We eat with our eyes: The importance of visual design in eLearning
In a past life I was a chef, and I’ve spent many years hunched over various pieces of cooking apparatus, tongs an extension of my own arms, seasoning and assembling dishes en masse for the hungry throngs. One thing that has stuck with me (apart from the PTSD induced by the docket printer), is the saying “you eat with your eyes”, the core idea that the visual presentation of the food can significantly shape or enhance how much the customer enjoys it.
Why am I mentioning this? At Optivly, this has funnily enough become a bit of a mantra in our own work. We have a strong belief that visual design in eLearning is a must, and often visuals (along with audio), are the only options we have to appeal to the senses of the learner. It can convey mood, immerse you in the narrative, extend on a business culture and livery, bring humour or surprise, or simply provide an intuitive user experience.
In my journeys over the years it does appear to be a trend I’ve noticed: visual design in eLearning often gets sidelined. This usually isn’t intentional, it might stem from thinking like;
- We just need content for compliance
- We want a central info source to store
- We want to stop emailing resources, so we’ll upload documents online for people to consume
- We simply don’t have the budget to worry about that
I do realise of course that there is a time and place, that every e-learning product doesn’t necessarily require a Michelin level of visual drama and refinement that costs you $100 a plate. The point however remains, if we want people to genuinely engage with learning (especially when it’s mandatory), how we present it will make a difference, and even basic content will benefit from simple, deliberate design choices.
A lot of this is to do with the brain’s strengths in pattern recognition and spatial reasoning. Well-constructed visual design in eLearning enables more rapid comprehension and reduce the mental effort needed to interpret content, whereas cluttered or hard to predict interfaces hinder our ability to process what’s in front of us. This can place unnecessary strain on the brain, undermining learning objectives and potentially leading to frustration and disengagement.
Below are some summarised benefits to good visual design in eLearning:
| Immediate Clarity & Reduced Cognitive Load Clear layouts, generous white space, and logical groupings help learners quickly orient and focus. |
| Improved Memory, Comprehension, & Usability Visual hierarchies and supporting icons/diagrams make abstract concepts easier to understand and recall. |
| Increased Engagement & Enduring Motivation Captivating visuals and interactive elements capture attention, especially for mandatory training. |
| Accessibility & Inclusion Designing for a good user experience, with high contrast, clear fonts, alt-text, and intuitive navigation ensures usability. Being clear on your visual layout and chunks can also help you plan how to tell your story to people with visual impairment because your hierarchy and key elements are clear. |
| Brand Value & Trust A polished, on-brand appearance increases perceived quality and builds stakeholder confidence. |
| Creates emotion and Investment Easter eggs, narrative driven scenes or custom characters invite the learner to resonate with the content and want to find out more about the story being told. |
The key message to walk away with? Just like a well presented dish can be the difference between a meal you reluctantly eat as part of a daily routine, and one you savour and remember, well executed visual design can be the difference between a learner who clicks through to “tick the box” and one who genuinely engages with the topic at hand
By thoughtfully weaving these elements into your approach, you’re setting the learner up for success and contributing to creating a positive mindset towards e-learning in your organisation.
References – Visual Design in eLearning
- Challenging Cognitive Load Theory: The Role of Educational Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence in Redefining Learning Efficacy – PMC
- Managing cognitive load optimises learning | Australian Education Research Organisation
- Cognitive load theory: Research that teachers really need to understand
- (PDF) The Use of Visualization in Teaching and Learning Process for Developing Critical Thinking of Students
Check out some of the teams work in our portfolio page – Portfolio Listing – Optivly
