What is an Instructional Designer?

Instructional designers create content to help people learn. They may develop a YouTube video, an online course, a How-To article, a PowerPoint presentation. Any type of content that has a goal to educate the audience and solve a problem.

Designers often know how people learn best. They know how companies operate. And, they know how to organize complex information to make it easy to understand.

You’ve probably seen some instructional design content before. Below are three examples.

👇 Here’s an example of a free beginner course to help users learn Jira Software.

👇 Here’s an example of a training video providing tips to run better meetings.

Why Writing is a Must-Have Skill for Instructional Designers

The written word is the primary medium through which you communicate information to learners.

Good writing provides clear, concise instructions that are easy for learners to follow.

When instructional writing is done well, it has the power to reduce cognitive load, improve memory retention, and increase content engagement. It’s a catalyst for learning, not a blocker.

Bad writing is a barrier to the learning process.

• Poorly worded instructions confuse learners
• Disorganized information frustrates learners
• Inconsistent grammar and punctuation destroy your credibility for learners

If you can’t communicate ideas through writing, you‘ll struggle as an instructional designer.

The good news for you?

If you’ve been writing for a while, you’ve already got some of the necessary skills. 🙌

Even if you’ve only published a few Medium articles or written a few guest posts, those writing skills will be important to kickstart your journey to becoming an instructional designer.

How to Become an Instructional Designer

Don’t have any experience in instructional design? That’s okay!

You don’t need a formal background in instructional design.

My background is in marketing. I’ve been writing content and creating instructional videos for years, without the formal title of “instructional designer.”

Over time, my career shifted to focus on developing learning-specific content, only. And I didn’t need an MA in Learning Design to get here.

You too can use the skills you have now, to start your career in instructional design.

Here’s what to do next:

• Keep writing instructional content: The more you write, the sharper your skills will become. Hop on your favorite platform and start creating content. Write How-To guides, video scripts, Twitter threads. Anything that has a goal of educating your audience.
• Understand some learning models and theories: Get familiar with the ADDIE model, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gagne’s Nine Events, Mayer’s Multimedia Principles, and Merrill’s Principles. These will help make your learning content clear and understandable.
• Practice other skills: Along with writing, you’ll want to develop skills in project management, SME communication, curriculum development, creativity, visual design, video editing, and eLearning development. Any skill that will help you take complex information and make it easy for others to understand.
• Create a portfolio: This is an important one! I’ve helped hire many instructional designers. If you don’t have a strong portfolio, it’s a firm no! Even if you don’t have formal experience in instructional design work, build a portfolio anyway. Create mock projects for yourself and use your skills to create a solution you can showcase to others.
• Learn from the experts: There are tons of great resources out there to help you. When I was first getting started, these people were lifesavers to steer me in the right direction. Follow them on Linkedin, read/watch their content, and engage with their posts.

Here’s that list of experts you should follow:

• Devlin Peck is the ultimate go-to for new instructional designers! Devlin has incredible articles and videos, meant to help people like you that are brand new to the field. He also has courses like this bootcamp to help you build a powerful portfolio.
• Melissa Milloway is perhaps one of the most notable in the field of learning design, leading teams at companies like Amazon and Miro. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with tips and lessons in learning design.
• Mike Taylor is a seasoned pro in learning design, sharing content from the intersection of learning, design, and technology. He’s got an amazing newsletter he sends out every Friday. Sign up for it here.
• Christy Tucker is a learning consultant that specializes in e-learning and scenario-based learning. She has some great resources on storytelling and technology. Check out here step-by-step branching scenario course here.
• Ant Pugh is a learning design consultant that focuses on digital and blended learning experiences. He also helps aspiring learning designers (like you) through his daily emails.
• Anna Sabramowicz is a storytelling expert. She helps instructional designers and e-learning developers craft and launch interactive stories and scenarios. Check out her free case study to learn about her process.
• Tim Slade has written books and created videos for new eLearning designers. He’s created some of the most reputable resources to help people grow their eLearning skills and careers.

If you want a career in writing, instructional design can give you the creativity and financial success you desire — it’s a great way to use your skills to others learn.

Now’s the time to get started.

Go get ‘em. ✌️