Thanks for the thoughtful comments. You’re right on; this is a much a call to action as anything else.
What I hope for is a larger number of instructional designers and educators coming to the web development table so that we can benefit from their knowledge and understanding of how we learn and how we relate to information—how we internalize and integrate it. We understand many elements of the web very well—but there are some things, like how to best structure it for learning, that we don’t understand so well. There are professionals that can help us in that, but we’ve largely left them out of the conversation. This is my cursory attempt to begin drawing them in.
Amber’s article was excellent and sparked a lot of ideas for me. I wanted to pass along a few sites I think do a great job in using narrative and a variety of styles and approaches to present information.
“The Tofte Project”:http://tofteproject.com/flash.html
Opens with a great narrative overview and sets the tone for the rest of the content. Presents info in short 1-2 minute vignettes, mixes graphics with text, narrative, stats & data and offers multiple paths of discovery and navigation.
“Becoming Human”:http://becominghuman.org/node/interactive-documentary
This site is broad and covers a lot of info, but breaks things down into layers. The outer layer is easy to digest info that draws you in; the deeper layers are for research-oriented folks looking for in-depth text.
“The Selway River”:http://web.archive.org/web/19990508075025/www.nationalgeographic.com/selway/home/firsthome.html (made in 1996, accessible thru the wayback machine)
This site was a rare gem in 1996 when the rest of the web looked like Jakob Nielsen’s site. It explores a river trip using bite-sized narrative and interesting sidebars. The site does a good job exploring a topic from various angles and interest levels.
One of the issues with learning on the web is that institutions generally wall off learning within LMSs (Learning Management Systems) where sometimes, it might be better for learners (students) to explore and bring back information to the classroom or online space. Considering that some LMSs are not that accessible from a usability standpoint and are not flexible in the design end of things… it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Another issue that’s out there is that instructors at higher education institutions are generally not web designers – so while they may understand how to design instruction they don’t know how to structure navigation, interaction… becoming a teacher has gone from being a subject matter expert to being also a creator of content. As we (educators) move towards more of our interaction occurring in online spaces, we’ll see some forward motion on the aesthetics of the formal e-learning spaces.
I suspect that eventually we’ll get to the point where both formal and informal spaces look great, are usable and are full of great content. I also hope that at that moment, things will be more open, flexible and more discoverable. That will take a shift from educators and educational institutions in their philosophy of education, though.
@Dave: Thank you for those examples! Very cool! (Especially the one from 96; way ahead of its time.)
@Jon: The point about LMSs is a good one. I used to work for an eLearning firm, so I’m familiar with the obstacles of porting learning materials form one platform to another—and moreover, making the best use of the platforms’ different potentials and abilities.
But technology aside, I feel the most salient point is this one: “so while they may understand how to design instruction they don’t know how to structure navigation, interaction”¦” And similarly, those of us who know the web side of it don’t necessarily understand the cognitive and learning aspects of it. That’s precisely why I wanted to write this article: to shed some light on a potential bridge between the two groups and bring them together. Web-native, interactive, discoverable learning environments aren’t going to emerge from any highly specialized field: it’s the cross-over and multidisciplinary teams that are going to make this happen. The less we silo ourselves and the more we bring different perspectives and specialties together, the better our chances at building a web that does more than waste our time and sell us crap we don’t need.
Thanks for the eye-opening piece, Amber. I guess though everyone has there own idea of what a good website is. But you do raise a lot of salient points. The users/visitors are ultimately the final judge & jury.
I really liked your analogy of of the seven year old girl who had an opportunity to learn from a great book, but she didn’t quite understand the relavence. Later as a woman, you read the same passages, and the text made sense for you. The book never changed, the context was the same; however, it was your perspective that was altered.
In the same way, we need to help our clients understand the perspectives that their audience may gain from their website from a contexual point of view. Whether that is through a narrative perpective or purely design focused, as long as the intended perspective is brought forth from a user’s understanding – that is important. Great article.
An interesting article indeed.
Narrative may not work for everyone. It does make the content more interesting, but in my opinion, it can actually cloud the main idea of the content and the learners end up getting more of the narrative instead of the knowledge itself.
Websites do not need to be overly complicated to be good. You can have simple navigation, simple graphics and design that is easy for newbies to get around, but still look and feel good.
I don’t think it is possible for everyone to consider learners. For example; having help promps on their website. However if someone new wants to browse more websites then surely they can learn it on a website that is designed to help newbies.
Fascinating article.
The case studies are good,Nice work, very informative.
I do agree that sites should be very informative
When we are working on the Web. It is our responsibility to learn
to design for the users unique point of view, needs and desires.
I have already started to think of some experiments with with it.
Not an easy approach to take, but exactly what i need right now.
Thanks for this article Amber, well done. Interestingly enough, it strikes at the essence of modern internet marketing methodology. Today, successful sites (whether commercial or otherwise) focus a lot of energy engaging with prospective customers by providing remarkable, useful content from which visiting traffic can expect to benefit for free.
If one were to subscribe to the recently coined ‘Inbound Marketing’ dogma, their site would include a blog that genuinely educates, downloads and free tools that address a need, and a way to smoothly communicate with the website’s owners or representatives.
Clearly there is much that can be directly applied from your article to Inbound Marketing with regard to how remarkable content and tools can be staged in order to foster free-wheeling, unconstrained learning.
24 Reader Comments
Back to the ArticleAmber Simmons
Kieran,
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. You’re right on; this is a much a call to action as anything else.
