What makes a learning experience stick long after the course ends? We pull back the curtain on the “secret sauce” of Learning Experience Design, also known as LXD, and break it into five essential ingredients—empathy, storytelling, interactivity, accessibility, and feedback—that you can apply right away to elevate any course, workshop, or training program.
In this episode, you’ll get practical reflection prompts, examples you can copy, and a focused action step to build momentum this week. Along the way, we highlight related episodes on UDL and accessibility for deeper dives, and we end with a reminder inspired by Maya Angelou: people remember how you made them feel. If this conversation helps you design with more heart and impact, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a short review—what ingredient will you tackle first?
🔗 Resources and Related Episodes:
If you’d like to explore today’s topic further, here are a few resources to check out:
📝 Learning Experience Diagram: Apply the five “secret sauce” ingredients to your own project with this companion tool.
🎧 Episode 44: Designing for Everyone: A Guide to Universal Design for Learning: A guide to UDL principles for inclusive learning.
🎧 Episode 65: Accessibility in Action: Inclusive Design for Every Learner: Practical tips for designing with accessibility in mind.
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🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show
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👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!
Episode Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the Designing with Love Podcast.
I am your host, JackiePelegrin, where my goal is to
bring you information, tips, andtricks as an instructional
designer.
Hello, instructional designersand educators.
Welcome to episode 69 of theDesigning with Love Podcast.
(00:22):
What's the secret sauce oflearning experience design?
It's not just about tools ortemplates.
It's about five essentialingredients that make learning
truly stick.
In this episode, I'll sharewhat those ingredients are,
along with practical tips youcan apply to your projects right
away.
So grab your coffee, pull outyour notebook, and settle in.
(00:46):
Let's explore what makes greatlearning experiences memorable.
Ingredient one, empathy andlearner personas.
First up is empathy.
It's the foundation of greatdesign.
Think about the people you'recreating for.
Not just their titles, buttheir goals, barriers, and
motivations.
(01:06):
A quick way to do this is bysketching a simple learner
persona.
For example, designing aprogram for a corporate new hire
is very different fromdesigning for a graduate
student.
Their challenges, motivations,and learning environments
couldn't be more different.
Remember, when you design withempathy, you anticipate needs
(01:27):
and remove barriers before theyeven happen.
Here's a reflection prompt foryou.
Take a moment and jot down onelearner you've designed for
recently.
What do you know about theirchallenges or goals?
Keep that person in mind as wego through the rest of the
ingredients.
Think of it like this.
Empathy is like the base of asauce.
(01:49):
It sets the tone for everyother ingredient you add.
Now that we know who we'redesigning for, let's explore how
to connect with them on adeeper, more emotional level.
Ingredient two, storytellingand emotional connection.
Storytelling is powerful.
People don't remember bulletpoints, but they do remember
(02:11):
stories.
Try framing your content like anarrative with a beginning, a
challenge, and a resolution.
For example, compliancetraining can feel dry, but if
you create a scenario where thelearner has to make a choice,
suddenly it's personable,memorable, and meaningful.
Remember, the more human yourstory, the more likely it is to
(02:35):
stick.
Here's a reflection prompt foryou.
Think about one course you'vecreated.
Was there a story, a casestudy, or even a quick example
that learners really connectedwith?
Circle that in your notes.
That's your storytellingstrength.
Think of it like this.
Storytelling is like addingspices.
(02:56):
It transforms something basicinto something memorable.
Stories are powerful, but theycome alive when learners get to
play a role in them.
That's where engagement andinteractivity step in.
Ingredient three, interactivityand engagement.
Engagement isn't just aboutflashy tools.
(03:17):
It's about giving learnerschoice and agency.
Here you can start small.
Add a reflection prompt, abranching question, or a quick
role play.
For example, in ArticulateRise, you could create a simple
branching scenario that mirrorsreal world decisions.
It doesn't have to be fancy.
It just has to give learners asense of ownership.
(03:39):
Remember, engagement is aboutparticipation, not presentation.
Here's a reflection prompt foryou.
Take a look at your notes.
In your most recent project,where did learners actually get
to do something?
If nothing comes to mind, jotdown one idea, big or small,
that you could add to your nextdesign.
(04:00):
Think of it like thisInteractivity is the heat that
brings your recipe to life.
It gets everything simmering.
Adding interactive moments isexciting, but it's only
effective if everyone canparticipate fully.
That's why accessibility is ournext essential ingredient.
Ingredient four, accessibilityand inclusion.
(04:24):
Accessibility isn't just anextra step, it's part of great
design.
Universal Design for Learning,or UDL, gives a clear roadmap,
offer multiple ways to engage,represent content, and let
learners express what they know.
That could mean adding captionsto videos, providing alt text
(04:44):
for images, or offering bothaudio and text versions of key
content.
Remember, inclusion strengthenslearning for everyone, not just
for those with specific needs.
If you'd like to go deeper intothese areas, I've actually
covered both of these topics inpast episodes.
Episode 44, titled Designingfor Everyone, a Guide to
(05:09):
Universal Design for Learning,dives into UDL principles, and
episode 65, Accessibility inAction, Inclusive Design for
Every Learner, focuses onpractical strategies you can use
right away.
I'll make sure to link both ofthese episodes in the show notes
so you can easily find them.
Here's a reflection for you.
(05:31):
Pause for a moment and thinkabout one course you've created.
Would someone with limitedvision or hearing still have the
same learning experience?
Write down one action, likeadding captions or using clear
contrast that you can try movingforward.
Think of it like this.
Accessibility is the seasoningthat brings out the best in
(05:53):
every ingredient.
It makes the whole dish shine.
Accessibility makes learningstronger for everyone, but no
design is perfect the firsttime.
The real magic happens when welisten, adapt, and refine.
That's where feedback comes in.
Ingredient five, feedback loopsand iteration.
(06:14):
Learning experience design isnever truly finished.
The best designers build infeedback loops so they can
refine and improve.
One way to do this is bypiloting a module with a small
group and asking two simplequestions.
What confused you?
And what inspired you?
For example, I once worked onan e-learning project that
(06:36):
originally had long assessments.
After gathering feedback, webroke them down into shorter
checkpoints.
Learners felt less overwhelmedand the results improved.
Remember, feedback is a gift.
It helps us see through ourlearners' eyes.
Here's a reflection prompt foryou.
Write down one question youcould ask learners after a
(06:58):
course or activity.
Make sure to keep it simple,like what was most useful or
what was unclear.
That's the start of yourfeedback loop.
Think of it like this.
Feedback is the taste test ofdesign.
It tells you if your recipe isworking or if it needs just a
little more spice.
Now that we've gone through allfive ingredients of this secret
(07:21):
sauce, let's pull them togetherbefore wrapping up.
So, what is the secret sauce oflearning experience design?
It's empathy, storytelling,interactivity, accessibility,
and feedback.
These ingredients blendtogether to create memorable,
meaningful learning experiences.
So here's my challenge for you.
(07:44):
Look back at your notes andcircle the ingredient you want
to focus on first.
Just one.
That's your action step for theweek.
And if you'd like to go deeper,I'll link an interactive
resource along with relatedepisodes in the show notes so
you can easily find them.
Before I conclude, I'll leaveyou with an inspiring quote from
Maya Angelou.
(08:04):
People will forget what yousaid, people will forget what
you did, but people will neverforget how you made them feel.
And isn't that the heart oflearning experience design?
Thanks for spending this timewith me on Designing with Love.
Until next time, keep designingexperiences that learners will
remember long after the courseends.
(08:26):
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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