The majority of ourwork as eLearning design professionals is performed in the invisible. Thismay sound like an odd statement, but just think about some of the biggestchallenges encountered when designing eLearning. As designers, much of oureffort is spent discovering what is in the minds of subject matter experts andtranslating it into eLearning solutions that fulfill a set of learning orperformance goals. At a high level, this process takes what is invisible and,through design activities, transfers it into visible and more concrete forms.
As eLearning designers, we spend a great deal of timetranslating invisible ideas into visible formats that help people understand ourproposed design solutions. We use tables, design guides, and project managementplans to aid communication; but often these methods are employed in ways thatdo not ensure understanding about the learning environments we design. Commonmethods used for translating design ideas into visible formats often limit ownershipin design experiences because they do not incorporate effective visual-thinkingmethods.
In 1983, John Hortin described the role of visual thinking inthe instructional design process. He emphasized the benefits of workingvisually to support knowledge transfer and building shared understandings ofcurriculum design. Since 1983, there have been major innovations in the fieldof eLearning and yet our fundamental design processes remain largely the same.Compare this lack of progress to other fields such as architecture and businessstrategy where incredible advances have been made in transforming invisibledesign ideas into a visible and collaborative idea space.
Because many eLearning design processes remain invisible, wemust work hard to overcome several fundamental challenges. First, working inthe invisible challenges our ability to develop a shared understanding withproject collaborators of how to design an eLearning solution. For example, whentwo people look at a photograph, both people generally have the sameunderstanding of what that photo is communicating. In contrast, visual methodsin eLearning design are not traditionally used to convey that design to others.
Next, invisible design processes reduce the effectiveness ofour decisions. The ability to make effective design decisions is predicated on firstunderstanding the learning environment and then selecting appropriate designstrategies for that learning environment. Visible design processes help us gainconfidence in our decisions because we have greater clarity regarding thevariables and relationships involved.
Finally, when we work in the invisible we create barriers tocommunication. In many ways a design experience is like the game of telephonewhere the message is passed in a line of people and, as the message passesthrough the line, it continuously changes and is significantly different whenit reaches the end of the line. In sum, our design ideas are invisible and lacka method that conveys a shared meaning.
The idea canvas
If eLearning design practices occur in the invisible, how doyou make them visible? The answer to this question involves using what I referto as “the idea canvas.” Just as an architect uses blueprints to visually communicatethe design of physical spaces, we as eLearning designers must learn tocommunicate through an effective visual medium.
An idea canvas takes shared ideas and thoughts gathered duringdesign experiences and integrates them into a visual presentation that iseasily understood, adapted, and shared. Functionally, this could be a largepiece of paper, large whiteboards, or digital diagraming or drawing software. Hokanson(2008) noted that working visually provides enhanced understanding that allowsdesigners to compare, annotate, change, remember, and share design ideas withothers.
While the use of visual methods like the idea canvas are rarein eLearning design, there are several useful examples from other fields thatcan be easily adapted. In his book, VisualLeaders, David Sibbet (2012) shares a series of consulting practices basedon graphical and visualization methods to enhance the usefulness of meetings,teams, and leadership practices. The central principle of Sibbet’s work ishelping people visualize and understand ideas that are often invisible, like anorganization’s strategy or vision.
Another visual facilitation and idea canvas example that hasutility for eLearning designers is Osterwalder and Pigneur’s (2010) Business Model Canvas. Like Sibbet,Osterwalder and Pigneur created a method for visualizing business models sothat they are easier to understand and can be compared with greater efficiency.The Business Model Canvas is a blueprintfor businesses and organizations to create, evaluate, refine, and compare thestrategies they use to grow their organizations.
Among eLearning design practices, there are very few visualmethods that are universally understood and applied to help people understanddesign solutions. We have many tools for creating and authoring content;however, we have very few tools for helping us visually understand, makedecisions about, and communicate what we are designing. The idea canvas providesa picture for representing invisible ideas in a form that you can understandand share with others.
As a general rule, try to use an “analog” idea canvas earlyin the design process to allow easy adding and adapting of ideas. Ideas shouldalso remain as moveable as possible using mediums such as sticky notes or notecards. Finally, an idea canvas should be as large as possible to allow ideas tobe added without the artificial constraints typically found in presentationsoftware or storyboard templates. The goal of an idea canvas is to create ashared picture of how you should design eLearning while engaging design teamsin a more interactive and collaborative design experience.
A shared language for modeling learning environments
When using an idea canvas as a visual facilitationtechnique, it is important to establish a shared visual language with yourcollaborators. Ideally, this language would be simple and easy to understand, evenfor those unfamiliar with eLearning or instructional design practices. One methodfor creating a visual idea canvas is using the Learning Environment Modeling Language (LEML).
