Learn. Show. Repeat.

23 Aug

Can I take your order?

This is a question that you might hear in a fast food restaurant. However, when a request for training comes to the L&D team and we provide it - we're effectively asking the same thing. Do we want to be thought of as the people who create training or design content? Or do we want to be known as the people who solve problems in our organisations? If it's the second question, then we need to really determine the problem we are trying to solve. This means starting with curiosity and not content. Here's some ideas about how that can...
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18 Feb

The Use Framework for performance solutions

Posted by Matt Guyan | Reflections |

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the work that we do within in the field of L&D. Usually, we add up all the 'things' we've produced and tell others within our organisations about all the work we’ve done. Unfortunately, many L&D teams talk in terms of outputs instead of outcomes. But what’s the point of making more 'things' if they don’t make a difference in terms of performance? A big part of the problem is that the starting point and consequently the focus of our activities is on content. There must be a better way. In my previous two posts (One...
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30 Jan

One more ‘Use’ word for L&D

Posted by Matt Guyan | Reflections |

Not long after publishing my previous post Three ‘Use’ words for L&D, it occurred to me that while these words relate to the learning solutions itself, there’s a fourth ‘use’ word that I neglected to include. User. It’s by understanding the context of the user that we can create something useful. Something that has a purpose and solves a problem for them. It’s by testing with users that we can determine the usability (and make changes from feedback). We can discover if it can be located when needed and if it’s uncomplicated to use. It’s by collecting and analysing data...
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25 Jan

Three ‘Use’ words for L&D

Posted by Matt Guyan | Reflections |

I’m currently completing an online course on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) via the Interaction Design Foundation. In one lesson, Prof Alan Dix talks about three ‘use’ words within the design side of HCI. It got me thinking that these three words could also apply to learning and development. If we are to make a difference in our organisations, we need to design and create solutions that are: Useful It helps people do something they need to do, when they need to do it. It’s functional and serves a purpose. It produces results for the user and ultimately the organisation. Ask yourself:...
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09 Sep

From Instruction to Experience

Posted by Matt Guyan | Reflections, User Experience |

Recently, I’ve noticed a shift happening within the learning field. The role of Instructional Designer (ID) is evolving into a Learning Experience Designer (LXD). So, what’s the difference? Ceren Korkmaz1 offers a distinction between the two terms that resonates with me: “instructional design emphasizes the source of knowledge – in other words the planning of the teaching activities. However, learning experience design concentrates more on the destination of knowledge, or the learner.” Having worked as an ID in the eLearning space for several years, much of the focus of my work has been on the design of content – the...
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Learn. Show. Repeat.

Can I take your order?

The Use Framework for performance solutions

One more ‘Use’ word for L&D

Three ‘Use’ words for L&D

From Instruction to Experience

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