Research-Inspired Visual Design in Corporate Learning

00:00-Introduction

Nolan: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Learning and Development Podcast, sponsored by Infopro Learning. As always, I’m your host, Nolan Hout. Every guest we’ve had on the podcast so far has been smarter than me, there’s no denying that. But today’s guest, Connie Malamed, is probably at the top of the. She has over 25 years of experience providing instructional design guidance to governments, corporations, universities, you name it.

She’s written two books, has her own podcast, and was even honored with the Learning Master Award for outstanding contributions to the learning professional community. Today, we will talk with Connie about visual design and how to apply these principles in corporate training. There’ll be several practical tips in this podcast and some strategic guidance on more big-picture things. I’m very excited about this episode, so let’s go ahead and meet our guest.

Hello, Connie. Welcome to the podcast.

Connie: Hey, Nolan, it’s really good to be here.

01:09-Connie’s Journey into Learning & Development

Nolan: So, as we start with every podcast guest on the show, we like to learn a little more about you, and particularly your background. Learning and development is one of these spaces where not everybody follows that very linear path. It’s not like I went to college to be an ID or an instructional designer. It seems that’s rarely the case, but we have a couple, every now and then. So, we’d love to hear from you. How did you get to this path where now, however many years later, you’re consulting and advising people on many of these L&D topics? But what’s the origin story?

Connie: Weirdly, I’m one of those people who, for graduate school, said, I want to, what is that field? Is there a field like that? And when I found out there was, I went to graduate school for that. But previous to that, I was always interested in art. And I took a lot of art classes. And I was an art education major and undergrad. And I was never great. But that love of visuals and also my love for cognitive psychology and trying to understand how we think, how we learn, know, what makes work. They just combine together very nicely, so that was my focus during graduate school as much as I could do that. My papers and reports focused on that, and I did a lot of research on it.

And then I said, you know, when my kids grow up, I’m going to write a book about it. That was my background. I did work as an Instructional Designer and an Instructional Design Manager. Now I teach instructional design courses in my membership community, Mastering Instructional Design. I write lots of articles on elearningcoach.com and have a podcast.

Nolan: Wonderful. And one of the things that was interesting, so would you say then your, what draws you to this field is almost like a scientific curiosity of how people learn things and how the brain works? Would you say that that’s one of the big influences?

Connie: I would say that, you know, I grew up with a brother who was somewhat mentally, I guess they would call him handicapped. I thought he was wonderful and special, but he was very musical. My mother taught him to read, study mathematics, and do many other things through music. And I was just so fascinated by that. And I could see that people learn in all different ways. Maybe that got me interested in cognitive science.

4:08-Understanding Research-Inspired Visual Design

Nolan: Wow, very cool, very cool. Well, that’s a good segue to our topic today because it is scientific in nature, which is, how do we implement research-inspired visual design principles into our current work? So, with that fundamental kind of basis of research. And I think that’s, it’s interesting when I talk to people, the differences between instructional design and graphic design and the science behind it. That’s where I think there’s a lot of misconception. So excited to dig into this. To start with, Connie, maybe you can help us understand what it is. How would you define research-inspired visual design?

Connie: Okay, well, first of all, I do want to say that every time I read a research report, I don’t necessarily 100 % believe it because we also have our own experiences, and after you’ve been in the field for a while, you know what works and what doesn’t. So, it’s a combination of experience, best practices, and research, kind of combined, because I know any research that’s done in a pure space, like in an academic laboratory setting, it’s not always going to be the same as teaching a class or creating eLearning. That said, there’s a lot that the research can confirm. So, research-inspired visual design would be taking a look at how we learn.

Perhaps an information processing model where there is a working memory where information comes in and lasts maybe 10 seconds and then people construct knowledge out of that information if they can relate to it and if they have former previous knowledge of it. Eventually, if we’re really lucky, information and the building of skills get encoded into long-term memory. That’s the really short version. So, there’s a lot of research on how we learn that actually can influence our visual design.

6:30-The Shift to Skill-Based Learning

Nolan: One of the things you mentioned there, and I’m curious to know myself, as many organizations are moving to a skills-based organization, is that changing our visual design and instructional design? Is that kind of rewriting how we create a lot of these programs?

Connie: I really think it is. We can’t say that learning facts isn’t important because, let’s say you’re in sales, you need to know product information. Or, if you’re a physician or nurse, you need to know about drug combinations, symptoms, and possible diagnoses. So, all of those kinds of facts are important. We have moved from learning objectives to performance-based objectives. Developing skills, changing behavior, and improving performance are most important in the workplace.

