Most elearning courses rely on content to be effective. After all, that is why people take your course. But the best online courses go beyond great content.  

This creative approach, also referred to as Learning Experience Design (LXD), provides a comprehensive learning experience that leads to better learning outcomes. It focuses on how learners perceive the entire learning experience as a whole, from how content is presented to how courses function.

Learning Experience Design should be an integral part of course creation if you want the best experience for your learners (and stronger learning outcomes). 

In this article, we explain what Learning Experience Design is, its importance, and how you can start applying it today. 

Let’s get started. 

What is Learning Experience Design?

Unlike traditional approaches to elearning, Learning Experience Design is learner-centric instead of content-centric. It considers how learners will feel about a course. The goal is to not only achieve a learning outcome, but also provide an engaging experience. 

Similar to User Experience Design, LXD principles include usability and accessibility. It takes into account learner needs and desires and uses empathy to design courses. 

In short, the entire learning experience should be valuable–not just the content. 

Why is Learning Experience Design important?

Imagine yourself as a corporate employee enrolled in an online training program. You’re given a few lecture-style lessons that take over an hour to complete. They must be completed on your computer and there are no accompanying materials. How well do you think you’ll retain the training information?  

Learning Experience Design plays a large role in how your learners retain information and interact with your course. Given the example above, incorporating LXD principles might break courses up, provide a mobile experience, and have additional learning material. As a result, you’ll understand the material while having a better overall experience. 

Incorporating LXD principles also leads to:

• Enhanced engagement 
• Improved learner retention of concepts 
• Increased learner motivation and satisfaction 

Ultimately, Learning Experience Design makes online courses more effective and improves learning outcomes. 

How to apply Learning Experience Design to your courses

Before implementing any LXD strategies, you must understand your learners. Think about how they would learn best and what learning objectives they have. Courses should not be one-size-fits-all. 

On that note, feel free to experiment with different elements. For example, if you notice learners are not scoring well on a quiz question, try creating an animation or graphic to illustrate the concept. 

Let’s explore some more tactics to apply LXD to your courses. 

Use gamification elements 

We know that Learning Experience Design focuses heavily on experiences. To enhance the experience, incorporate interactive, rewarding elements with gamification. Learners will feel more satisfied and motivated when they’re making visible progress towards a goal. 

With a learning management system like LearnDash LMS, it’s easy to gamify with features like:

• Badges
• Points
• Leaderboards

You can choose when these game-like elements are awarded, but here are some ideas to get you started:

• When the learner explores available resources 
• New course registration 
• When the learner leaves a comment on a post
• When the learner passes a quiz 
• When the learner completes a lesson 

Leaderboards can encourage healthy competition and interaction among your learners, too. Customize your gamification strategy and watch motivation and engagement rise!  

Try scenario-based learning 

Everyone learns differently, and Learning Experience Design keeps this in mind. Sometimes, learners need to practice what they’re learning to truly understand concepts. Put learner knowledge to the test with hands-on activities and simulations. 

Scenario-based learning uses realistic, interactive scenarios to demonstrate concepts. It builds a story or situation that involves learners. It can be an effective strategy for those that need more than traditional content. 

To get started with scenario-based learning, keep these tips in mind:

1. Understand your learners. The effectiveness of this learning depends on how well the learners understand and relate to the scenario. 
2. Remember the training objective. Focus on one situation and objective at a time. 
3. Be realistic. Make sure that the scenario could actually happen in real life. 
4. Challenge learners. While scenarios should be realistic, it doesn’t have to be easy. 
5. Use your resources. If you need to, reach out to subject matter experts or others to hone the details. 
6. Take a storytelling approach. Craft a unique story with characters, background information, plot, and a challenge with a solution to make it memorable and engaging. 

Implement microlearning 

When considering Learning Experience Design, think about how you deliver course content. Some learning subjects are too complicated for one long lesson. Instead, break up your content into short, concise chunks of information with microlearning. 

Microlearning content includes courses that take only one to 15 minutes to complete. Breaking down information this way makes it easier to digest and remember material. It also increases learner engagement and outcomes.

Microlearning content can include:

• Videos 
• Text, articles, or blog posts
• Infographics
• Quizzes 
• Audio 

Consider your learners and choose formats that they would prefer. Remember to keep courses short and focus on only one subject per lesson. And make sure courses are mobile friendly–most learners will take courses on the go. 

Be inclusive 

As mentioned, Learning Experience Design is related to User Experience Design because it makes courses accessible for all learners. Plus, LXD considers the unique needs and characteristics of learners. 

Here’s how you can be more inclusive:

• Let learners go at their own pace
• Use design choices that everyone can read, hear, and see 
• Offer alternative content formats 
• Ensure functionality and user-friendliness on all devices
• Personalize learning paths 
• Add subtitles to video lessons 

You may also want to alter course content or multimedia depending on the needs of your learners. But generally, it’s best to take an approach that aligns with the Universal Design for Learning guidelines. 

Encourage engagement 

Learning Experience Design focuses on people. Not only is it important to interact with the course, it’s essential for learners to interact with the instructor and other learners. This leads to higher engagement, retention, and motivation. Plus, course outcomes improve. 

There are multiple ways to encourage engagement, including:

• Leaderboards and other gamification elements 
• Forums or community groups 
• Feedback to and from learners 
• Notifications 

You can also talk to learners to see how they like to engage with others.

Use a learning management system to apply LXD

Learning Experience Design is a creative approach to elearning that improves learning outcomes. The easiest way to apply these principles to online courses is to use a learning management system like LearnDash LMS. An LMS takes care of most functionality and interface challenges so you can focus on other parts of the learner experience. 

With LearnDash LMS, you can create beautiful and accessible courses. Add-ons like Notes, LearnDash Notifications, and LearnDash Achievements make gamification and engagement easy. 

Explore these features and more in the LearnDash demo.