Points to ponder While designing an elearning Template

As a designers provided with a challenge of designing template for e-learning, we will have more probability of success if we follow the following design guidelines. Let`s see it in detail.

Questions to be asked before starting the design:

There are few questions that we should ask ourselves as well as others before starting with the design. This will avoid rework and will give more clarity on end user requirement.

· Who is the Client?

o Knowing the client will help us focus our design as per their brand requirement. Clients from different regions may have different views on colors. Clients from European countries may like soft subtle colors; whereas clients from American countries may like rich colors. Research the clients orientation by looking in to their other products like their websites, presentations, documents and if available previous e-learning courses.

· Have they provided any Design Spec or Functional Spec Documents?

o Many of our clients will have their own Design spec document & Functional Spec Document. Generally they don’t prefer vendors like us deviate from these specifications without their approval. So ensure that we get to know these specifications if there are any. Ask your project manager to enquire if there are any of these documents available with clients.

· Are there any color and branding requirements that need to be included in the template?

o This is similar to previous point. Always ensure we use only the colors that are specified in design document and colors that go along with their branding.

o Also check is there any client Specific fonts to be used.

· Are there any expectations set by client?

o Before starting with the design, it would be better to have a chat with the people who interacted with the client. Get to know if the client had set any specific design expectations. Is there any new functionality to be provided? If yes then ensure we allocate real estate in our design for that functionality.

· Have they provided any samples?

o Also ask for samples if there are any provided by client. This will help us to orient ourselves as per client expectations.

· What is the required Template dimension?

o Get to know the template dimension as this may differ based on end user hardware availability. The common dimensions that are being used are as follows.

§ 800 x 600 px

§ 1024 x 768 px ( Most common)

§ 1280 x 800 px ( For Widescreen Monitors)

Note there may be situations where client may ask custom resolutions other than these standard resolutions mentioned above.

· What is the media type to be used for the course?

o There are many media types that can be used for developing the course. Knowing them will help us to design based on each media type requirement. Some of the media types are as follows.

§ Flash (most common)

§ Video

§ Image

· Are there any template based limitations?

o Get to know on the limitations of template. One important limitation to be considered is flash player version. If the flash player supported by template is version 8 or lower, then we should not use effects in flash CS as player 8 may not support effects and other advanced features supported by higher versions.

· Who are the end audience?

o Get to know on the end audience who will be actually using this course. Having knowledge on their age group, ethnicity, profession (labors, sales, Management) will help us orient our design towards them which will have more impact.

Questions you ask yourselves during design:

Once we get answers for the above mentioned questions, we will have some idea on what we are going to design and its objectives. So we will start with our design. There are few questions we should ask ourselves during design. This will help us to develop content template for all types. Let’s see it in detail.

· Design to be in Scalar or vector?

o If the template functionality is to scale based on Desktop resolution, then consider avoiding scalar images as it may look dithered when it is scaled with the template. It is recommended to always use vector based files in your design so that the content is of high quality, no matter whatever resolution it is viewed in.

· What are the content types that can possibly come in a course?

o Answers to the above question will give us clarity on types of content. This will help us to plan real estate for content for all types. In this way we can maintain overall style for all types, as well the developers will have templates ready that will make their work easy and reduce last minute hassles. Some of the content types are as follows.

§ Text & image based page.

§ Tabular column

§ Flow chart

§ Buttons

§ Hyperlinks

§ Popups

§ Comparison chart

§ Icons

· Is the font used is readable?

o Ensure that the font & font size used is readable. The font color or the background shouldn’t be glaring or irritating to eyes. Ensure even the elder persons were able to read the text.

· Is the color jarring or pleasant?

o The person using this e-learning course will spend considerable amount of time in front of it. So we should use colors that are friendly to eyes and doesn’t irritate after few minutes.

· Is the navigations user friendly?

o The navigation buttons should be prominent enough for the user to find & use it. It should be upfront and should visually represent its hierarchy. We should target the e end user who has minimal knowledge on computer usage. Our navigation buttons should be such a way that they are able to navigate the course without any hassles.

· Are we sticking to branding & design guidelines?

o In all the points above ensure that we are not showing anything that are against Clients branding & design guidelines.