visual elearning crash course1

8/12/2019 Visual eLearning Crash Course1

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Karla Gutiérrez is the Head ofInbound Marketing and OnlineManagement at AuraInteractiva, creators of SHIFT eLearning. She’s focused on

blogging and social mediacommunications in theeLearning industry.

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A Crash Course in eLearning: WhyVisual Design Matters

By: Karla Gutiérrez

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A Crash Course in eLearning: Why Visual Design Matters

IntroductionChapter 1: Why eLearning Professionals should consider the impactof good visual design.

Chapter 2: 10 Types of Visual Content to Create and Include inyour eLearning Courses.Chapter 3: First things first, Understand the 10 Principles ofGood eLearning Design.Chapter 4: The Rules for using Visuals in your eLearning CoursesChapter 5: Types of graphics.

Chapter 6: Visual Design Evaluation Checklist.Final Takeaways.

CONTENTS:

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INTRODUCTION:Why Visual Communication Should

Matter More to eLearning professionals

When was the last time you got excited by taking a long and boring eLearning

course? If you’re like most people in today’s digital age, you’re turned off by dull and

typical content.

It’s a fact that visual content drives more engagement than just text. It makes sense,

not only are images it more appealing, but people process images 60,000 times faster

than text. Words get boring quickly and people don’t enjoy reading as much as they

used to. That’s why the perfect way to spice up your boring eLearning course is to

include visuals. They provide greater engagement than just text because they

combine other senses. Without doubt, eLearning courses that look great gain

attention right from the start.


http://www.billiondollargraphics.com/infographics.html





















Many people judge the quality of your

course by the quality of the design, so you'll

want to make sure you create something

impressive. So, if you want to create high-

quality eLearning courses get creative! Use

photos, charts, graphs, infographics, and

other visual representations of data learners

actually want to consume. Keep reading

to glean the tips. In this course you’ll find

ideas to help you get started in the visual

world we live in.


Looks sell, so make sure you’re proudof your eLearning!



“Any image, can enhance a course’squality because it helps to humanizethe concepts being covered. It helps a

course become more than justnameless, faceless chatter — it helpslearners view the content as arelatable, personal experience.”




Start creating visual content for

eLearning



01WHY ELEARNING PROFESSIONALSSHOULD CONSIDER THE IMPACT OFGOOD VISUAL DESIGN.

Chapter



Good eLearning design is related to visual design. People make snap judgements. It

takes one 1/10th

of a second to form a first impression about a person, and eLearningcourses are no different. So if you haven't, start considering you course’s visuals as a

powerful tool for engaging your audience.


You'll have to learn the visual design principles that make for

more effective communication. Factors such as position,color, contrast, spacing, and alignment all meetto make a

successful visual design.

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/277278/Understand-These-10-Principles-of-Good-Design-Before-You-Start-Your-Next-eLearning-Project








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Every aspect ofdesign has to

have relevance.Everything you

add conveys a

meaning.

uick Tip



0210 TYPES OF VISUAL CONTENT TOCREATE AND INCLUDE IN YOURELEARNING COURSES.

Chapter


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Pictures are nice but moving images are nicer. A lot of demos, tutorials and even landingpages make use of short videos to easily capture a viewer’s attention. Videos combine

texts, images and sounds in order to create an immersive learning environment, or one that

hooks your students while helping them learn more effectively. :


2

.

Short Videos

Demonstrate how a product works…Make it more compelling with

video!

1

2

Avoid a complicated text explanation, and instead consider

creating a how-to video to describe it.

Include an interview. One of the most authentic ways to tell a

learning story is to let the experts tell it themselves.

3



Animated graphic elements are great to use in your eLearning courses. They're

attractive, and can get a message across that words or audio many times can’t. Use

animations for things like step-by-step procedures, course navigation, simulations,

assessments or interactive material.

Animations 3

.

You can humanize and provide a realistic touch to course with characters. Even more

if you customize them to look like someone they know or other important figure thatthey might feel connected with. You Include them in your scenarios, or while explaining

and assessing the learning, just to name a few.

Characters or avatars4

.





5

.

Infographics pack a ton of content. They make data more meaningful and beautiful

and, most importantly, they make learning more fun and less boring. With

infographics, you can insert colorful bars, pies, charts and graphs to visually represent

numbers and percentages. You can use it to group ideas together so that students

are able to absorb information faster and retain them easier.

We know creating infographics is a lot of work. So, if you don't have enough

information for an infographic, you can do something as simple as a table or chart,

with impacting colors and big numbers. Simple data visualization, like the example

below, can do wonders to improve an eLearning course.

Infographics and Images of Words and Numbers



Screen shots can be a great way to show examples and how a system or process

works. For you can use screen shots to demonstrate some of the new features that

came out in the latest version of their new operating software. Sometimes, showing is

far better than telling.


10

.Use screen shots to show examples

http://www.yourcri.com/2013/02/new-features-in-shoretel-13/














If you’re going to try to get somewhere walking in the shoes of a designer, it’s helpful to have a compass.

That’s where the following 10 Principles of Good eLearning Design come in.

1.

Guide the viewer's eye.

The placement of the elements on each page should flow

naturally from one to the next in a progression that lends itself to

the content you're teaching. Images and graphics should be

oriented in a way that directs the reader's attention inward and

onward, never away from the screen or your content.


Pride of place should to go the most important information. Learners from most Western

countries read left-to-right and top-to-bottom, so the most relevant pieces should be

placed in the upper left of the page, and anything important should be visible at the top

of the page without scrolling.

2

.

Let prominence inform position.



