Visual thinking tools for Learning and Development

1. Sprout Labs
Thinking
Visually

2. Sprout Labs
VISUAL THINKING
Why is visual thinking
important?
What is the purpose
of each graphic you
use?
How can you make your
learning content more visual?

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4. Sprout Labs
90% of information
transmitted to the brain is
visual. The brain processes
visual scenes around
60,000 x faster than text
http://www.t-sciences.com/news/humans-process-visual-data-better

5. Sprout Labs
‘Aesthetic usability effect’ –
good looking user interfaces
are perceived as easier to
use even if they are more
problematic to navigate
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/aesthetic-usability-effect/

6. Sprout Labs
Visuals increases engagement
with content - a graphic or image
is easier to remember than a
paragraph of text
To recap, the four types of directly observable
evidence of abstract learning are: what we do,
what we say what we make and what we
write.
When you visit a colleague’s classroom or are
observed yourself it is useful to remember
the focus is: What is the teacher doing, saying,
making and writing? What are the students
doing, saying, making and writing? What is
the nature of the task?

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The eye craves order & visual
consistency - visual thinking is
also about using information
architecture to structure your
content

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What problem are you trying to
solve?
Visuals must have a reason for being part of
your content – if they’re added just for
aesthetic reasons they will detract from your
content and be distracting for the learner.
Knowing the purpose of
the graphic will help you
decide what kind of
graphic it needs to be.

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I need to demonstrate
something or illustrate a
point
Illustration / motion
graphics / animation
Measure your learning and make data-driven decisions

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I want to engage my
learner more in a
section of content
infographic

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I just need to provide
more structure to this
page or screen
Page furniture /
layout design

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I’d like the learner to
empathise with what I’m
talking about
photography

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This is just too text
heavy - I need to break
up the visual field
Flowchart /
layout design

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Thinking visually means applying the basics of
visual design to your individual learning context
These basics can include any mixture of layout design, page structure, visual hierarchy, use of
negative space, colour theory and psychology, typography, UI design, understanding visual
impact and more. Which basic design tools you need depends on your context, your learners
and your content.

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Use negative space around
content - don’t crowd too
much information in
Keep a consistent content
structure - e.g. 2 column layout,
with image spanning both
Use page furniture such as
divider lines to anchor content
and provide visual
differentiation to sections

18. Sprout Labs
Consider your target learners
before deciding on colour - the
psychology of colour is mostly
subconscious
Match your brand and
LMS colour palette to
visually connect them
Use a feature colour (such as the
yellow here) to draw attention to
key areas

19. Sprout Labs
Font choice matters.
Using serif / sans serif / display fonts
will give all your text either an
informal or formal feel to it and
subconsciously affect the learner
If using coloured text, or white text on
a coloured background, ensure your
colours meet accessibility standards
(high contrast is a good place to start)
https://www.novoamedia.com/blog/2016/5/24/design-humor-101

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Use illustrations to tell a story or
explain a process visually
Use ‘journey lines’ to connect stages
of a process - maintain visual flow
and direct the eye
Ensure the tone of your graphics matches
your brand voice - is it formal, or friendly,
instructional etc?

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Photography is visually intense - match
photographs with secondary rather than
primary colours, or transparencies /
greyscale
Balance the visual impact of your
images - especially important if you are
using stock photography

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Use colour sparingly for page furniture - that way
you can draw attention to a call-to-action button
easily with a feature colour
How your User Interface (UI) is designed will
dictate how the learner uses it
Maintain consistent colour and
position of recurring UI elements
like navigation aids, buttons and
menus

23. Sprout Labs
www.sproutlabs.com.au/elearning-events/visual-design-for-learning-program
iona@sproutlabs.com.a
u
Iona Dierich
Lead visual designer -
Sprout Labs

24. Sprout Labs
Sprout Labs builds digital learning platforms that enable you and your
team to author, deliver and measure high impact digital learning
ecosystems.