Taking Inspiration from Instructional Design for Research

Key Insights

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  Instructional design principles are highly relevant and valuable to user research processes.

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  Bloom's taxonomy provides a useful framework for defining research goals focused on specific user behaviors rather than vague understanding.

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  Reframing research goals to specify cognitive behavior levels (apply, evaluate, create) leads to clearer methods and stronger insights.

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  Analyzing findings through cognitive dimensions helps prevent misunderstandings and misaligned stakeholder conclusions.

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  Learning does not always progress linearly through Bloom’s levels; reverse or mixed sequences can strengthen learning outcomes.

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  Complex tools like low-code platforms demand higher cognitive skills, especially creation, which increases the need for well-mapped learning journeys.

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  Mapping user journeys as learning journeys reveals cognitive gaps and highlights where users struggle and compensate.

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  Common instructional design mistakes reframe as UX issues, such as missing learning levels, wrong sequence, or overloaded information.

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  Users often perform higher cognitive tasks as workarounds for gaps in lower-level learning supports, causing frustration and inefficiency.

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  Incorporating instructional designers on UX projects fosters deeper collaboration and enriches research methods and outcomes.

Notable Quotes