LEML was created as a visual language and modeling toolkitfor designing and describing learning environments. The main purpose of LEML isto simplify the eLearning design experience by using a common design languagethat enhances understanding, decision-making, and communication. It does thisby using a set of visual symbols that represent key elements of learningenvironments.
Figure 1: Photograph of a visual facilitation session and ideacanvas
The shared visual language allows people who may be workingfrom very different perspectives to come together using a shared understanding.This is done through collaboration and use of the shared language during designprocesses. Modeling learning environments does not replace the need foreffective instructional design processes and consulting skills; however, itdoes provide a visual tool that supports the quality and efficiency of eLearningdesign.
Figure 2: Tools of the visual facilitation trade—photograph oflearning environment modeling-language cards
The advantage of LEML is its simplicity. LEML is comprised offive building blocks, four contexts, and three actions that you can combine tocreate a visual picture of an eLearning environment. Building on tools like UML,LEML is a visual toolkit that allows eLearning designers to bridge designlanguage barriers and quickly transition from ideas to design concept. Themodels that are created tell a story about the learning environment; LEMLmodels can be read like a sentence and allow design teams to engage in anarrative about how the learning environment is, or should be, designed.
Figure 3 shows an example of a learning environment modelcreated using LEML. This diagram was created using visual facilitationtechniques for the purpose of communicating a blended learning environment. MoreLEML information and examples are available at the Learning Environment Modeling website.
Figure 3: Example learning-environment model created usingvisual-facilitation techniques
From ideas to actions: getting started with designing eLearningusing visual facilitation techniques
Integrating new design tools into existing processes can bea major challenge given the project management guidelines that define manyorganizations’ eLearning efforts. However, visual facilitation practices fordesigning eLearning can be complementary to existing processes because they donot change the processes being used, but enhance the quality of communicationand collaboration in those practices. Here, I offer a brief list of ideas forusing visual facilitation in your next eLearning project:
- You don’t have to be an artist to use visualfacilitation methods. Review the books referenced in this article and look atexamples of how teams use visuals to communicate abstract ideas. Look at the Learning Environment Modeling website for access to templates, tutorials, and examples.
- Think about the more ambiguous parts of your eLearningdesign process and identify visual ways to clarify those parts.
- Use visual thinking and facilitation methods foryourself first.
- Invite a small team of colleagues that you workwith frequently to practice using visual facilitation methods. Start byreplacing an often confusing or frustrating design process with a visualfacilitation technique.
- Using LEML, hold a weekly brown bag lunch“design challenge” where members of your team each design a learningenvironment model for an eLearning design problem they are facing. Each personpresents their model, and the group votes for a weekly winner.
- Use an idea canvas to note feedback from clientsduring review sessions.
- After using visual facilitation, capture theimages using a camera and share them with your team by uploading them to anonline collaboration space. Refer back to these images as the projectprogresses. Use this process to allow ideas to grow and develop.
Concluding notes
Visual facilitation techniques like LEML have the potentialto transform the way people experience eLearning design. The primary goal ofusing visual facilitation for eLearning design is to help transform invisibleideas into a format that encourages collaboration and shared understanding. Visualfacilitation helps us create deeper understanding of the eLearning environmentswe design, make smarter and more efficient design decisions, and communicatewith others more effectively. I challenge you to think about what is invisible inyour eLearning design processes and explore methods for making this experiencevisible to others.
Visual facilitation resources for eLearning designers
- Learning Environment Modeling
- Sibbet, David. Visual Leaders: New Tools for Visioning, Management, and OrganizationChange. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2013.
- Sibbet, David. Visual Meetings: How Graphics, Sticky Notes and Idea Mapping CanTransform Group Productivity. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &Sons, Inc. 2013. 26 August 2010.
- Sibbet, David. Visual Teams: Graphic Tools for Commitment, Innovation, and HighPerformance. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2013. 23 September 2011.
- Action Mapping
- Essential Guide to Visual Thinking for E-Learning
References
Hokanson,B. “The virtue of paper: Drawing as a means to innovation in instructionaldesign.” In L. Botturi and S. T. Stubbs (Eds.), Handbook of Visual Languages for Instructional Design: Theories andPractices. (pp. 18-32). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. 2008.
Hortin, J. A. “Instructionaldesign and visualization: The roles of visual thinking, visual rehearsal, andintrospection.” Performance &Instruction Journal, Issue 7: 20-21. September, 1983.
Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. BusinessModel Generation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010.
