Effective Visual Design for E-learning

In my former life, I was a graphic designer. I spent years obsessing over layouts, grids, color palettes, and the tiny details that make a design feel right. When I moved into learning design, I realized those same skills gave me an edge. The PARC principles I had been using for years—Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast—translated perfectly into creating clearer, more engaging learning experiences. Proximity Group related content so learners instantly understand what belongs together. Alignment Position elements with purpose. Consistency in placement makes content easier to follow and trust. Repetition Repeat visual cues like colors, fonts, and layouts. Predictability helps learners focus on the message instead of figuring out the interface. Contrast Highlight what matters most. Use size, color, and whitespace to create a clear visual hierarchy. This simple system works in both worlds—graphic design and learning design—because it’s all about reducing friction, improving clarity, and guiding attention. What principles have you borrowed from another field that’s improved the way you create learning experiences?

Why showing text and graphics simultaneously is like trying to watch two movies at once - and the better alternative backed by research. Your brain has limits. Let's use them wisely. Most eLearning overloads learners with: ↳ Dense text blocks ↳ Complex graphics ↳ Information overload Here's the science-backed solution: 1️⃣ Split Processing Power • Your brain has two channels • Visual for graphics/images • Auditory for spoken words • Don't max out either one 2️⃣ The Power of Voice • Narration > on-screen text • Frees up visual processing • Reduces cognitive strain • Better retention rates 3️⃣ Strategic Implementation • Use audio for explanations • Keep visuals clean and focused • Sync narration with graphics • Let each channel do its job Real-world application: ☑️ Replace text walls with narration ☑️ Sync audio/visual timing perfectly ☑️ Save text for key terms only ☑️ Design for dual-channel processing The results? ↳ Reduced cognitive load ↳ Improved engagement ↳ Faster learning curves The secret isn't more content. It's smarter delivery. Your learners' brains will thank you. What small change could you make in your next course to ease your learners’ cognitive load?

“Attention spans are declining.” That’s the laziest lie in Learning Experience Design. It isn’t learners who can’t focus - it’s our content that can’t stay out of their way. We blame our learners, and then drown them in polls, pop-ups, videos, checklists—and act surprised when nothing sticks. Attention isn’t dying; our design choices are scattering it. Attention without intention = noise. Attention without space = fragmentation. Attention without pause = burnout. Like photographers dialing a lens, we can guide the focus instead of blaming the viewer. Here are three “lens tweaks” to sharpen learning: 1️⃣ Set ONE subject. Before you add a single slide, finish this sentence: “By the end, learners will be able to ______.” If you can’t, neither can they. 2️⃣ Control the depth of field. - Start wide: Why does this matter? - Zoom tight: Show one concrete example. - Pull back: Link it to the bigger picture. The rhythm keeps brains oriented instead of scattered. 3️⃣ Stabilize the frame with resets. Every 15–20 minutes, drop a quick refocus cue: a 60‑second breath, a silent reflection question, a stretch‑and‑share. Photographers use tripods; we use pauses. Need a quick self-check? Use F.O.C.U.S. - F—Frictionless entry: micro‑ritual to shift from scroll mode to learning mode. - O —One goal: strip objectives until only one remains. - C — Context cues: progress meters, repeat‑back prompts, anchor visuals. - U — Unclutter: if it doesn’t serve the goal, cut it. - S — Strategic pauses: built‑in breaks for consolidation. Attention isn’t a vanishing resource—it’s a lens we control. Before you add anything new, ask: Will this sharpen the frame or blur it? Design less, focus more.