7:40–Utilizing Visual Design Principles (the timestamp is diff,check this)

Nolan: Well, one of the questions was, as we start looking into research-inspired visual design and visual design in general, I’m sure there are the common tricks and tools of the road that we implement a lot. One of the things you mentioned was abstract graphics, and there were a couple of other things. What are some of the things that you’re using to help? You find yourself using common ones to help build some of these visual design principles.

Connie: Well, one of the important aspects I almost think of naturally now is that we have pre-attentive processing. So, before people are even conscious of processing a visual, something is going on pre-attentively where things will pop out at the viewer, like a bright color, which is why stop signs are red and in a really large size. So anytime you can get that extreme contrast in there, if you want someone to notice something quickly, you can take advantage of pre-attentive processing. The certain things we notice are large size, position, movement, color, and those kinds of things. So that’s one aspect or an example of research-inspired visual design.

Another aspect is that we can use abstract graphics to make things concrete because people will understand it better whenever we can make something concrete. So, diagrams are just fantastic for explaining how concepts fit together. Diagrams are also good for showing components or explaining a system. We often use text when using an abstract graphic, such as diagrams, graphs for visualizing data and making comparisons, and maps for showing location or statistics.

So many abstract graphics are underused, and we can replace them with text and perhaps use narration while someone’s looking. I’m thinking in terms of eLearning or in-person or virtual classroom environment. You can talk over the diagrams or any abstract graphics and use them to make things more concrete. And that can help people understand and retain the information better.

Nolan: Yeah, it’s interesting. I was just thinking about that the other day. Now, since we’re a training company, we have our finger in the pulse of what programs we are delivering that are common. One of those is using data to tell stories. I think that is art, science, whatever, that is going out. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with just being so text heavy and just wanting to communicate so much information versus allowing there to allow the mind to fill in the gaps and trust that the mind is going to fill in the gaps. We’re a fairly global org, so I also wonder, in our case, how easy is it for us to have the mind fill in the gaps when we’re all thinking and processing in different languages?

And so I always wonder, but at any time I catch myself doing this, whether I’m making a PowerPoint slide or I’m writing an email, if it’s more than a couple paragraphs, I just kind of stop and think to myself, do I really know what I’m trying to say? We all know the problem with using abstract graphs; it’s not a problem but harder. It’s a lot harder to turn a hundred words into a picture.

I don’t remember which author said it, but they said, I don’t have time to write you a short letter, so I’ll write you a long one. And so, it does take time. And so, I wonder, it’s probably a mix of everything, but also how is this component of when we’re all so stretched, so thin, you know, it’s quicker to just put the text on the screen, even though it’s more text and maybe we’re breaking our principles.

12:24–The Role of AI in Instructional Design

Nolan: So, we’re seeing and pulling on that thread a little bit. You mentioned abstract graphics, and we all know it’s time-consuming. How are we able, or are we able to leverage tools like AI, you know, is a great use case. They’re a great condenser of knowledge. For example, Notebook LM from Google is good. You plug in a book, which can tell you whatever. How do you feel AI is helping change some of that landscape for us?

Connie: Well, I’ll get to that in a minute. In case I misspoke or was misunderstood, I just wanted to say that words and text together are usually better than words alone or graphics alone. Graphics, especially abstract ones, always need some text with them. Regarding AI, it seems like everyone in the field uses it for summaries to organize content and streamline writing. And you think you’re saving a lot of time. And I think you are saving time, but you always have to go back and check and tweak and make it sound like your voice, check citations. I experienced things regularly, like AI completely making things up out of the blue. So, it still does save time, but we have to be cautious.

And as far as graphics go, I think a few things are happening. I think about the ethics. I don’t want to put illustrators out of business. Many illustrators, artists, and graphic designers help with eLearning and presentations. I want to make sure we’re still using their talents.

That’s one thing I often think about. In other words, I may use AI as a secondary tool. Most AI tools aren’t particularly good at abstract graphics. I did find one that is napkin.ai. It can make pretty decent diagrams, visual metaphors, and similar visuals. I definitely think it’s changing the landscape. Sometimes, I cannot find a stock photo of an event I want to show. And you know, I use AI, and it works.