3 Control the clutter.

Many eLearning designers are tempted to overload their pages with content, because

the authors of the material for the course included an excess of details. Figure out what's

most important, provide the reader with an avenue to access the additional information,

and cut everything superfluous. An important part of eLearning best practices is

identifying the critical facts and concepts and keeping things simple.

It's easier to read a shorter line of text than a longer one; many readers feel daunted by

strings of words that stretch all the way across their screen. You can make your text

easier for the learner to take in by narrowing the width of your text box, or breaking a

longer piece into multiple columns, like a newspaper.

4 Shorten your columns.





5 Proper usage of white space.

Don't fill every spot on the

screen with content or

graphics. The negative space

on the page can be useful to

guide the reader's attentionand eliminate distractions.

Note: It is important to note that

white space doesn’t need to

be white. It's recommended

that the body of the text should

occupy from 25 to 40% of the

total space of a page.



6 Make smart font choices.

Your typography decisions should be informed by the needs of the content. Avoid

fancy fonts that are harder to read. Use size and color to emphasize or highlight

certain elements, but don't go overboard; less is more, especially in dramatic color

usage.

7 The visual theme of your eLearning course should carry through from page to page.

Getting too creative can end up distracting the reader from the content. Graphics in

your eLearning should match. Also watch out for heading sizes, font choices, color

scheme, button styles, and spacing. Everything must be in harmony.

Keep things consistent.





8 Don't turn your eLearning course into a scavenger hunt. Any information that your reader

wants should be accessible in three clicks or fewer. Your learner may need to go back

and review a section, or skip ahead past content they already know, so navigation

should be simple and quick.

Offer easy access.

9 Watch your alignment. It should always be clear what text is associated with which

images, and any tables and charts should be easy to read at a

glance. Don't make your reader puzzle out what you intended to

go where.



04



04

THE RULES FOR USING VISUALS INYOUR ELEARNING COURSES.

Chapter



When paired together, words and pictures communicate the same message in two

ways, allowing learners to link the words and phrases together in their minds. In this

way, you can get your message across even faster. With this practice you can easily

improve content retention by a 68%.

1 Use words and pictures together.

2 Don’t overload your courses with visual elements.

More visuals don't necessarily mean more learning. This makes a page become too cluttered

and a learner can't decipher what images matter ro the course and what images do not.

Only include critical images that promote learning. Before including any image in your course,

ask yourself: Would this image help explain the content better? If the answer to this question is

no, or even “maybe,” leave it out.




This is a good graphic design principle as well. Consistency helps learners move from

one task to the next, knowing there are certain aspects of the design that won't

change. For examples, always use the same image to prompt discussion or show

where learners need to take a quiz.

4 Choose the right photo.

Select images that will resonate with your audience. They should reflect the

audience's culture, values and backgrounds so the audience will connect with and

respond to the photo rather than dismiss it.

5 Use a consistent image style throughout the course.




6 Don't copy and upload images from Google.

This violates copyright. So, before copying anything from a website check whether

permission is needed. In most cases it will. Instead, try to find images in other places. For

example, search the Creative-Commons search tool which searches a variety of sources

and returns images, videos and other forms of information from different sites.

No one wants to look at grainy, pixelated pictures. Images shouldn't be blurry or of poor

quality. If it looks unprofessional, learners will likely leave the course.

Hint: Ensure that visuals are always clear – it is better to not use them at all than ones of

poor quality.

Use the best quality settings you can to get the best imagequality.

7


http://search.creativecommons.org/






This will only further complicate the image. Either use a less confusing image or place

your explanatory text on a different screen. Simple, straightforward visuals can say

much more than overly detailed, overly realistic images.

Don't use complex graphics.6


Analyze the following points:

Put yourself in your audience's shoes: is this clear

and big? Is it interesting? Is it appealing?

Can the learner look at the image and understand

the graphic without reading the text?

05



05

TYPES OF GRAPHICS.

Chapter



Decorative Representational

Organizational Relational

Transformational Interpretative


There are different types of images we can use, depending on the kind of information we have:




1 Decorative: While this type of graphics adds aesthetic appeal and humor to a material, you should

sparing use them in your eLearning materials. Decorative pictures are completely

ignored by learners. They don’t serve any instructional purpose. Used excessively, such

as when theming your course, they can depress learning rather than facilitate or

improve it.



6 Interpretative: This type of graphics will help learners better understand abstract or invisible ideas.

The Biological Project, for instance, uses this to teach students the laws of genetics.

Examples: Use simulations, diagrams of equipment working, series of graphics

showing something working, animations or even simple line drawings.


06



06

VISUAL DESIGN

EVALUATION CHECKLIST.

Chapter



Take-aways



Great design gets people to

trust you and to stick around.Poor design affects contentcredibility.

eLearning that looks greatenhances learner engagement;

it gains attention right from thestart.




Additional Resources:

• http://interactyx.com/social-learning-blog/visual-elements-enhance-elearning/

• http://www.astd.org/Publications/Blogs/Learning-Technologies-Blog/2013/04/Visual-Elements-in-Learning

• http://www.intechopen.com/books/advances-in-

learning-processes/visual-analytics-to-support-e-learning• http://elearningminds.com/v2/visual-appeal-in-

elearning/• http://www.easyauthoring.com/blog/?p=367• http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/286472/Creating-

a-Visual-Style-Guide-for-eLearning-What-Should-You-Include• http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/283050/6-

Creative-Ways-to-Make-Your-eLearning-Courses-More-Visual



Start rocking eLearning with SHIFT.

Now that you know how to create all types of visuals for youreLearning courses, you’ve got start putting everything into practice!

Sign up for a 30-day trial of our eLearning authoring tool to create

awesome eLearning courses easily and quickly.

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