Well-designed materials can motivate learners, improve comprehension, and assist optimal retention. If you need rapid, easily actionable ways to improve your eLearning and slides, join this session to learn the power principles that will have the biggest impact on your designs.

1. The Ultimate Crash Course
in eLearning Visual Design
with Connie Malamed,
Founder, Mastering Instructional Design
Publisher, The eLearning Coach
Tara Dwyer
Webinar Coordinator, eLearning Learning
Connie Malamed
Founder, Mastering Instructional Design
Publisher, The eLearning Coach
February 2nd, 2023
12:30pm PST, 3:30pm EST, 7:30pm GMT

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4. Connie Malamed
Founder, Mastering Instructional Design
Publisher, The eLearning Coach

5. Connie Malamed
masteringid.com

6. You Already
Know A Lot
You Already
Know A Lot

7. TRUE
FALSE
FALSE
Fill up the slide. People need to learn!

8. TRUE
TRUE
In most instances, stick with one
or two fonts.
FALSE

9. BENEFITS OF USING GRAPHICS
Represent concepts
Show relationships
in data
Allow for comparisons
Aesthetically pleasing
and motivating
Serve as a
cognitive aid
Provide a way to
see patterns in data

10. ANSWER IN CHAT
What benefits do you see in
using graphics for learning?

11. Design versus Art
Design versus Art

12. DESIGN ART
Design is utilitarian An end in itself
Communicates a
specific message
Self-expression
Starts with assets Starts with a blank slate
Judged by effectiveness Judged by beauty or insight

13. VISUALS TEXT
GRAPHIC SPACE
VISUAL DESIGN

14. PRINCIPLES FOR
IMPROVING
YOUR DESIGNS
PRINCIPLES FOR
IMPROVING
YOUR DESIGNS

16. 1
Remove
Extraneous
Information

17. Cognitive Load
Total amount of mental
activity imposed on
working memory in any
one instant.

18. WM
High Cognitive Load
We can only process small
amounts of information at one time.
Extraneous cognitive load
obstructs learning.

19. Avoid logo on
every slide
Avoid date on
every slide
Avoid irrelevant
graphics
Avoid busy
backgrounds
Ways to Reduce CL

20. Introduction
In order to design for the human mind, it’s helpful to understand how attention guides a person
to perceive and then comprehend information while learning. Outside of research circles, one
under discussed phenomenon is bottom-up and top-down processing. The theory provides an
insightful look at how the brain works and how we can apply this to learning and visual design.
It starts during perception.
Psychology 101
In your first psychology or biology class, you probably learned that perception is becoming
aware of something through the senses. The Encyclopedia of Perception defines it like this,
“Perception comprises an integration of top-down and bottom-up information, with their
relative importance determined as a function of the available sensory information, the task at
hand, the perceiver’s goals, and past experiences.” These ideas become more clear if you
look at each type of processing.
Bottom-Up Processing
Bottom-up processing refers to information coming through the senses that influences
perception. Some refer to this as stimulus-driven or data-driven perception. If you notice a
brightly colored painting before noticing a subdued one, it is probably due to bottom-up
processing. Bottom-up processing occurs early in the perceptual process without conscious
attention or effort.

21. SLIDES
ARE FREE

22. Use
Subtractive
Design
2

23. Subtractive Design
Removing unnecessary elements up to
the point where the design breaks.

24. 2012 Commonwealth Fund study
üHalf of primary care physicians age 50
years or older planned to leave practice
within five years
ü30% of those age 35 to 39 plan to leave2
2015 Mayo Clinic study
ü >50% of physicians report at
least one symptom of burnout1
2014 Physicians Foundation survey
ü 50% would not recommend medicine
as a career to their children
HHI Hospital
February 2, 2023 PHYSICIAN STRESS AND BURNOUT

25. 2012 Commonwealth Fund study
üHalf of primary care physicians age 50
years or older planned to leave practice
within five years
ü30% of those age 35 to 39 plan to leave2
2015 Mayo Clinic study
ü >50% of physicians report at
least one symptom of burnout1
2014 Physicians Foundation survey
ü 50% would not recommend medicine
as a career to their children

26. 2012 Commonwealth Fund study
üHalf of primary care physicians age 50
years or older planned to leave practice
within five years
ü30% of those age 35 to 39 plan to leave2
2015 Mayo Clinic study
ü >50% of physicians report at
least one symptom of burnout1
2014 Physicians Foundation survey
ü 50% would not recommend medicine
as a career to their children

