About 20 years ago I started designing and developing computer-based training (CBT) using Authorware. At that time I knew nothing about a process for this type of effort. My experience was primarily in print design and production. It was an interesting experience making the transition. Print designers enjoyed a long established design process which was not the case with development of CBT or “Multimedia”.

So how did we start the transition? Well, what I did was attempted to use existing tools and knowledge to create a process. Funny thing was that the tools for multimedia, for the most part, were not as advanced as those available for print.

The transition struggle was multi-faceted. There was the design, the production process and client management (reviews and revisions). Traditionally the print design process was (roughly explained) thumbnail, design comprehensive (comp), final layout, print proof and then final printed piece. On the other hand software design was (in practice)… Analyze, create a design document, hand it to developers and they would lock themselves in a dark “magic” room and appear weeks or months later with something that loosely resembles what you expected.

While making the transition from print to multimedia wasn’t easy, I learned a few things along the way. I think the most important lesson was that you cannot solve all your problems or even know what problems you need to solve at the beginning of any project. I am not saying that analysis and upfront work is not important. But discovery and evolution within the process is equally as important.

A good rule of thumb as a creator of e-learning courses is to design and develop as much as you are willing to throw away before showing it to the customer for revisions or approvals. I sometimes refer to this as Successive Approximations. This process does a few things:

• It allows the customer to become more involved in the process at key decision making points
• the project doesn’t go too far in the wrong direction which keeps from wasting work, allows for design revisions
• the process allows for evolving design based on new discoveries
• the end product is much closer to the desired result

Traditionally many instructional designers use the ADDIE model as a process to create e-learning. The ADDIE is a five phase generic process of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. It is, by nature, a linear process.

What I tend to use is a more iterative, customer involved process. I have attempted to explain it in a general sense here:

Analysis -
- Audience, Objectives, Budget, Schedule, and Scope
Design & Develop -
- Phase 1 GUI & Content structure
Implement & Evaluate -
- Run it by stakeholders, review and revise direction
- If necessaryReview/revise budget & timeline
GAP Analysis (Discover and Evolve)
- Audience, Objectives, Budget, Schedule, and Scope
- Review/revise budget & timeline
Design & Develop
- One small portion of the content
Implement & Evaluate
- Get a sample user base involved at this stage.
- Review GUI, content structure, and content treatment.
- At this point design and content treatment precedents are set.
- Review/revise budget & timeline
GAP Analysis (Discover and Evolve)
- Audience, Objectives, Budget, Schedule, and Scope
- Review/revise budget & timeline
Design & Develop
- A larger portion of the content keeping in mind the risks involved with doing too much at one time.
Implement & Evaluate
- Use the same user base to Review GUI, content structure, and content treatment.
- Review/revise budget & timeline
GAP Analysis (Discover and Evolve)
- Audience, Objectives, Budget, Schedule, and Scope
- Review/revise budget & timeline
Design & Develop
- The remainder of the content.
Implement & Evaluate
- Pilot test
- Review/revise budget & timeline
GAP Analysis (Discovery and Evolve)
- Audience, Objectives, Budget, Schedule and Scope
- Review/revise budget & timeline
Design & Develop
- Revisions
Implement
- Final version

By revisiting the parameters of audience, objectives, budget, schedule, and scope at key areas of the project allows us to adjust any of those parameters and set priorities for the future of the project. The end result is a course or application that comes much closer to the customer needs.