Navigating the world of instructional design can be confusing when similar-sounding concepts appear to overlap. That's exactly the challenge many ID professionals face when distinguishing between human-centered design and learner-centered design.
The key differences emerge in their focus (all users versus learners only), goals (holistic experience versus learning outcomes), and methodologies. Human-centered design employs design thinking, empathy mapping, and prototyping, while learner-centered design draws from learning theories, needs assessments, and scaffolding techniques. The most effective instructional design often combines both approaches: starting broad with human-centered principles before narrowing to learner-centered strategies.
Whether you're new to instructional design or looking to refine your approach, understanding when and how to apply these complementary frameworks will elevate your work. Download our interactive comparison infographic from the show notes, and share your experiences combining these approaches in your own projects. How might your current project benefit from considering both the broader human experience and specific learner needs?
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Episode Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Designing with
Love podcast.
I am your host, Jackie Pelegrin, where my goal is to bring you
information, tips, and tricks asan instructional designer.
Hello, GCU students, alumni,and fellow educators, welcome to
episode 54 of the Designingwith Love podcast.
(00:21):
In today's episode, we'reunpacking a topic that often
confuses new instructionaldesigners: What's the difference
between human-centered designand learner-centered design?
They sound similar and, yes,they do overlap, but there are
some key distinctions that canhelp you choose the right
approach for your next project.
So, whether you're juststarting out or still building
(00:44):
your ID toolkit, this episode isfor you.
Let's begin with human-centereddesign, often abbreviated as
HCD.
Human-centered design is aproblem-solving approach that
starts with the people you'redesigning for and ends with
solutions that are tailored totheir needs.
It's rooted in empathy andinvolves a lot of design
(01:06):
thinking, which includesinterviewing users, prototyping,
testing, and refining.
The five key stages to HCD areas follows.
Stage one (01:16):
empathize.
In this stage, it's importantto understand the user's needs
through observation andinteraction.
Stage number two (01:24):
define.
In this stage, you want toclearly articulate the problem
you're trying to solve.
Stage number three (01:31):
ideate.
In this stage, it's importantto brainstorm and generate
creative solutions.
Stage number four (01:39):
prototype.
In this stage, you want tocreate tangible versions of your
ideas.
Stage number five (01:46):
test.
Lastly, make sure to share yourdesign with real users to
collect feedback and refine.
In human-centered design,you're not just thinking about
learners.
You might also be consideringinstructors, stakeholders,
administrators, or eventechnical support staff.
(02:06):
It's about the entire humanexperience surrounding the
product or system you'recreating.
Here's a real-life example ofhuman-centered design.
If you're building an LMSonboarding module for a
university, you're not onlythinking about how students will
learn, but how instructors willsupport them, how IT will
maintain the system, and howaccessibility fits in.
(02:29):
Human-centered design ensuresall touchpoints are optimized
for the people involved.
All right, so now let's zoom inon learner-centered design.
Learner-centered design is asubset of human-centered design.
It specifically focuses on theneeds, goals, preferences and
prior knowledge of the learner.
(02:50):
The goal here is to createlearning experiences that are,
number one, relevant to thelearner's context.
Number two, engaging to theirinterests.
Number three, challengingenough to promote growth.
And number four, supportive oftheir learning goals.
Learner-centered design putsthe learner at the center of
(03:12):
every decision.
You can ask yourself thefollowing when using this
approach Number one what do theyalready know?
Number two what do they need tolearn?
Number three how do they learnbest?
Number four what do they needto learn?
Number three, how do they learnbest?
Number four what motivates them?
And number five what barriersmight they face?
Here's an example of alearner-centered design in
(03:34):
action.
Let's say you're designing asales training course for a
group of new employees.
A learner-centered approachwould involve interviewing the
learners, understanding theirprevious experience, identifying
what knowledge gaps exist andbuilding content that directly
connects to their job roles.
You could even let them choosehow they complete certain
(03:54):
modules.
It's all about personalizationand empowerment, which is key
for adult learners.
So what are the key differencesand when should you use each
type of approach?
I will take a few minutes tobreak this down.
Aspect number one focusHuman-centered design all users
in the system.
(04:14):
Learner-centered design thelearner only.
Aspect number two goal Humancentered design holistic user
experience.
Learner-centered design optimallearning outcomes.
Aspect number three methodsHuman-centered design design
thinking, empathy, mapping andprototyping.
(04:35):
Learner-centered design,learning theories, needs
assessments and scaffolding.
And finally, aspect number fourbroader application
Human-centered designno-transcript.
So when should you usehuman-centered design?
(04:56):
Use it when your solutionaffects more than just the
learner.
For example, if you'redeveloping a digital learning
platform or implementing achange across an organization.
Hcd ensures all stakeholdersare considered centered design.
(05:18):
Use it when you're focusedspecifically on learning
outcomes.
This is ideal when you'redeveloping curriculum,
microlearning modules orinstructional media tailored to
a specific group of learners.
Remember these approaches arenot mutually exclusive.
In fact, some of the bestlearning experiences happen when
we combine both, starting broadwith human-centered design and
then narrowing it withlearner-centered principles.
(05:40):
As a novice instructionaldesigner, you don't have to
master it all at once.
Just keep asking the rightquestions who is this for?
What do they need and what willhelp them thrive?
As a recap, we covered what ishuman-centered design and
learner-centered design, alongwith the key differences and
when to use each.
(06:01):
The next time you work on aninstructional design project, I
would encourage you to askyourself the key questions I
mentioned and see how you canincorporate both human-centered
and learner-centered approaches.
Be sure to check out theinteractive comparison
infographic available in theshow notes.
That provides some keyinformation I shared in today's
(06:22):
episode.
As I conclude this episode, Iwould like to share an inspiring
quote by Paul Rand, a legendaryAmerican graphic designer best
known for his pioneering work incorporate branding and visual
identity.
To design is much more than tosimply assemble, to order or
even to edit.
It is to add value and meaning,to illuminate, to simplify, to
(06:48):
clarify, to modify, to dignify,to dramatize, to persuade and
perhaps even amuse.
This quote emphasizes thepurpose-driven nature of design,
which mirrors bothhuman-centered and
learner-centered approaches,which adds meaning and value by
deeply understanding the peopleat the heart of your design.
(07:10):
Thank you for taking some timeto listen to this podcast
episode today.
Your support means the world tome.
If you'd like to help keep thepodcast going, you can share it
with a friend or colleague,leave a heartfelt review or
offer a monetary contribution.
Every act of support, big orsmall, makes a difference and
I'm truly thankful for you.
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