). Important information, main points, and title/section headings are displayed in bold or larger fonts than those used to present support information.
Proximity
Humans assume that what appears next to each other is related in some important way. (The classic example of this is to go home to find a dog next to a broken vase. We immediately assume that the dog broke the vase!) As mentoring designers, we can utilize this principle by visually grouping it and visually separate it from things.
Quick Win
Use bullet points and numbered lists to group groups like text elements. It clearly separates the visual elements of the related group in some way, and the unrelated visual elements.
Placement
English is read from top to bottom and left to right, so English-speaking learners assume that the most important information for a particular page or document will be displayed in the top left.
Quick Win
It is important to place the main points in the top left or top of the document, screen, or slide.
Well-intentioned design templates, including those available in software applications that are regularly used by educational designers, reinforce the false but too many common assumptions that visual formatting and layout are subjective. But we cannot go far from the truth.
Formatting and layout strategies are key components of communication. When thoughtfully implemented, the above strategies promote the audience’s ability to make meaning. However, if they are inexperienced or completely ignored, the results will have a negative impact on both learning outcomes and return on investment (in corporate training scenarios).
