Some time ago, a product designer named William Newton based around the different tiers of
optimal design, and how they form a pyramid. This design idea can be applied to both physical products as well as the design of
e-learning courses too. In this article, we will be looking into the five aspects of the pyramid method, and how to apply them to your e-learning development courses.
1) Why is the Design
being Built or Created?
Good design is only good
if it is built around a core reason why the design is built. Although this may
seem vague, and you may wonder what exactly the core reason has to do with the
design. This step might require some original brainstorming to figure out the
true reason behind the need for and creation of the design. It may be necessary
to slow down and pause work for a second to get a clear idea of what the
purpose of the design is.
It may be an easy answer to say you are just creating the design because it is part of your job or your boss told you to do it; but it is important to dig deeper than this. If the ‘why’ answer is not answered before you finish the design, it immediately indicates that enough research has not been done. Without this early research, products and designs are unlikely to have long-term success. Designing an e-learning course without an initial purpose is never a good idea.
The first thing you need to know is why you are designing it, and the second is taking a look at who you are designing it for. The target audience for the course is the next important step. How does this course help your target audience and how does it relate to them and their lives?
First of all, you need to
ensure that you understand your target audience; their wants, needs, likes,
dislikes, and cultures. You have to understand your audience in order to craft
a course which grabs their attention and keeps it. There is a reason that
people are taking the course you are designing, and you need to understand this
reason in order to design the most optimal course for them. This step is all
about understanding your target audience, and creating the best product for
them.
After you understand the reason behind the course and your target audience; you can then start thinking about how your course will look and feel. Designing the look and feel of the online course will be a lot easier once you understand the core reason behind the course as well as your target audience. The look and feel of your e-learning course needs to be tailored to the audience which it is marketed towards. The look and feel of the course needs to engage your audience and help them stay connected to the course. The look and feel of the course can be created by using specific fonts and colours to craft the look and feel of the course. Knowing your target audience comes in handy here because you need to know what will appeal most to your audience.
While you may already have
a clear idea of layout in your head, you need to compare this layout to the
above research you have done and edit the layout accordingly. It is important
to create an original prototype for your design before, as this will help with
the development pathway. This prototype should have around three or four slides
in place in the chosen colours, fonts, and layout that your whole course will
eventually be in.
4) The Final Step:
Execution
This is the final step,
and many people think that this is the most important step to focus on;
however, this step is not possible to be executed perfectly without the
previous three steps. Execution is the final step of the process, and it is the
pinnacle of the design process. This is the point where what you have built and
designed is now something that will please you and your team, the students you
are preparing it for, and the client you have made it for. This step has a lot
of variables, as there are multiple people who need to be pleased.
However, the most
important part of this step is actually the three steps before it. If these are
completed perfectly, this final step should be a piece of cake! The
developmental process finds the right people to help with the design and make
it the best it can be.
Done may be a little bit
premature, but the steps you have completed up until this point have gotten you
to the right place. You have started to create a good design, and you now have
a good basis of your pyramid. During the fifth and final phase of the pyramid
is where your inner designer can really come out. This is where you get to
enhance your course and make it your own. This is where you can add frills,
enhancements, and other bits on top which were not part of the other four
levels of the pyramid.
You have already designed a good and solid course, and
it is just time to add the frills. This is where you can open up the course to
the outside input of either your co-creators, potential students, course testers,
and the general population. This is where you can collect and curate feedback
which will allow you to edit your course. It is unlikely that your first
prototype will be absolutely perfect, so this step in the pyramid will allow
you to create a better second production.
The pyramid method is a great way to optimise workflow for e-learning development and understand course design. Happy developing!
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About the Author:
Elizabeth Hines is an online project manager and business content writer for Boom essays and Essay roo. She enjoys reading and writing in her spare time.
