We have all heard the expression “A picture is worth 1000 words.” But what does this mean, especially in e-Learning design?
Using a common canvas, game and Web designers, as well as online marketing experts, take advantage of the 1,000,000 nerves connecting the eyes to the brain. That’s about 60 % more than the number of nerves connecting the ear and the brain! So why do we compromise visual design when it comes to online learning?
We’ll explore this question in this article, and we’ll introduce some design concepts that non-designers may wish to consider before undertaking their next e-Learning project. Specifically, you’ll read about:
- Art vs. Design
- The 50 millisecond mark
- The importance of color
- Basic Design Principles
- Balance
- Proportion
- Dominance
- Rhythm
- Unity
Introduction
So what does design have anything to do with e-Learning, anyway? Well, there is obviously instructional design. It’s the sort that goes into re-purposing content, such as raw text, images, video and audio, etc., into cohesive and engaging courseware. OK, that’s just dandy, “I already do that,” you say, “but I am no Michelangelo. What do I know about art?!”
Yes, perhaps you aren’t an artist. Perhaps your “masterpiece” consisted of stick figures on paper, drawn way back in second grade. Sadly, we cannot offer you any assistance if your aspirations are to become a world renowned artist. We can, however, provide you with some basic graphic design know-how for putting together a visually pleasing e-Learning course.
Art and design: Same, same, but different
"Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated."
Paul Rand, 1914-1996, famous graphic designer
Before we go any further it is important that we have at least a cursory discussion on the difference between art and design. We don’t claim to be experts, and it is a philosophical discussion altogether that merits its own treatment. Wikipedia defines art as a product of human activity intended to stimulate the senses and evoke emotional response. Design, on the other hand, is the development of a plan for a product, structure, system, or component that requires the consideration of aesthetics and function. From these definitions, we can gather that design is analytical and procedural, requiring tools and techniques; which means it is learnable, and therefore is an acquired skill.
Michael Brady points out that the distinction between art and design has many faces. The difference may be observed in the purpose, process, judgement, and materials involved in each. Art is its own end and requires no purpose other than for itself; it’s not utilitarian. Conversely, design is defined by its purpose and utility. Design depends on how parts work with one another, how it serves the client, and how it conveys information. Design is scrutinized by usability and purpose, and must be made to fit that end.
The artistic process differs from the design process in that art does not rely on “variables” as much as design does. The artist’s mind conceives an artistic piece with the end already known, working its way backwards, such as in a painting or sculpture. In design, on the other hand, the designer must consider many factors before undergoing the creative process. Those factors include pre-existing materials such as text, photographs, and colors, as well as usage, audience, etc.
Judgement requires a social criterion to determine success and failure. The basis for judging both art and design is the fundamental scale of beauty, and how closely the example of art or design approaches it. While we accept art for its own merits with little regard for its purpose, design carries the burden of purpose, and the “usefulness” of design is the measure of its success.
Art and design use materials differently. Art relishes in the materials that compose it, and considers them integral to itself such as in mixed media paintings of Jasper Johns' Flag (http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/1996/johns/pages/johns.flag.html).
Design, on the other hand, uses its materials as a vehicle for its purpose. The sample pictographs from the National Park Service in Figure 1 focus on visual communication and presentation. The material each pictograph is attached to is inconsequential to how it is used.
Now that you have a general idea of the differences between art and design, we hope you realize that design is really a set of learnable techniques or “tools,” if you will, to add to your design arsenal to help you better convey your instructional message across.
"Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together."
Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch post-impressionist artist
You’ve got 50 milliseconds: Ready, set … time’s up!
“Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.”
John Updike, American novelist A Month of Sundays
Did you know that it only takes about 50 milliseconds, or half the time for a human to blink, to accurately decide a Web site’s visual appeal? That’s what Gitte Lindgaard and her colleagues Cathy Dudek, Gary Fernandes, and J. Brown discovered in their research (see References at the end of this article). It is shocking to know that one-twentieth of a second is all it takes for aesthetics to elicit an emotional response. While Lindgaard’s study focuses on the factors that affect a user’s emotional response to a Web site, it is particularly relevant to us as e-Learning practitioners because the Web is the primary medium of our profession. Additionally, it corroborates the importance of an online courseware’s visual design impact.
