When we are thinking about developing content we naturally want it to be clear and concise. But often, our content is a reflection of who we are and our particular learning style. If we are indeed creating content for a broad spectrum of users, then it makes sense to look at various learning styles to be sure there is a bit of something for everyone.
There are three basic learning styles:
Visual
Visual learners are just that, they use imagery to store information. They will have a good sense of color and design. They may not do well with large blocks of words, such as a lecture or large blocks of text (they do well with lists).
Auditory
Auditory learners are very good at sorting words. What they hear and read is easy for them to assimilate. Pictures and other visuals not so much.
Kinesthetic
These tactile learners gain knowledge via experience. I am most like this. When we play games with our buddy Dave, he will take time to describe rules of the game. Not being an audio learner I tune out after a few moments. “Let’s just start and I’ll learn as I go.”
Naturally, most of us are a combination of these styles. For example, I am a strong kinesthetic learner, pretty good with visual, and poor with auditory (a long lecture is kiss of death for me).
It’s interesting that when we were creating e-learning programs the instructional designers would present chunks of information using a three-part method. They would describe the idea (auditory), show an example the idea (visual), then have an exercise for the learner to interact with the idea (kinesthetic).
In developing content for our own projects it’s helpful to think about these different learning styles. If we are auditory learners we might easily write way too much content for one of the other learning styles to absorb. So being conscious of breaking content into smaller chunks and using more lists will make it more readable. Now, it is also important to know your audience. Technical information is usually pretty dense, and those who are attracted to that field probably tend to be auditory learners.
Another example is the photographer or artist who wants no words on their web site. “Let my images speak for themselves.” Well, yes, to a visual learner they will, but to an auditory or kinesthetic learner it will be foreign territory. They may need some verbal clues to understand what they are looking at.
How can you use this when developing content? Try to think of a balance. Include pictures and “visual” block of text (short paragraphs and lists) for the visual learner, provide drill-down information for the auditory learner who wants greater spans of words to absorb, and include demonstrations either with text, pictures or video. If there is a way the user can interact with the content, this will be of benefit to the kinesthetic learner.
What experiences have you had with developing content for diverse learning styles? Kinesthetic minds want to know.
[image by Jens Langner]
There was a time when it was said that technology divided us, isolated us. I was there, hunched over my Mac Plus while creating layouts or spreadsheets, or even playing NetTrek. Where did the time come from to do that? Time I spent with other people. So while I may have been learning the skills that would define my career for the next two decades, I was becoming more isolated (and larger!).