William J. Ryan

“We need an instructional designer—but where do we find one?” Companies often face challenges hiring instructional designers because: 1. They don’t know the skills to look for (hint: it’s more than tech expertise). 2. Many candidates lack real-world experience, like building portfolios or solving practical challenges. 3. Instructional design roles can be broad, making it hard to find the right fit. How does your company approach ID hiring? #HiringChallenges #LearningAndDevelopment #TalentAcquisition

33

4 Comments

The job of a subject matter expert is to understand complex things. The job of an instructional designer is to explain complex things. These are different skill sets. Can subject matter experts possess both? Absolutely! Should they be using them? Absolutely – if they have the time for it. But just as we wouldn’t expect the engineer who built a Formula 1 car to race it, we shouldn’t expect subject matter experts to do the work of instructional designers. Do you agree?

1,050

79 Comments

Want to make great training, don’t have the time? ⏱️ Here’s what you might not realize: 👇 Most instructional designers are pouring time into tasks that don’t help. In fact, some of those tasks are outright engagement killers. In my latest video, I share 5 time-wasting habits that you should stop doing today. This video will help you: 🧠 Cut the fluff 🎯 Focus on what matters ⏳Reclaim your time 👉 Watch the video here and get your hours (and your creativity) back: https://lnkd.in/enjZg3iX

27

June Jumpstart: Tips for New Articulate Designers When I first started working in Storyline, I assumed having the software meant I was ready to build courses. I quickly learned that real instructional design takes more than clicking and dragging. It requires thought, structure, and a strategy. Here are some of the most valuable lessons I've learned along the way: Design before you develop Storyline does not come with built-in design instincts. Before you start building slides, take time to plan the structure of your course. Think through your navigation, learner flow, player settings, feedback layers, and slide masters. Getting clear on these pieces up front will help you avoid frustration later and lead to more polished outcomes. Leave breadcrumbs for yourself and others If you're building a custom or complex interaction, take a moment to document how it works. You can leave a small text box off-screen with a brief note explaining the logic. This helps if you need to update it in the future or if another developer picks up your file later. Clear notes are a small step with big long-term value. Make it great, then duplicate Put effort into building one high-quality version of a slide or interaction. Once you're happy with it, duplicate and reuse it across your course. Storyline’s Team Slides and Media Library features make this easier and more efficient. You’ll save time, ensure consistency, and reduce rework. Test early, test smart Before you go too far into content development, create a short prototype. Include your fonts, colors, layouts, and a few sample interactions. Share this prototype with your stakeholders or clients to confirm it meets their branding and accessibility standards. It is much easier to course-correct early than to revise a full course later. Learn your shortcuts Switching between views in Storyline can slow you down if you are clicking through menus. Instead, use keyboard shortcuts to move faster. Press F3 for Slide View, F4 for Slide Master, and F5 for Feedback Master. These shortcuts, along with others, can dramatically speed up your workflow over time. Whether you are just beginning or looking to sharpen your process, these habits can make your design experience smoother and more effective. What’s one tip you wish you had known earlier in your instructional design journey? #InstructionalDesign #ArticulateStoryline #ElearningDevelopment #LXD #LearningDesign #AccessibilityInLearning #JuneJumpstart #NewToID #IDTips

34

3 Comments

Are you designing courses to educate or to create impact? When an Instructional Designer starts working on a course, they may receive a task from a client (internal or external) in one of two ways: 1.    "Here’s the material, it needs to be delivered in an engaging, fast, and effective way." 2.    "Here’s the target audience, we need to achieve a change in their behavior." These two approaches can be referred to as the "Content-Centered Approach" and the "Learner-Centered Approach." Key Differences: 🔹 Content-Centered Approach This approach is built around content. We already have all the necessary materials, and the task is to present them in a structured and accessible format. Main question: "What should be included in this course?" ➡ Suitable when completeness of information is crucial, such as in regulatory and technical training. 🔹 Challenge: Making extensive content understandable and easy to study. This requires clear explanations, intuitive navigation, and quick access to key information. 🔹 Example: A company has a standardized sales process that needs to be communicated to new employees so they know how to apply it. ✅ Pros: Expertise is presented in a structured format; course development requires less time if content is already prepared. ❌ Cons: If the content is not well-designed, training effectiveness will be low. Its impact on business results is often formal. 🔹 Learner-Centered Approach. This approach focuses on the end result—changing learners’ behavior. To achieve this, various approaches, materials, concepts, and delivery formats can be used. Main question: "What is the best way to achieve the desired behavior change?" ➡ Suitable when: • There is no existing knowledge base, • Innovative solutions are required, • Business impact is a key priority. 🔹 Challenge: Identifying what knowledge and practices will drive change and selecting the right tools. 🔹 Example: Employees need to improve their ability to handle objections in sales. This requires analyzing current behaviors, studying best practices, and developing new strategies using various learning methods: role-playing, simulations, and case studies. ✅ Pros: Can significantly impact business results.  ❌ Cons: Requires more effort: analysis, testing, and refining methodologies. 💡 Conclusion: At first glance, the choice seems simple: if there is ready-made content, use the first approach; if not, the second. However, in practice, the most effective approach is a combination of both. Always start with the question: What behavioral change do we want to achieve through training? If materials exist, adapt them. If not, analyze the audience and choose the optimal training method. Which of these approaches do you encounter more often in your practice?👇

39

3 Comments

AI isn’t replacing instructional designers—it’s expanding what we’re capable of. Over the past few months, I’ve been hosting workshops to help real IDs to bring their AI projects to life. And these aren’t surface-level demos.... We dive into real use cases, engineer effective prompts, and sometimes even write JavaScript to power the experience. I just published a new video that showcases four of the most impressive AI-powered projects to come out of these workshops. In it, you'll see: 1. A Storyline roleplay that simulates group facilitation with six unique AI-powered personas 2. A custom-coded web object that teaches people to read bearing rate graphs (built without writing code) 3. A GPT designed to help teachers reframe their experience for ID interviews 4. A de-escalation scenario with an AI character and a coaching assistant that gives personalized feedback After each demo, the creator joins me to break down their process, lessons learned, and advice for others who want to start building with AI—even if they’re not developers. If you're curious about what AI makes possible in learning design, this video will give you a glimpse into the future—and the people already building it. You can check out the video with the link in the comments. And let me know which project stands out to you. 😄 #LinkedInWithDevlin #InstructionalDesign #Learning #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearning

172

35 Comments