Tim Brown, CEO and president of the design company IDEO, popularized the idea of design thinking skill. Since then, it has been widely accepted and implemented by several organizations that want to create user-centric products and innovations. Design thinking can be defined as the systematic approach that helps develop strategies, business models, solutions, and products with a tangible value that increases the organization’s revenue. This blog focuses on the usage of this approach in online learning and its scope of growth shortly.
In e-learning and web development of educational platforms, the essence of design thinking plays a crucial role in providing quality digital learning programs through enhanced tools. Right now is the most suitable time to redefine the learning ecosystem by focusing on the needs of students, who they are, and what they look for while applying for a particular course. It will help design a learning environment that will assess the expectations of students and deliver to them accordingly.
The design thinking approach, or learning design technique in the context of education, has to focus on certain aspects if the developers are planning to develop learner-centric platforms. They are:
- Visual design: The primary interface that comes in sight of the learners needs to be captivating enough to grab their attention and hook them for a while. Maintaining content hierarchy must be coupled with the personalized element to establish a connection with the learners.
- Accessibility: Any free educational app or website should be widely accessible from different types of devices and for various kinds of learners. For example, developing ideas for visually impaired students will take the concept of inclusivity to the next level.
- Components: Learning while playing or interactive learning should not be limited to the kindergarten level or within the premises of closed boundaries of schools and colleges. Online learning platforms can also adapt to such themes through the learning design technique, for example, simulation games and immersive interfaces for active learning.
- User experience: One of the crucial elements of design thinking is focusing on user experience and interface design (UI/UX) to provide them with applications that are easy to navigate. It helps the learners to explore the courses smoothly and switch between the options.
Most of the UX apps play a crucial role in increasing the engagement, user satisfaction and retention which ultimately leads to the expected positive outcome.
- Pedagogical practices: Providing the learners with an educational source that is both relevant and useful for them varies depending on the type of course, the level of the learners, and the outcome they expect from the system.
Established online learning platforms like domestika cater to the needs of several learners across the globe, applying all the latest technologies and trends that revolve around the concept of learning design techniques. They divide the course structure into multiple modules and lessons with clear learning objectives and a logical progression of topics. Using multimedia in their teaching methods is another great example of implementing learning design, where they use a combination of texts, images, and videos to create an intuitive learning platform.
The future learning platforms should not only encompass the existing array of features and functionalities, but the new learning designers through design courses might need expertise in graphic designing, UX/UI design specifications, and an in-depth understanding of the subject matter to create a learning platform that surpasses the level of excellence.
