Nuts and Bolts: Too Many Tools

Lastmonth we looked at the problem of trying to do too much in terms ofcontent, resulting in cognitive overload. There’s another kind ofoverload, one resulting from designers who may have become “toolhappy”– to use a highly academic term. This isn’t justoverdoing flying text or animations (although that happens, too). Itcomes from bolting together so many different tools that the learneris lost in the maze of technologies. Too many tools can overwhelmjust as much as can too much content.

Forinstance, in my work I spend a lot of time reviewing and evaluatinge-Learning programs for possible purchase. Last week I reviewed aprogram on “unlawful harassment.” I liked what the designer haddone with the content by making the learner a participant infollowing an interesting storyline while making relevant choices. Butthere were so many other things happening that I found myselfterribly distracted. Aside from the storyline screens with thechoices (mostly text with images … but that was fine since thestory was good), there were videos that took a good while to load andthat ran in a player I had to stop to download. There were narratedfill-in-the-blank quizzes that repeated information already coveredby choices I’d made; a drag-and-drop interaction that asked me tomatch terminology only tangentially related to performance, and atalking cartoon avatar that kept popping up at random inappropriatemoments. It wasn’t engaging, it was exasperating, and it keptpulling me away from the interesting content story I’d beenfollowing. And consider, I’m usedtoall this. Are most of our learners?

Theproblem has taken a 21^stcenturyturn now, with the advent of social media tools. I teach a multipartonline “Social Media for Trainers” course and I ask participantshow they’ll apply the information. It’s not unusual to getanswers like, “Well, we’ll have a course wiki, but I’ll alsohost a twitter chat for quick real-time interaction, and then maybeeach person can set up her own blog for reflective writing … and Ican import YouTube into the wiki, right? …” Worse, people are nowtrying to bolt too many of these tools onto an existing overloadedasynchronous e Learning course.

WhileI intend this column to cover “nuts and bolts,” tool overload isnot just a problem with novice designers. I’ve seen it happen withthose who’ve bought an authoring tool with lots of features andfeel pressed to use them. And with those who’ve inherited assortedexpensive legacy products (and feel pressed to use them), or, asever, those with bosses who’ve been to a trade show (and who feelpressed to use the tools the boss fell in love with on the expofloor). I’ve also seen it happen with those trying to punch up drycontent, and I really do sympathize.

Whatdowe want? Interesting, engaging programs, yes. What don’twe want? Learners so lost and frustrated that they check out beforethey even begin processing information.

Solutions

Knowwhat you want. I’ve been writing for years about the “heatedseat” problem: training departments go shopping for an authoringtool (or a LMS, or a virtual classroom product) and, like peopleshopping for cars, become distracted by features, not benefits. Doyou neednarrated quizzes? Do you needan add-on that will enable you to do Podcasting? Are you sure? Atwhat moment did you feel the need for narrated quizzes? Before youwent shopping, or after you saw the cool demo? And was that cool demosomething created by an army of graphic artists and programmers? Doyou have such an army at your disposal? Know what’s available andstudy the market before you shop. Make a clear plan for what you needto buy, and then buy … that!

Thefact that a tool exists doesn’t mean you have to use it. Mostauthoring tools now will let you build in things like, say,drag-and-drop interactions. You’re doing a tutorial for grocerybaggers? Great — use it to teach putting milk in the bag first, andstrawberries last. Dropping names of machine parts on the correctplace on a picture of the machine? Maybe. Just a simple terminologyquiz? Maybe not.

Usea tool to support instruction, not just because it’s there. I’vebeen in “Webinars” using software that came with videocapability, which ended up being used to run moving-mouth video ofthe presenter for the entire session. This served both as adistractor and a bandwidth eater. The worst ever? I was in a workshopin which the trainer had just learned to insert a running clock intothe upper right corner of every PowerPoint screen. Guess where ourattention went?

It’sabout design, not software. I know it seems obvious, but you’d besurprised at how often people try to use technology to compensate fordry information. If you have to work that hard to keep the learnerengaged, I’d suggest revisiting the content. Can you put theinformation into an interesting narrative or simulation? Real-lifecases or news stories? Relevant examples to work through? I’ve seenfascinating approaches to e-Learning courses on fair hiringpractices, customer service, and assembling electric circuits, allthe result of thoughtful design. Even better, would the content bebetter as a job aid? Before putting in more tools, remember … yourdesign is done when there’s nothing left to take out.

Don’tforget that too many tools can harm learning just as much as can toomuch content. (Figure 1 is my current favorite example.) My #lrnchatbuddy Lisa Chamberlin (@chambo_online) says, “What do you reallyneed, and what is just for show?” Less usually is more.

Figure 1: Motivated but easilydistracted – the learner surrounded by too many tools isunlikely to know where to turn next. Photo courtesy of Chris andDaisy Clemmons.

Want more? A tangential item crossed mypath just yesterday, with a fun link shared on Facebook.https://www.psfk.com/2010/08/an-open-letter-to-all-of-advertising-and-marketing.html(“I’m not looking to visit your microsite and submit a video. I’djust like some tasty sausages.”) (Editor’s Note: Itemcontains language that some may not care for. If mild profanity isoffensive to you, I’d suggest skipping the link.)

Jane Bozarth’s Social Mediafor Trainers is available now for eReaders and in paperback inNorth America, the UK, and Europe.