Design

Design is one of the key functions of an instructional designer and a prominent part of the design process. Instructional designers are responsible the design of learning experiences and products that meet the intended goals. Design is a specific step in the ADDIE model and is considered a critical step before the actual development of a product begins.

Definition

A design (noun) is something that has been created by a designer to achieve a specific purpose. In the case of instructional design, a design is the combined specifications of (1) the procedures for activities that learners will perform and any instructor will teach, (2) the informational content that will be included in the experience and what forms it will take, and (3) the specifications for how technologies and the learning environment in which learners interact will look, feel, and function.

The process of design (verb) is the series of steps that are taken by an instructional designer to conceptualize and specify the look, feel, and function of a product or experience. This includes the design and composition of visual interfaces and specification for artistic elements, such as through wireframes, mockups, and artistic instructions. Additionally, the design process considers the activities and interactions that will makeup a learner's and teacher's participation in a learning experience and makes specifications and procedures for how people are expected to interact to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

Additional Information

Design phase of the ADDIE model

During the design phase of a project, a design team must produce multiple specifications for how the intended product will look, feel, and function. Each of these decisions are recorded in design specifications, which can be as simple as a few notes written down or as complex as complete documents that outline how things should look and function. The important thing for designers to remember is that they should keep a log or journal of their design decisions, as they can be referred to later. Design specifications are also passed onto layout and graphic artists as well as app, software, and media developers so that they can create the features of the product as intended by the designer.

Design specifications also must document any specific procedures and the expected actions of participants and teachers who engage in the educational experience or product. An inventory of the available actions that a participant should take, a description of the expected flow of events and interactions, and delineated sequences of expected actions are all an essential part of the design process. These procedures should all be recorded in the design specifications so that they can be accurately created during the development phase.

During the design phase, designers also begin to consider and specify the look and feel, layout, and visual elements of how the learning environment and interfaces of the product should appear. The stylistic decisions of design are important decisions that must be made during the design phase, as these often get handed off to artists, technology developers, and other specialists who will create the interfaces. Interface design is a critically important part of design as bad interfaces can severely hinder a learner's ability to engage with the product.

When considering the style, feel, and appearance of a product, designers often work with wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to communicate their intentions and design choices. Wireframes, mockups, and prototypes are also a part of the design specifications for a product. Design teams might even do initial usability and style design research with potential audiences to get an idea of the audience's preferences for interface design and activity before too many resources are invested in the development phase of getting the product actually built.

Finally, designers consider and create evaluation plans during the design process to determine how the product will be evaluated. This includes ensuring that appropriate research questions are asked about the product, that the correct types of data are collected, and that appropriate analyses are conducted to answer the research questions. Designers also consider how formative assessment will be used to improve the learning experiences of participants while they are in the learning experience, how teachers may be supported during implementation, and how designers might make improvements to the learning experience while it is being implemented.

Tasks of the design phase

Many tasks of the design phase are provided on this wiki's page dedicated to doing design work.

Tips and Tricks

• The design phase is where most of the planning the design features, look, feel, and function of your product will take place. Additionally, you will need to design the types and sequences of activities and interactions that learners will perform as they use the product to achieve the learning objectives.
• Each interaction and activity should have the expected procedures and flow of activity described as a design specification. A specification does not have to be in a separate document, but should at least be recorded somewhere. Specifications can be as short as a sentence or paragraph and serve as a description of how you expect people to interact, what you expect them to perform, and how and why you expect these actions to help them achieve learning objectives.
• During the design phase, keep ample records and journals of your design decisions through design documentation. This can be helpful to you as you return back to your design decisions if something needs to change or if you need to describe the design to another person, such as an artist or developer.

Related Concepts

• Design specifications
• Interface
• ADDIE model
• Tasks of the design phase (Step-by-step procedures)

Examples

None yet - check back soon!

External Resources

None yet - check back soon!