When I talk about 'good' design in eLearning, I think often people believe I mean adding in all the bells and whistles. Animations, sound effects, fancy transitions, videos the lot. This often then leads to a lot of people to responding defensively..."all style no substance," "just because it has fancy graphics doesn't mean it is an engaging course." etc. etc. You get the gist. In actual fact, when I talk about the importance of good visual design in eLearning what I really mean is consistency, accessibility and balance. You might think I would say Restful Refreshments or Wonder of the Ocean are my best examples of visual design in eLearning. They're heavily illustrated, visually striking and always grab peoples attention. But in fact I'd say it is my Mastering Email Communication eLearning. This eLearning I believe is a great example of how visual design can be time effective, support / enhance content and not require any external software or lengthy image editing. It uses a simple, accessible colour scheme. A 'non-distracting', consistent style in the choice of background and interface. Layouts, buttons and general UI are easy to navigate and consistent in terms of their positioning and design. The design also subtly reflects the subject matter, without hindering access to the content. There's no unnecessary clicks, no fancy transitions or animations. Just a few small sound effects and relevant imagery and icons. Many people get defensive when discussing visual design in eLearning because they think it is something that is beyond their ability. But in reality it's as simple as making sure you're using the same font throughout, that your colour scheme is accessible, that your icons follow a similar style, you're logo is in the same place each time, you're slides aren't too cluttered. Consistency. Accessibility. Balance. These are all things I would argue that nowadays, are necessary skills for a digital learning developer. If this is something you're struggling with here's five quick tips: 1. Use the master to ensure the positioning of text is the same across all slides. If in Storyline, use the design and font feature to set your colour scheme and font choice, before you start building out your course. 2. Limit your colour scheme to 4 or 5 colours. Use the WCAG contrast checker to ensure your colours meet accessibility guidelines. 3. Set yourself a word limit. Dump 200 words onto a slide and if it looks like too much then play around with it until you find an amount that feels right. This will ensure your slides don't become too content heavy. 4. Make the most of royalty free sites. Flaticon, Freepik and Storyset are fantastic for finding icons and images in consistent styles. 5. If in doubt don't overcomplicate it! Remember the importance of 'white' space. Let things breathe. If you add that image and something feels off, then trust your gut. It's okay to strip things back. #VisualDesign #DigitalLearning #ELearning

Clarity isn’t optional. When learners feel overwhelmed, the issue usually isn’t the content itself— it’s how we’ve chosen to present it. As instructional designers, we’re not just sharing information. We’re designing how people experience it. That means we need to stop blaming complexity and start fixing the clutter. Here are a few ways to do that: 🔹 Chunk ruthlessly. Break dense content into manageable, clearly labeled sections. One idea at a time. 🔹 Use white space like a pro. It’s not “empty”—it’s breathing room for the brain. 🔹 Eliminate visual noise. That means unnecessary icons, borders, shadows, and animations. If it doesn’t guide attention, cut it. 🔹 Design for scanning. Use consistent headers, bullets, and alignment to help learners find what they need—fast. 🔹 Test with real eyes. A fresh set of eyes will always catch what your brain is used to ignoring. 🧠 The goal isn’t to make content look pretty. It’s to make learning feel simple. What’s your go-to strategy for reducing clutter in your learning designs? ----------------------- 👋 Hi! I'm Elizabeth! ♻️ Share this post if you found it helpful. 👆 Follow me for more tips! 🤝Reach out if you're looking for an effective learning solution.

An important dimension of learning design is communication through the elements on the slide, screen, and page—the images, text, and graphic space. The arrangement of these elements transmits a secondary message through its visual hierarchy. A visual hierarchy establishes the relative importance of each object on display. It controls where a viewer looks first, second, and third. Step back and determine what is most important for the learner or viewer to see first, second, and third. Then use one or more of these strategies to establish a visual hierarchy. 1) Use size to emphasize the most important element first. Larger sized elements draw attention. Save the smaller elements for lower levels of the hierarchy. 2) Use bright and vivid colors at the top of the visual hierarchy and more muted colors for the second and third levels. 3) Position on the screen affects hierarchy. People who read from left to right enter a screen or page at the upper left, making it prime real estate. 4) Users typically follow a Z-shaped reading pattern (for simpler layouts) or F-shaped pattern (for text-heavy pages), so place key elements along one of these paths to maximize visual impact. 5) Use high-contrast colors, shapes, or textures to grab attention and create a focal point at the top of the hierarchy. 6) Use white space to isolate and highlight important elements to create a visual hierarchy. 7) Use leading lines and arrows to guide the viewer's eye to key visual elements. Tomorrow: Establishing a Typographical Hierarchy