One of the most important elements in your training program is its visual design. Our society gives a lot of importance to aesthetics. We are attracted to visually stimulating scenarios because it helps us feel good. When you feel good, you are more inclined to be productive and open to receive new ideas and information.
In creating your elearning course, you may want to make it as visually appealing as possible. That way, the learners in your course will be enticed to participate in your activities. If you have a boring course, you could lose the interest of your learners and that can hinder them from the full potential of learning.
As an elearning professional, you need to exhibit a lot of skills. You need to be a great writer, instructor, planner, analyzer, evaluator, etc. If you want to make your course visually stimulating, you also have to be a bit of a graphic designer.
Thankfully, you do not need to be an expert designer to create some great visuals for your training program. All you need is to follow these simple tips to make an aesthetically appealing course.
- Use the right fonts. If there is a need to highlight an idea or a keyword, make sure to use a different font for that. The right type of font can effectively bring a text to life. Just be careful not to make it too flashy. Also, choose clear fonts that will not distract the readers from the rest of the elements in every page. Choose two to three types of font – depending on how many ideas you want to discuss at a time. Be mindful of the size of the text too. For the body, 14-16 size should suffice. Select a slightly larger size for the headers and any sub-headers that you will use. Make sure that the font you will use can be read clearly in both computer and mobile screens.
- Use the right colors. Be creative with your colors without being too flashy. Colors can also be quite distracting so use them wisely. There are colors that go well together but they should be paired based on your aesthetic intentions. For instance, it is safe to use one color in varying shaded but if you want depth, combining a light and dark color will accomplish that. Limit your color combinations to two or three. You should also know that colors can affect the mood of your learners. Research what works best for the learners that you are targeting. For instance, the shade of blue is known to be calming while yellow is representative of happiness and fun. So if you are creating an activity in your training program, it is best to work around the colors of yellow and possibly orange. And right before an exam or assessment page, use blue to help calm your learners.
- Plan your layout. Again, you can take your cue from the type of learners that you have. The layout should be connected to how your learners react. Generally, people scan pages from top to bottom and left to right. So if you want something to be noticed immediately, you know where to place them. Make sure that your layout considers the abilities of the learners when it comes to digital navigation. Not only that, the layout can help with the comprehension and retention rate in your training program. If there are ideas that are connected in terms of relevance, make sure they are near each other. Try to avoid making each page look cluttered. Remember that clutter can also tire out the eyes. Give the learners time to relax their eyes in between important lessons in your training program. Make each page as harmonious as you can so your course can be as enjoyable as possible.
These three important elements should be enough to get you through a visually stimulating course despite your lack of professional graphic designing skills.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles for FreeDigitalPhotos.net