Visual content is all the rage today. Creating eye-pleasing eLearning courses seems to be the key to engage learners. You might have great content but if your courses don't look good, it may not matter to learners.
You may not be graphic design expert, but odds are that you can tell when things look right or not. Just try to keep it simple, and don’t be afraid!
To create eLearning courses that catch the learner’s attention immediately, ask yourself these questions:
1) Is my course’s layout visually appealing?
Is your eLearning course inviting and visually interesting to start? The best content might not be able to deliver the final message if it isn't displayed in a visually appealing manner. Design the layout carefully, including the colors, the fonts, the images and the arrangement of text.
2) Are my colors too distracting?
Is the use of color appropriate and pleasant throughout your course? Do colors look right together and fit the context of your course? You don’t need to be a color expert to know this. Watch out for your reds, blacks, and yellows. Not only are these often distracting, but they also strain the learners eyes. Neutral colors like your browns, and greens are smoother and will look better on the screen.
3) Do images match?
Mis-matched image styles happen way more than you might think, and for many different reasons. To ensure you aren’t making this mistake, make sure that sizes, colors, and overall styles coincide with and complement each other. Remember: Graphics don’t need to be there just to be there, they need to be purposeful and support the rest of the content as well.
4) Is there a right balance of graphics and text?
Are you using image and text that play well together? Are there too many or too few graphics? Too much text or only visuals may not be effective in retention of knowledge. Images should complement textual content and enhance learning value.... creating a great eLearning courses involves the right balance of graphics and text. It’s a fine line to walk.
5) Does my typography suck?
Never misjudge the powerful purpose and meaning in the choice of typography. Fonts have personality. They do more than just present the information to be read... they also communicate ideas. That's why you do need to be aware of typography and how it contributes to visual communication. Just make sure to be consistent with your fonts. Font that is too fancy is going to take away from your message, and font that looks too chunky is going to be hard to read. While there are too many opinions about this, sans serif seems to be a favorite for computer use.
6) Is my visual content simple and straightforward?
Does my content get my point across in a second or two, or does it require a higher time investment? Ultimately, you need to determine if what you're presenting looks like something you would understand easily. Put yourself in your audience's shoes: is this readable? Is it interesting? And always apply the true test of a visual: Can the learner look at the image and understand the concept of the screen without reading the text? Do you say everything you need to say in a clear and easy graphic?
Definitely, good visual design has the power to attract (and keep) learner interest. When the visual design for a course is done poorly you get courses that no one can read on screen, images that don’t match, or information that your learners consider too poor to take seriously. In eLearning, the purpose isn’t to be a graphic design expert. Instead, the goal is to understand basic design principles and then apply them to your elearning courses.
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