“Words of nuance, words of skill
Wordy Rappinghood, Tom Tom Club 1981
And words of romance are a thrill
Words are stupid, words are fun
Words can put you on the run.”
Words persuade and words instruct, but how do words support learning? In my experience, effective LX writing weaves together the following three strands (read on for the detail):
- A solid structure to ensure a smooth narrative flow.
- Lively language that creates a conversation with the learner.
- Using words to link the imagination to real-life embodied experiences.
It’s a blend of the psychology of how adults learn, the writing techniques developed for apps and websites (UX), and the evolving field of learning experience (LX) design.
Andragogy is …
… the theory of adult learning. Us adults already draw from a deep well of knowledge and experience and our time is precious, so any task must be real, specific and clear. We’ll always ask why we’re doing it as our motivation needs to be intrinsic (a self-driven desire to solve a problem or meet a need).
We make connections with what we already know and apply what we learn straight away. It helps if it matters in some way and is relevant in the moment. Being physical and embodied – and so engaging our emotions – will also have more impact; the experience gets into our memory and becomes part of us. Learning with others helps too, social creatures that we are.
UX is …
… the structure, flow and accessibility of a digital product’s user interface, looking at it from the user’s perspective. UX writing designs with words – space is a big constraint, so the words must work hard! All those little bits of text that tell you what field to fill in, confirmation messages, button labels etc. etc. are your guide to smoothly navigate the app or website. Through voice and tone, they also communicate the ‘personality’ of the brand/product.
LX is …
… about creating human-centered and goal-orientated digital education, approaching the design process from the learner’s perspective rather than the instructor’s. The challenge is how to suck the learner into the course space or platform, so they’re not just passively reading information on a screen (which is really, really forgettable). The latest trends in the industry like gamification, blended learning, microlearning and adaptive learning ground any learning activity in the moment rather than it being an abstract cognitive exercise.
How to bring this all together when writing for LX?
Above all, creating the text for a learning experience demands empathy: stepping into the shoes of the learner to understand their goals, their wishes and their struggles (even better if you actually get to do some research and ask the learners themselves!). Good copy will:
- Guide the learner, breaking down a process into smaller parts.
- Pre-empt questions and problems.
- Reduce ‘friction’ (annoyance and frustration) by explaining the why and how of a task.
- Introduce friction in strategic places to make the learner stop and reflect, reinforcing learning.
- Create a clear and meaningful conversation.
Start with a well-organized, logical structure. A coherent narrative guides the learner through the content along an orderly pathway. Section title headings should be short (3-5 words) but not cryptic. Set out what the learner can expect and, if it’s appropriate, summarize what they will have learned by the end (to immediately engage and explain the why). Clear signposting language along the way means no-one gets lost, and use lists and punctuation as design elements.
Although the exact voice and tone will depend on who’s behind the course, the language style in general will work best if it’s authoritative but encouraging and gives the learner choice and agency. Use you/us/we and invite the learner to join in (“Let’s look at…”). Use direct, active verbs in the imperative form (“do this”, “think about that”, “go here”) and write sentences that are simple and unambiguous. Keeping words short and sentences easy to ‘scan’ (read quickly) will make the content readable and accessible. Don’t forget to be consistent in the terms used, and it is perfectly OK (good practice, even) to repeat the same point in a different way.
But to create an experience we need to do a bit more. By connecting with lived physical experience, we can take the learner into their body through their imagination: perhaps a reflection on actions they’ve taken in response to past situations – how it felt, what they did and said. The present continuous tense is useful here, to suggest an active moment in the now. Switching to the first person will help too: compare “I’m meeting a new client and so I need…” with “What do you need to remember when you meet a new client?”.
Metaphor is also a powerful tool to connect with lived experience and engage our emotions, senses and memories. Is the process a staircase? Spiral or straight? Going up or down? Or is it less linear, more like a bookshelf in a library? Use these. Take the mind places it’s been before and then introduce something new.
Simple, no?! Of course, in practice it’s a complex job to create simple content. As an experienced wordsmith, I don’t generally use tools, but many are available – see this page from UX Writing Library. But I do use Style Guides to establish voice and tone, which will vary depending on the client. A good thesaurus is any writer’s best friend, and don’t forget about accessibility and inclusivity – take a look at the Conscious Style Guide and become familiar with the W3C web accessibility guidelines.
Words have an important role in elevating an e-learning course to a learning experience. Neglect them not!