There are three levels to emotional processing, according to Don Norman. The first, a subconscious “visceral response,” is perceptual and immediate (50 milliseconds). In fact, Robert Zajonc asserts that this immediate response is instinctive, biologically hard-wired in our physiology, and that it happens before the brain has had the time to cognitively recognize it. This is what Lindgaard refers to as the “mere exposure effect” (also known as “halo effect,” as some writers prefer to call it).
The second level of emotion is expectation-based; it is behavioral and takes place subconsciously. Judgement at this point is based on the comparison between what the user senses and the degree to which the stimulus actually satisfies that expectation.
The third level of emotion is reflective and intellectually-driven. At that point the user shifts to cognition. And, according to Gitte Lindgaard, depending on the first impression given by a new Web site, the user’s mind tries to validate the positive or negative response it experienced. If positive, the user concentrates on the enjoyable aspects of the site. If negative, usability issues become the centre of attention.
So, what does this mean? It means that by the time a user reaches the third level of emotion, she has already summed up her initial reactions in an emotional experience. The user decides on the merits, or lack thereof, of the online environment based on that experience. The mind tries to rationalize the first impression, seeking to find proof in the body’s initial reaction.
Having established the impact of aesthetics on first impressions, we are hard-pressed not to consider how this translates to online interactions. First impressions are powerful in that they can influence and impair judgement through selective filtering of incoming stimuli. Clifford Mynatt and his colleagues called this “confirmation bias” in their 1977 work. Information that does not conform to the initial impression is ignored. Making a positive first impression in the onset is pivotal to any learning environment. Cognition follows after the emotions have already colored the mind’s decision to like or not like the online experience, even before any of the text has ever been considered.
Lindgaard notes that, “The mere exposure effect begins to wane once the stimulus exposure time exceeds 50msec, when the organism begins to take more detailed information into consideration ... This has important implications ... because the value of textual information is likely to be assessed in terms of the site’s immediate visual appeal.”
Color is key: The Emperor’s new clothes
“The wise become as the unwise in the enchanted chambers of Power, whose lamps make every face the same colour.”
Walter Savage Landor, English writer and poet
There is a widespread misconception that interface design, particularly in the case of online learning environments, is all about “navigation.” This is David Guralnick’s observation. It is a sad day when a designer utters the words: “function THEN form.” The world weeps and all is lost. All drama aside, usability has been over-analyzed and over-thought. Interface design, in the context of online learning, is all about putting the learner in an appropriate environment to learn. Form AND function is the motto of a designer, and with that the “design process” must begin.
When starting any visual composition, there must be a decision regarding color. Should the composition be monochromatic or vibrant with color? What mood should be conveyed: cold, sombre, loud, erotic, or calming? James Knutson found, for example, that color is a known significant influence on a user’s first impressions. Studies show that upon opening a new Web environment, the background color appears prominently before the content becomes noticeable in the foreground. An informal experiment by Lindgaard, where computer science/HCI (human computer interaction) students were randomly shown Web sites with content of equal value in interest to all participants, unequivocally indicates color as the main reason for disliking a site. The results also show color preferences in users: white and blue rank as the most favoured, whereas black and yellow were the least favored; pastel shades ranked high in terms of appropriateness opposite darker shades.
You are probably asking yourself, “What do I know about color? I haven’t a clue where to begin!” Well, for starters, don’t be afraid of color. Combined properly, color can create an environment that is welcoming, easy on the eyes, and conducive to learning.
In addition to enhancing aesthetics, color can be used to attract attention, group elements, and indicate meaning. Use color conservatively by limiting your palette. A good rule is to limit your colors to five, depending on the complexity of the design.
Before finalizing your color story, ask yourself if it is right for your target audience. Is the color age appropriate? Does the color have a cultural meaning? Provide your learners with a lot of white space; this offers learners visual resting place between content. Yellow is a very strong color, but if you must use it, use it sparingly, perhaps as an accent or as a means of pointing things out.
Remember working with color isn’t rocket science. To help you explore the possibilities of color visit Janet Lynn Ford’s site (http://www.worqx.com/color/color_basics.htm). She has put together an excellent resource on the subject from basic color theory to color combinations. The site also offers free tools that help you pick colors and coordinate them. Another useful site is the AVIVA Directory (http://www.avivadirectory.com/color/). In addition to providing online color tools, it offers links to downloadable software, color schemes, techniques, and other references.