15:02-Embracing AI as an Assistant

Nolan: Yeah, it’s interesting—the application of AI and how we’re leveraging it. You mentioned having to do some rework, and I think a lot of… I don’t mean any offense to Copilot or Microsoft as a company—they’re one of the biggest in the space—but I think a disservice was done when people said, “AI? Let’s use Copilot.”

Copilot wasn’t designed for us, especially the version most of us had off the shelf. It felt like two steps forward, three steps back sometimes, right? So, you’re like, well, the net is negative now. And I’ll throw my hat in that ring as one of those people.

It wasn’t until I downloaded Claude—by Anthropic, at claude.ai, one of my favorite tools—and started using it that I realized this tool moved me forward. Maybe I take a step back, but I’m still getting there faster than before.

That raises an interesting question: What’s the role of the illustrator or instructional designer as we use AI? So, what advice might you give, Connie, if you’re in that field? Instructional design is something AI is starting to transform. Storyline and other companies are investing billions into tools that say, “Tell me what course you want, and I’ll create it for you.”

So, what’s your advice to people—especially with the sessions you hold, like your class on mastering instructional design—on embracing AI and staying ahead of it?

Connie: Yep. I completely agree—you need to embrace it to stay ahead. Just yesterday, we had a speaker talking about AI tips and tools for instructional designers. The approach most people have, that I’ve seen and heard, is: rather than shy away from it or worry it’ll take your job, embrace it. Work with it. Use it as an assistant. It won’t give you the same result as a person, so every time you use it, you need to massage it and refine it.

I’ve heard one person call it an over-eager intern. There are a lot of ways to use it as an assistant, and it’s a good one. But it’s not going to replace an experienced instructional designer—at least not yet.

18:06-Building Foundational Skills in Instructional Design

Connie: One thing I’d recommend, though I don’t know if people will actually do it, is this: if you’re new in the field. Let’s say you’ve never really written excellent test questions for a course—I would write those by hand first, then run them through AI. In other words, build up your expertise. How else will you know if the responses are plausible and the right length and if they follow all those little rules we use? You need to develop the skill, then let AI review it to avoid missing out on learning.

Nolan: That’s a great point. I hadn’t necessarily thought of, you know, when you’re new into a field, whether it’s instructional design, anything for that matter, and you’re leveraging AI, what, you know, that value, that value of understanding why something is done. And if you don’t get that skill, it’s hard for you to progress in your career. So, when you’re starting with AI, maybe AI is your fastest path to get to Z, but that shortcut comes at the expense of your inability to know why you’re making those things.

Every elementary school kid has said, why can’t I use calculators on my tests because won’t I have a calculator? And yes, you will. You will always have a calculator, but you need to understand how to do it first by yourself so that you have that foundational building block. You can’t really short-cut it; it makes it harder to learn everything else down the road. So that’s a really good point.

Connie: This reminds me of all the older graphic designers I know who worked with analog and did typesetting. They thought that it was a fantastic way to start their careers. And then when they went digital, they really had a lot of insights into what looked good, you know, as opposed to someone who just goes straight into digital, which people are now. But it’s the same kind of thing.

20:35-Measuring the Impact of Visual Design

Nolan: Yeah. So, whether we’re using digital analog, AI, knowing ourselves, pencil, pen, paper, or whatever, how do we measure the impact of good? What is good or what is bad sometimes? How are we measuring its impact?

Connie: Well, you know, it’s interesting, visual design for learning purposes, we frequently can’t be clever. We frequently can’t be wild and crazy like you want, but this is not a concert poster that’s difficult to read. So, some of that creativity that we’re kind of exploding with, we have to tamp down and always remember, is it effective? Someone learned from this. And some of the best ways to figure it out well, there are several ways, but at the very start, you should run it by everything you do by a few sample members of your audience.

That can improve your work a lot. That’s just the most basic level. Then, over time, we can do whatever evaluation approach you like Will Tallheimer’s LTEM, (Learning Transfer Evaluation Model). You might start with some basics. Did people learn? But over time, you want to look at whether performance improved and metrics where people engaged. Did more people complete it? Did performance change six months down the road? What are those metrics like? So, almost every step of the process, there is a way to see if your improved designs are working.

Nolan: Yeah, that’s an interesting point about built-for-purpose versus built-for-ego. We often lose sight of the audience, which happens across every field. Right now, hospital staff around the world—probably at this very moment—thousands of doctors and nurses are focused on patient-centered care, putting themselves in the patient’s shoes. Marketers and banks talk about knowing your customer because you have to.

