Heather Penney – 9/11 Hero – Amazing story (via Daring Fireball)
The 10-Minute Instructional Design Degree
“Also – instructional design and visual design are different things. Visual design is just as important (and it isn’t about making things “pretty”), and it needs to be done before the development phase begins.” – Jane Bozarth
Overcoming Objections to eLearning
“Adopting eLearning is a cultural change as well as a technological one, and all of the changes required to make it accepted and expected can take time.” – Judy Unrein
When I Think of the Future of Online Learning – great insight from Ellen Wagner
Project Tin Can Moving Right Along – great news
30 Places to Find Creative Commons Content – goes well with this video on Copyright
eLearning Storyboards – some wonderful resources
Good marketing may get people in the door the first time, but good product design gets them in the door the second (and third, and fourth, and fifth) time.
- Shawn Blanc
Apple isn’t dominating because of clever marketing. They’re dominating because they make awesome products that people can’t wait to use. And when they roll out a new version, existing customers will wait in long lines again to upgrade, without thinking about it, because they know it will be great. They can buy sight-unseen because they trust Apple to deliver what only Apple can deliver, the perfect harmony between hardware and software.
And they know they’ll be able to simply turn it on and start using it.
…the goal shouldn’t be to overlay rewards and achievements, the goal should be to get people more involved in experiences in meaningful ways.
Koreen Olbrish – “Reflections on LEEF 2011″ – eLearn Mag
Couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s not about the game. It’s about the experience and the outcome. Games are just one type of immersive experience. This doesn’t just apply to learning, either.
…you end up killing the intrinsic motivation to do things you didn’t need to be rewarded to do before.
Aaron Silvers – “On Education, Badges and Scouting”
Both Koreen and Aaron make similar points. Don’t do something (like trying to gamify everything) just because you can. Do something because it will give your users great experiences that lead to meaningful outcomes.
It’s simple, really:
- What do you want your users/learners to DO?
- How can you make a great experience that gets them to a point where they CAN?
Remember, it’s always about the user. It’s never about you.
- Zeldman – “But What I Really Want to Do is Direct”
Enough said. One of the reasons I started Remember The User was simply to remind designers and developers, and anyone else who will listen, it’s ALWAYS about the user.
According to the Information Design Network, “Wherever relatively complex information needs to be made easier to understand, or tailored to the needs of a specific ‘specialist’ or cultural community, the ‘user-oriented’ methods of information design can be employed.” I’d say that eLearning, job aids, participant manuals and other instructional materials can benefit from the best practices of text-based information design.
- eLearning Coach – “Designing Text-based Information.”
These are best practices for the web and any other form of text, not just in learning. Great resource links at the bottom, too.
