It truly connects beyond surface design
I have some hobbies and interests that bring great joy to me. Skipping dishes and ropes is definitely higher on that list. I eat a whole food meal that is barely processed. Every day, we prepare and cook fresh meals to support this lifestyle. After preparing the meal, one of my favorite ways to relax is to see YouTube shorts, especially those related to skipping rope (jump rope). I think the jump rope is very cool! It’s like playing a video game and defeating a boss. Discover new tricks, focus on what’s wrong with current techniques, and push yourself to learn them, effectively raise the level.
YouTube Short Inspiration
But sometimes, videos outside my regular feed creep up. Just a few weeks ago, one of those unexpected videos caught my attention. The restaurant owner shared a journey to improve the dining experience for its guests.
Just fine vs. It’s 5 stars
This video stood out. Something about his approach to changing his restaurant experience had the quiet power to play chords with me. His restaurant had received disappointing 2-star reviews and he knew something had to change. This business meant everything to him, and although he was dissatisfied with the poor reviews, he was not ready to give up his dream of owning it. Instead, he is curious. Deciding to understand what excellence looked like, he wanted to take his team to a meal at a local five-star restaurant and reveal what really set it apart from him.
When they arrived at the 5-star restaurant they paid close attention to everything. It’s how the staff got engaged by greeting guests, the food flavor and presentation, and the overall atmosphere of the space. Each team member made mental notes on what stood out and what flattened.
The food won unanimous praise for its excellence, but some team members said that the coffee was “ok” and the limited selection of beers couldn’t enhance the overall experience, lacking for those expecting a complete and truly satisfying dining experience.
feedback
Rather than dismissing these seemingly minor critiques, the owner leaned in. He saw possibilities in feedback. Instead of brushing away these seemingly minor details, he saw an opportunity in their critiques to improve the restaurant. The owners welcomed this feedback, welcomed it with open arms and took prompt action to improve the restaurant’s experience.
He adjusted his roles according to the passions and strengths of each team member. Leave the responsibility to coffee lovers to enhance the cafe experience. Choose high quality beans and fine-tune the brewing process to enhance all cups. He was passionate about another team member, craft beer, and was tasked with building a selection of beers that complement each dish.
These changes were not dramatic, but were intentional, strategically focused, thoughtful, and targeted improvements. And because of these simple tweaks, their ratings rose within just a few months and also joined the ranks of the five-star establishment.
Insight
You may wonder, what does a restaurant have to do with educational design? Why am I talking about this exactly? This story encouraged reflection on my approach to educational design.
It presents us with mirrors as educational designers and reminds us of the things that are really important when creating a learning experience. We often stick to things that look good, such as sleek animations, interactive features, refined visuals and more. But what about “coffee and beer”? What about the subtle and overlooked details that quietly shape and sometimes sabotage? You need to focus on what’s wrong.
Examples of “coffee or beer” moments in educational design
Imagine designing a smooth, refined e-learning course. However, once learners reach practice exercises, they find unrealistic scenarios. It’s not like the challenges they actually face at work. That amputation causes motivation to decrease and learners skip practice completely.
This cutting is like introducing a delicious meal, but with limited selection of mediocre coffee and beer. The “just okay” coffee moments in learning design can overlook the way learners connect emotionally to content and how relevant examples are. And if you focus on what’s going wrong, you can find this problem.
Confession: My Design Blind Spot
When I first created my teaching design portfolio, I was leaning heavily towards English as a background in the Second Language (ESL) and as an English-language knowledge (cognitive overload, andragogy, constructivism, etc.). I’m proud of the project I designed. Because they took months to compile, create and add to my portfolio. But to be fair, I designed partially with learners in mind.
I was engrossed in the framework and technical checkboxes, assuming that applying education theory is sufficient to meet the needs of learners. But I didn’t go into it too much. I really didn’t feel like learners would feel or ask whether their design would really help them succeed.
I seemed to have the restaurant owner ignored coffee and beer and focused solely on the food and atmosphere. I was creating a “good enough” learning experience. Although painted outside, there is no emotional connection, the living reality of the learner, and no relevance of the real world context.
Let’s be honest and focus on what’s wrong
Many professional training programs aimed at business professionals feel dry, unmotivated and cut off from real workplace challenges. They often rely on outdated lecture formats, dense slide decks, and cookie cutter content that do not engage learners or address real challenges. This lack of engagement not only leads to low motivation, but also leads to lower retention and application of materials in the workplace. When training feels like a checkbox exercise rather than a meaningful learning experience, experts are less likely to internalize new skills or change behavior. This contributes to wasted time, resources, and missed opportunities. To truly empower business learners, training must move beyond dull presentations and connect with everyday reality, emotions and desires.
Realization: Why is theory not enough?
I have taught ESL for many years and the experience has given me insight into how learners think, fight and succeed. However, in my early teaching design work, I didn’t fully utilize that empathy and focused on what was wrong. When I watched this video, my perception was clear. Yes, I was designing exactly the same as the user failed. I’ve found myself relying too much:
comfortable
Designed to reduce learner fatigue, but not ascertain whether the learner has determined that it is relevant or motivated. Andragogy’s Principles
We expect learners to be self-directed but do not build sufficient support or engagement footholds. Constructivism
It encourages active learning, but does not truly understand what learners are building or how they felt during the process.
I was designing for learners, but not with learners.
Lesson: You need to focus on what’s wrong
The difficult truth is: If you focus only on the right or easy to measure, you miss the mind of effective learning design – the competing rate, clicks, and course length. Effective designs are as follows:
Find something missing or broken.
Like coffee or beer, subtle gaps in engagement, motivation, relevance, or emotional connection can quietly erode the effectiveness of the learning experience. We accept that things that don’t work in our designs.
It’s uncomfortable, but I need to say, “My course is flattened here” or “My learners are struggling with this concept.” Even if it’s difficult to listen, listen in depth to learners’ feedback.
Are they bored? Are you confused? Not supported? Their voice is the most important data. It repeats relentlessly.
The design is by no means perfect. Improvements arise from facing flaws head-on and making thoughtful, targeted adjustments.
What does learner-centric design look like?
If you are primarily designing around learning theory and what the learners think they need, it’s time to pivot. Below are three core principles for designing with learner empathy.
I’m emotionally involved
Learning is not just about cognition. Motivation, anxiety, pride, frustration – all shock retention. Designed to deal with these feelings as well as facts. Proactively involving learners
It offers learners meaningful choices and opportunities to reflect, apply and interact with, rather than passive content consumption. Anchor in a real context
Learners are facing solidly connecting learning to real-world scenarios. Relevance drives engagement.
My Progress: From Theory to Learner-Focused Design
I am currently redesigning my portfolio project with this mindshift. Besides checking the theory box, I’m asking:
How does this help learners feel confident, curious and competent? Am I building meaningful practices that reflect the real challenges? What feedback mechanisms are in place for continuous improvement?
I developed a checklist focused on these questions. I know this task can be messy and sometimes uncomfortable.
Your turn
If you are an educational designer reading this, I will challenge you to reflect honestly:
Where did you prioritize flashy features and theories over the needs of learners? Have you overlooked the “coffee or beer” elements that allow you to change the design?
This is one of the topics I want to elaborate on because I think this can help other educational designers who are relevant and don’t know exactly how to fill in the gaps, so we create a series for educational designers in the US to understand the real challenges of users and start creating better learning materials for them. So come along with me on this journey! If you are struggling to connect your content to the success of real learners, we would like to discuss this further.