This is where I think people in learning and development have the hardest job. My background is in marketing, and there are common principles in both fields. You’re seeking engagement and hoping for a buy-in. In learning, you want people to buy into the course and invest 15, 20, or 30 minutes—or an hour—of their time. And you’re not the only one competing for that time.

Like you said, what makes it so challenging is that you’re not building a marketing asset or a poster for the Grateful Dead, where everyone is a Deadhead and the audience is fairly homogeneous. You’re designing something for a mixed audience. To keep the musical analogy, you’re creating a program where one person’s favorite artist is Taylor Swift, another’s is Garth Brooks, and another’s is Metallica.

So, finding “what good looks like” means understanding your audience and what makes sense. Considering the diversity, that’s tough—which is why testing matters.

24:20–The Importance of Testing & Feedback

Nola: Here’s the question: How do you advise people against a deadline? We run into this all the time. The program’s due tomorrow, but we want to take an extra day or two to test it properly. Is there a good answer for that?

How do you justify the time to test, knowing that if you measure twice, you only cut once—instead of measuring once and cutting three times?

Connie: I think anyone in learning and development has to build a business case and educate others on the importance of testing, surveying the audience, interviewing them, and doing proper front-end analysis.

It gets you on the right track. Ultimately, it saves money—three or four days of interviews, testing, and revisions. Maybe even a week. But early on, it saves far more than developing a full program that’s off track and doesn’t solve the problem. A company could spend hundreds of thousands on training that doesn’t work, instead of investing some of that money up front. We must keep educating and building business cases to support the right approach.

Nolan: I’m going through this with my design team here at Infopro Learning. The marketing department has a design team. And I’ve noticed that our rework is 50 % of our total spend.

Connie: Wow!

Nolan: And so, what I said was: anything that takes over a day—more than eight hours—to create requires an extra two hours upfront. I’m mandating a one-hour meeting between all stakeholders to align on what we’re trying to do. Maybe that project is now estimated at nine hours, but I can guarantee it’ll save us time because every eight-hour project is turning into 12.

We’re constantly in this process at a company like ours—with 300 instructional designers. I can tell you that an eight-hour project becomes 12 more often than you’d like to admit if you don’t take that time upfront. Very good note on that, Connie.

27:17–Advice for Aspiring Instructional Designers

As we wrap up, we’ve covered many topics related to visual design. What advice would you give today’s instructional or visual designer working in corporate learning? It’s such an evolving landscape. What do you want them to know?

Connie: Well, I would suggest learning the foundation principles of visual design. It’s not that hard to learn them; as someone in marketing, you probably know that. Learn the basics and then become aware of design all around you. So, in junk mail, magazines, and websites, when you’re riding the subway, look at everything around you. It was all designed by someone. Pick it apart, analyze it, evaluate it, find what you like and don’t like, and then take what you’ve learned and use it in your work. Always test with some sample audience members to get a general look and feel feedback. Make sure people can understand your instructions, and make sure you’re meeting accessibility guidelines and that your work is easy to perceive and process.

Nolan: Lovely. One piece I’ll throw in—for those hiring visual or instructional designers—the interview question I always ask is: Tell me your favorite ad you’ve seen recently, and why it’s your favorite. If you’re in the field, you notice these things. You’re already tuned in. My wife hates it because every time an ad comes on, I analyze it—if I haven’t seen it before, I’m like, Wow, that’s great. And she’s like, can you stop analyzing the ads between Love Is Blind? But I can’t help myself.

It’s a great interview question to see whether someone just knows Adobe or if they truly have an eye for design. Let me know if you want it even tighter or in a more professional tone.

29:29-Outro

Nolan: Well, Connie, thank you for your time and investment in this podcast. Remind people, Connie, about the name of the session that you hold for the class that you host. I thought it was great. I took a look at the curriculum’s phenomenal value. What was the name of it?

Connie: Well, some people don’t understand it. It’s not a course. It’s a membership community. There are about 15 self-paced courses. We have a speaker every month. We have live events, live workshops, and everything is recorded. So, it is called Mastering Instructional Design. I try to keep the pricing low so people get good value.

Nolan: Wonderful. Well, I am mastering instructional design; go check it out. Connie also has books on this topic. She is a great resource. We’ll put all the links in the chat. So thank you so much, Connie. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Connie: You too! Great, thank you. Thanks for having me.