Table of contents
Overview
Instructional Designers end up investing a large amount of time in quite a few redundant tasks; such as, fixing individual screen bugs, UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) design and setting up course templates, etc. Ever wish for all this to…stop?
Your Instructional Designers are being TOO caught up in the technical part of eLearning. So, what ways can you apply to make your Instructional Designers’ lives easier? This article will guide you in understanding it all!
Overcoming the Learning Curve
Who Struggles with the Shift?
While experienced web designers might adapt quickly, many vital stakeholders often face a “tough time” transitioning to traditional eLearning development. This group typically includes:
- Classroom Trainers
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- Content Developers
- L&D Trainers
The Core Issues They Face
When these experts try to adapt to complex eLearning tools, three specific barriers usually arise:
- Tool Complexity: They find the actual mechanics and “working” of the tools to be a steep, challenging mountain to climb.
- Distraction by Aesthetics: Instead of focusing on course flow, narration, and effective interactions, they spend too much energy worrying about the visual “look” of the screens.
- The Frustration Cycle: Eventually, they become discouraged by the sheer volume of time spent fixing bugs, tweaking small settings, or trying to keep the content consistent across the board.
The Solution: Rapid Authoring Tools
Modern tools remove technical barriers, enabling those without a coding background to create professional content. By moving from form-based tools to WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interfaces, designers can see the final output in real-time, drastically reducing the learning curve.
3 Key Benefits of Modern eLearning Tools
1. Long-Term Investment
Rather than starting from scratch for every project, teams can create master course templates.
- Reusability: Build once, use many times.
- Brand Control: Maintain structural and visual consistency across all modules.
- Efficiency: Designers can ignore navigation and layout settings to focus purely on content.
2. Elimination of Extensive Training
Choosing intuitive, point-and-click software like Articulate eliminates the need for weeks of technical training.
- Intuitive Design: Easy for beginners to pick up quickly.
- Ready-made Layouts: Drastically reduces the time spent assembling screens one by one.
3. Cross-Device Compatibility
Modern tools handle the heavy lifting of responsive design.
- Auto-Scaling: Content automatically adjusts for PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
- Real-time Preview: Designers can see how a course looks on any device during the build phase, eliminating “responsive delays” and technical glitches.
Why Choose Articulate?
Articulate empowers your Learning & Development team to bypass technical obstacles. By simplifying the development process, you can involve more team members in the creation phase, resulting in a higher output of quality eLearning content for less investment.
For those of you interested in having yourself or your team get certified Articulate Storyline 2 trainings; Stratbeans also provides as both public and private in-house programs.
FAQ
Q:How do master templates save time for Instructional Designers?
A:Master templates provide a pre-set structure for branding, navigation, and layout. This means designers don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” for every course, allowing them to focus entirely on the instructional content rather than the UI.
Q:Can people without a technical background use these tools?
A:Yes. Modern rapid authoring tools are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. Most beginners can reach an effective proficiency level within just a few days, regardless of their previous technical experience.
Q:Does the content need to be manually adjusted for mobile phones?
A:No. With responsive tools like Articulate, the software automatically scales the content to fit the screen of a phone, tablet, or PC. You can preview these changes instantly while building the course.
Final Thoughts
The goal of any eLearning department should be to maximize the impact of the learning material while minimizing the “busy work.” By adopting modern authoring tools and master templates, organizations can transform their Instructional Designers from technical troubleshooters back into creative educators, ensuring a faster, more consistent, and higher-quality output.