27. Of physicians report at least
one symptom of burnout
2015 Mayo Clinic Study
50%

28. Of physicians report
at least one symptom
of burnout
2015 Mayo Clinic Study
50%

29. Of physicians report at least
one symptom of burnout
2015 Mayo Clinic Study
50%

30. Of physicians report at least
one symptom of burnout
2015 Mayo Clinic Study
50%

31. 3
Align
Your
Design

38. 4Organize
Graphic
Space

41. Graphic Space:
Where we
manipulate images
and text to
communicate

42. Foreground and
Background

43. White Space:
the area not occupied
by visuals or text

45. Layout Considerations
Layout Considerations

48. Working in
the U.S.

49. Working
in the
United
States

50. Antonio is a citizen of another
country who is temporarily
working in the United States in a
cultural exchange. Which type of
visa is appropriate for his stay?
H-1B
H-2B
Q-1

51. 5
Create a
Visual
Hierarchy

52. Visual Hierarchy
Controls the order in which the
viewer sees visual elements.

53. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2009 2012 2015 2018
Millions
of
users
By 2018, the number of people in the US who are using mobile devices to
purchase products online will surpass the number using computers
Mobile
Computer
eCommerce is Going Mobile

54. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2009 2012 2015 2018
Millions
of
users
Mobile
Computer
eCommerce is Going Mobile
By 2018, the number of people in the US who are using mobile devices to
purchase products online will surpass the number using computers

55. Focal Point
Most
Important

56. Position

57. Size

58. Color

59. Color and Size

60. Visual Cue

61. Numbering
2
1

62. How did the designer establish a
visual hierarchy on this web page?
ANSWER IN CHAT

63. Establish a Hierarchy
1. Position
2. Size
3. Color
4. Visual Cue
5. Numbering

64. Transform
Bullet Points
to Visuals
6

65. How to Be Happier
• Cultivate Optimism
• Exercise More
• Find Your Purpose
• Foster Friendships
Bullet List

66. Text in Shapes
Cultivate
Optimism
Exercise
More
Find Your
Purpose
Foster
Friendships

67. Styled Shapes
Exercise
More
Find Your
Purpose
Foster
Friendships
Cultivate
Optimism
HOW TO BE HAPPIER

68. Bullet List
Construction Work Guidelines
• Wear protective equipment appropriate for the job
• Maintain and sharpen tools on a regular schedule
• Inspect all completed work
• Document all work and submit to your supervisor

69. Document all work and submit to your supervisor
Inspect all completed work
Wear protective equipment appropriate for the job
Icons and Text
Maintain and sharpen tools on a regular schedule

70. Icons and Text
Wear protective
gear appropriate for
the job
Maintain and
sharpen tools on a
regular schedule
Inspect all
completed work
Document all work
and submit to your
supervisor

71. Bullet List
Leadership
• Give positive feedback
• Lead by example
• Admit mistakes and apologize

72. Bullets in Word Bubbles
I make sure I give
positive feedback.
I lead by example.
I admit my
mistakes.

73. Bullet List
Design Considerations
• White space
• Typography
• Imagery
• Color palette
• Visual hierarchy
• Grouping

74. Diagram
Visual
Design
White Space
T
y
p
o
g
r
a
p
h
y
Grouping
Hierarchy
Imagery
Colors

75. Simplify
Your Fonts
7

76. Typography
Designing with words and letters.

77. Elegant or casual?

78. Formal or informal?

79. SANS-SERIF
SERIF
SCRIPT

80. One Typeface
Find a typeface with a lot of styles.

81. Text on Backgrounds
Text on Backgrounds

82. Backgrounds with
a wide color
gradient may not
provide sufficient
contrast

83. Backgrounds with
a narrow color
gradient provide
consistent contrast

84. Virtual Reality provides a safe environment for
solving problems using realistic scenarios.

85. Virtual Reality provides a safe environment for solving
problems using realistic scenarios.

86. Virtual Reality provides a safe environment for solving
problems using realistic scenarios.

87. How can I improve?
How can I improve?

88. Analyze design around you
Learn the principles
Practice, practice, practice

90. THANK YOU
THANK YOU
Connie Malamed
masteringid.com
elearningcoach.com

91. /in/conniemalamed/
Founder, Mastering Instructional Design
Publisher, The eLearning Coach
Connie Malamed
masteringid.com
Tara Dwyer
Webinar Coordinator
eLearning Learning
/in/dwyertara/
elearninglearning.com
Q&A
theelearningcoach.com