Elearning is important to training these days. But the learning experiences need to be designed carefully so that users can find it convenient to browse through the material.

This requires that design psychology is included in any elearning module.

Many principles can be used to come up with the perfect user design.

Such a user design should include aesthetic design principles so that learners enjoy the course.

For example, the users can be more inclined to view the course when it’s given to them in short bytes.

Hick’s law

This process makes sure that the user is not given too much information to put a cognitive burden on their memory. The learners can’t view a long course with many topics and they only focus their attention on a single topic. When learners have few options available to them, they can easily navigate through the course.

Jacob’s law

Companies make sure that there is consistency in their elearning material. However, if the course does not have a uniform format, like a different navigation scheme all the time, then the user has to waste time in figuring navigation every time. This would lead to a lot of wastage of time for the learners because they won’t be able to focus on the content.

Learners are used to using different elearning platforms and that’s how it works. When you don’t abide by the rules of a certain elearning platform, confusion can arise for the users. For example, learners have a certain way of watching a Youtube video. They always click on closed captions to understand what is being said in the video. But when you avoid including closed captions, it can lead to lesser user participation.

Same way, an elearning module needs to have a search bar at the top right so that users can reach their desired information in seconds. This is because they search for information on websites in the same way. So, that’s why companies need to have a systematic design in their elearning materials.

To fulfil the user’s expectations it’s also better to have buttons in an elearning module designed in the same manner as that on a website.

When the learners use different elearning platforms, they form mental models. These models are related to their learning experience and they want it to be the same every time.

Fitt’s law

When elearning companies are designing courses for their clients, it’s better to make sure that it’s usable across all devices. Browsing through a course on a mobile phone might be a completely different experience for a learner as compared to a website, so it’s important to check where the hotspots and buttons are placed in the video. Proper spacing of content is also necessary for a mobile-based elearning module.

Fitt’s law makes sure that the elearning creators focus on how learners move through the course and making sure that they can get the right time to navigate through the interactions of the course.

So, in short, the above laws concentrate on:

Hick’s Law: Lesser mental burden for the learner

Jacob’s law: The mental models of learning experience the learner applies

Fitt’s law: It wants us to check how the learners move through the course, so that’s how navigation should be planned.

This is how elearning courses can be designed keeping the learner’s experience in mind.