Learning content should be relevant, accurate, meaningful, and tailored to its audience. But it doesn’t end there, as these characteristics may not be enough in the digital era.
Not only do learners have higher expectations in terms of how educators present the learning material, but they also have more options at their disposal. While this is good news for knowledge accessibility, it also means it’s more challenging for learners to verify whether information is correct and valuable. They may also encounter cognitive overload if the learning content lacks structure and direction.
Although often neglected and sidelined, visual design addresses many of these issues. It can impact how learners perceive educational content, as well as judge its usability, quality, and credibility.
This is why stunning graphics can transform learning materials from mundane to engaging. But the keyword is stunning. Including just any graphics likely won’t make a difference.
In this extensive article, we’ll discuss the importance of visual design in learning and the strategies to consider.
The Psychology Behind Visual Learning
Visual learning taps into the brain’s natural ability to process and retain information through imagery. Cognitive psychology reveals that our brains are wired in a way that enables us to interpret visual data far more efficiently than text.
When learners engage with visuals, they grasp complex concepts more quickly than they would if they read a try textbook or attended a teacher’s lecture. This efficiency stems from dual coding theory, which implies that the brain processes verbal and visual information simultaneously, creating two cognitive pathways for memory retention. Essentially, when educators and L&D designers present information visually, they make it much more likely to stick.
Pattern Recognition
Humans have an inherent knack for recognizing patterns and making connections between different pieces of information. Visuals like diagrams, charts, and infographics capitalize on this ability, helping learners see relationships and hierarchies they might miss in a wall of text. This pattern recognition enables comprehension, optimizes problem-solving skills, and makes learning more intuitive and less of a chore.
The Importance of Colors
Colors are often vital in visual learning. Different hues can evoke a range of emotional responses and influence attention levels. Warm colors like red and yellow can energize and motivate learners, while cool colors like blue and green can have a calming effect, which can sharpen their focus. As a result, educators use colors strategically to create an environment that is stimulating and conducive to learning.
Simplification
Visuals also help reduce cognitive load, allowing learners to process information without feeling overwhelmed. According to the cognitive load theory, the human brain has a limited capacity for processing information. Meanwhile, visuals can simplify complex data and break it down into parts that are easier for the learner to grasp. This ensures they can absorb and retain more information without getting bogged down.
Emotional Investment
Visuals make learning more engaging by connecting with the emotional aspects of the brain. When learners find content visually appealing, they are more likely to be motivated and invest themselves in the material.
Design Elements That Impact the Learning Process
Visual design has many principles that are necessary to understand when creating online learning content. The following are key design elements:
- Line
- Color
- Shape
- Texture
- Form
- Space
How you use these principles will affect the outcome of the courseware. But typically, you can achieve more success by prioritizing simplicity and following symmetry rather than experimenting with too many, for example, colors and shapes. This is how you can create well-balanced learning materials.
Moreover, symmetry is vital to direct learners’ attention and prevent distractions since too many different elements can make it challenging for them to decide the most important points.
As L&D designers and educators typically start with prototypes and mockups, they should strive to create visually proportional courses through symmetrical design. They should also consider how they’re using color palettes. Although colors are subjective, some convey universal meaning.
For example, warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) can induce feelings of comfort, happiness, and energy. However, they can also evoke hostility, excitement, and danger.
Older studies have shown that the red color impacts cognitive functioning and impairs test performance, but the more recent ones found only limited evidence of these claims. Meanwhile, cold colors (green, blue, and purple) tend to have a calming effect but may also make people indifferent and sad.
The Anatomy of Effective Visual Design
Avoid using bright background colors and clashing combinations, as they can make text difficult to read. Such choices can even lead to dizziness, eye strain, headaches, and decreased concentration. The color scheme should be professional and able to engage learners with the content.
Another thing to avoid is graphics and patterns as backgrounds, as these can reduce readability. There may be colorblind individuals among the learners, which is why L&D designers should prioritize color schemes that boost legibility.