What I hope for is a larger number of instructional designers and educators coming to the web development table so that we can benefit from their knowledge and understanding of how we learn and how we relate to information—how we internalize and integrate it. We understand many elements of the web very well—but there are some things, like how to best structure it for learning, that we don’t understand so well. There are professionals that can help us in that, but we’ve largely left them out of the conversation. This is my cursory attempt to begin drawing them in.
dave rau
Amber’s article was excellent and sparked a lot of ideas for me. I wanted to pass along a few sites I think do a great job in using narrative and a variety of styles and approaches to present information.
“The Tofte Project”:http://tofteproject.com/flash.html
Opens with a great narrative overview and sets the tone for the rest of the content. Presents info in short 1-2 minute vignettes, mixes graphics with text, narrative, stats & data and offers multiple paths of discovery and navigation.
“Becoming Human”:http://becominghuman.org/node/interactive-documentary
This site is broad and covers a lot of info, but breaks things down into layers. The outer layer is easy to digest info that draws you in; the deeper layers are for research-oriented folks looking for in-depth text.
“The Selway River”:http://web.archive.org/web/19990508075025/www.nationalgeographic.com/selway/home/firsthome.html (made in 1996, accessible thru the wayback machine)
This site was a rare gem in 1996 when the rest of the web looked like Jakob Nielsen’s site. It explores a river trip using bite-sized narrative and interesting sidebars. The site does a good job exploring a topic from various angles and interest levels.
Jon Kruithof
One of the issues with learning on the web is that institutions generally wall off learning within LMSs (Learning Management Systems) where sometimes, it might be better for learners (students) to explore and bring back information to the classroom or online space. Considering that some LMSs are not that accessible from a usability standpoint and are not flexible in the design end of things… it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Another issue that’s out there is that instructors at higher education institutions are generally not web designers – so while they may understand how to design instruction they don’t know how to structure navigation, interaction… becoming a teacher has gone from being a subject matter expert to being also a creator of content. As we (educators) move towards more of our interaction occurring in online spaces, we’ll see some forward motion on the aesthetics of the formal e-learning spaces.
I suspect that eventually we’ll get to the point where both formal and informal spaces look great, are usable and are full of great content. I also hope that at that moment, things will be more open, flexible and more discoverable. That will take a shift from educators and educational institutions in their philosophy of education, though.
ididthis
Thanks Amber, I don’t think I’ve ever read an article this big word for word. Content is something I struggle with, so I think this helped.
guxt65
“I think allowing users to follow their desire paths creates an environment that they want to be a part of”
That is what I think, but how can I do that? That is my struggle!
I really think that I don’t have the skills to do that.
Amber Simmons
@Dave: Thank you for those examples! Very cool! (Especially the one from 96; way ahead of its time.)
@Jon: The point about LMSs is a good one. I used to work for an eLearning firm, so I’m familiar with the obstacles of porting learning materials form one platform to another—and moreover, making the best use of the platforms’ different potentials and abilities.
But technology aside, I feel the most salient point is this one: “so while they may understand how to design instruction they don’t know how to structure navigation, interaction”¦” And similarly, those of us who know the web side of it don’t necessarily understand the cognitive and learning aspects of it. That’s precisely why I wanted to write this article: to shed some light on a potential bridge between the two groups and bring them together. Web-native, interactive, discoverable learning environments aren’t going to emerge from any highly specialized field: it’s the cross-over and multidisciplinary teams that are going to make this happen. The less we silo ourselves and the more we bring different perspectives and specialties together, the better our chances at building a web that does more than waste our time and sell us crap we don’t need.
agarwood
Thanks for the eye-opening piece, Amber. I guess though everyone has there own idea of what a good website is. But you do raise a lot of salient points. The users/visitors are ultimately the final judge & jury.
Orlando Website Design
Amber, you make some great points…
It’s true, most websites aren’t user friendly at all.
Good article
websitedesign
I really liked your analogy of of the seven year old girl who had an opportunity to learn from a great book, but she didn’t quite understand the relavence. Later as a woman, you read the same passages, and the text made sense for you. The book never changed, the context was the same; however, it was your perspective that was altered.
In the same way, we need to help our clients understand the perspectives that their audience may gain from their website from a contexual point of view. Whether that is through a narrative perpective or purely design focused, as long as the intended perspective is brought forth from a user’s understanding – that is important. Great article.
Ash
An interesting article indeed.
Narrative may not work for everyone. It does make the content more interesting, but in my opinion, it can actually cloud the main idea of the content and the learners end up getting more of the narrative instead of the knowledge itself.
davidblack
Websites do not need to be overly complicated to be good. You can have simple navigation, simple graphics and design that is easy for newbies to get around, but still look and feel good.
I don’t think it is possible for everyone to consider learners. For example; having help promps on their website. However if someone new wants to browse more websites then surely they can learn it on a website that is designed to help newbies.
nevin
Fascinating article.
The case studies are good,Nice work, very informative.
I do agree that sites should be very informative
When we are working on the Web. It is our responsibility to learn
to design for the users unique point of view, needs and desires.
I have already started to think of some experiments with with it.
Not an easy approach to take, but exactly what i need right now.
prastello
Thanks for this article Amber, well done. Interestingly enough, it strikes at the essence of modern internet marketing methodology. Today, successful sites (whether commercial or otherwise) focus a lot of energy engaging with prospective customers by providing remarkable, useful content from which visiting traffic can expect to benefit for free.
If one were to subscribe to the recently coined ‘Inbound Marketing’ dogma, their site would include a blog that genuinely educates, downloads and free tools that address a need, and a way to smoothly communicate with the website’s owners or representatives.
Clearly there is much that can be directly applied from your article to Inbound Marketing with regard to how remarkable content and tools can be staged in order to foster free-wheeling, unconstrained learning.
nrjdesign
The internet is the greatest contribution to learning since the printing press.”
I would go even so far as to say the Internet is the greatest contribution to learning, period. Great article.