3 Graphic Design Hacks to Direct Readers’ Focus

Virtual learning – whether delivered via webinar, e-learning course, or in supplemental videos and job aids – requires strong graphics to keep your learner engaged. But most trainers have gotten advanced degrees in education, not design.

Luckily, some graphic design experts are willing to share their secrets. Diane Elkins, co-founder of Artisan E-Learning, shared some of her tips on our on-demand webinar, Moving from Flying Bullets to Instructional Animations.

One piece of advice Diane shared is to leverage the design to direct your learners’ focus. These three hacks all help draw your learners’ attention to a specific part of the screen so you can emphasize a point or concept.

1. Progressive Reveal

Control how much of an image or text is visible so that you can time it with your major concepts. This is a familiar technique that is easy to implement in most presentation tools, but it is important to leverage it in instances where your learner needs to digest one piece of content before accessing the next point.

2. Call-Out or Magnifying Boxes

When diving deep into a specific point, consider using a call-out or magnifying box. This allows you to cover important details without losing sight of the bigger picture – literally. See an example around minute 31:00 in the on-demand version of Diane’s webinar.

3. Motion

Adding any kind of motion will draw your learner’s eye to that specific part of the screen. Add animations, bounces, or slide transitions to underscore a main point.

Each of these techniques is simple to implement in presentation tools like Powerpoint. However, Diane closes with a sage warning: keep everything in moderation. If you add too many attention-grabbing techniques, your learner will be overwhelmed and won’t be able to pay attention to anything.

Learn more from Diane and get in-depth examples by listening to the on-demand version here.