So, what’s the best palette for effective learning? Take galleries as an example. They usually place artwork on white walls to ensure visitors pay attention to the exhibition. Neutral color schemes in combination with dark fonts are the best solution because this contrast engages learners and stimulates them to read.
1. Typography
Web-safe fonts were once the go-to choice for creating websites because they are universally supported across Windows, Mac, and Linux systems and ensure consistent display. However, CSS3 introduced the ability to use custom fonts with the font-face rule. This allows designers to display any online font on their web pages, regardless of whether the user has it installed, adding a new level of creativity and appeal to web design.
But regardless of changes and new updates, some fonts are easier to read than others. The best rule to stick to is web-safe fonts.
Keep in mind the following when choosing the font for your learning content:
- Don’t use different colors, fonts, and sizes on the same page. You can maintain consistency by using the same color, size, and font type for the entire eLearning course.
- Unless you want to hyperlink them, avoid underlining words.
- Use capitalization only when you’re beginning a new sentence.
- Only use italics for Latin and foreign words.
- When using bold fonts, use them subtly and discreetly.
- Don’t overuse the red color, especially when highlighting announcements and key points.
These are the rules most web developers follow when creating a website, and the same should apply to eLearning.
2. Layout
An effective layout goes beyond a neat distribution of links, images, buttons, and other elements. Most of all, it should come across as professional and credible, which includes a well-thought-out information structure and color palette.
Whether you’re designing an eLearning course or website, all the pages should look similar and have the same design pattern and layout. You should also include flexible grids, as these enable page elements to automatically adjust and rearrange based on the user’s screen size. This approach, known as responsive design, is vital for providing an optimal viewing experience across various devices. It also ensures a seamless and consistent interface, whether the learner is on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
3. How to Present Information Effectively
Follow the principle of disclosure, which involves presenting just enough information to help learners understand what they will find as they move from one lesson to another. For example, you can use JavaScript Accordions with clear headings to minimize the need for scrolling. Compacting information visually makes the content appear less daunting, helping to prevent feelings of being overwhelmed.Â
You can also use focused navigation. For instance, on a page containing online lectures, it’s better to use only links rather than a mix of links and embedded players, ensuring consistency to avoid confusing learners.
When you assign activities like watching a video and commenting on a blog, embed the video directly within the blog post. Thanks to this, you’ll keep learners engaged by preventing them from navigating away to a new window and maintaining their focus on the task at hand.
The last principle to include is the principle of objects, as this encourages you to view content as dynamic and multifaceted, possessing its own lifecycle, behaviors, and attributes. If you’re posting an online lecture, you should label each type of content clearly.
Identify files such as Interactive PDF (Size MB), PDF for Printing (Size MB), and Audio File MP3 (Size MB). This detailed labeling helps learners select their preferred method of engagement, whether they favor interactive elements, printable materials, or audio content.
4. Infographics
Infographics combine text, images, and data to present information in a clear, concise manner and make complex concepts accessible at a glance. These visual elements can transform dense data into visually appealing graphics, ensuring learners quickly grasp essential points and relationships.
To be effective, use color coding, icons, and hierarchical layouts to guide learners in understanding your content. They can illustrate processes, compare data sets, and highlight trends, all while maintaining engagement and improving memory retention, as people are more likely to remember information presented visually.
5. Imagery and Icons
Engaging graphics and images can illustrate concepts more vividly than text alone. Icons, on the other hand, are intuitive visual cues that can simplify navigation and highlight important info.
When you choose them thoughtfully, images and icons can break up text-heavy content and prevent cognitive overload, which is vital to keep learners interested. However, choose relevant and culturally sensitive visuals to ensure they resonate with a diverse group.
Another thing to avoid is clutter, which you can do by using images sparingly and ensuring each serves a clear educational purpose. Icons should be universally recognizable and consistently styled to provide a seamless learning experience.
Final Thoughts
Learning content requires striking visual design to ensure information finds its way to the learners. Imagery, icons, and graphics contribute to the visual hierarchy and are vital for engaging learning content.
But to create a memorable learning experience, you must use relevant and appropriate visuals that make content easier to follow and understand.