Mockups and Instructional Design
What is a Mockup?
A mockup is a visual representation or prototype of a product, design, or concept. It is often used to give a realistic preview of how the final product or design will look and function. Mockups can be created using various materials, including paper, cardboard, computer software, or 3D printing technology.
In the context of product design, a mockup can help designers and stakeholders to better understand how the final product will look and function, and can be used to gather feedback and make revisions before moving on to the production stage.
How are mockups used in Instructional Design?
Mockups can be used in instructional design to provide a visual representation of the learning content, layout, and structure of a course or learning module. They are often created early in the design process to help instructional designers, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to visualize and refine the learning experience.
Mockups can take various forms, depending on the needs and preferences of the project team. Some examples include:
Storyboards (see previous blog post): These are visual representations of each screen or slide in a course or module, showing the layout, images, text, and interactions.
Wireframes: These are simplified layouts or blueprints of the screens or pages in a course or module, without detailed design elements.
Prototypes: These are interactive mockups that allow users to test the functionality and user interface of the learning experience.
Mockups can help instructional designers to:
Ensure that the course or module is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Test the user interface and interactions to identify and fix usability issues.
Gather feedback and input from stakeholders and subject matter experts.
Estimate the scope and timeline of the development process.
Create a blueprint for the development team to follow.
Overall, mockups are a valuable tool in instructional design for ensuring that the learning experience meets the needs and expectations of the target audience.
My Prototype Example
To view my previous post that included the Storyboard that this Prototype is based on - CLICK HERE
1. This mockup adheres to four major visual and graphic design principles:
White space is utilized on each slide to ensure readability of the content. I had to move some items around and rework some images to ensure there was not too much on one page to prevent cognitive overload. The only slides without much white space are the slides that involve clicking around on the application screens. This was done to ensure that it felt more “real” to what they would see in the application itself.
Visual Hierarchy is utilized by having certain elements in specific consistent locations. On most slides there is a title or question at the top (first thing you see) and on all slides there are navigation buttons in the same space at the bottom right of the screen. For the 3 slides that involve navigating an example of the application, I made the image of the application screen top and center to give the feel of working within the program. Font was resized on each slide to keep the focus on the most essential information. Since many learners have experienced eLearning at least once in their professional lives, some directions are not as important and are only there to help those who may struggle. Those fonts were smaller than the content.
Alignment was utilized throughout the entire design. PowerPoint allows for easy alignment of items on the screen by showing lines as you reorganize the slides. I used a lot of centering as well and ensuring slides that had multiple clickable items were either lined up in a row or lined up in a way that looked visually appealing (if there were 3 items, I aligned them in a triangle pattern, 4 items a rectangle, etc.).
Movement was utilized by ensuring the learner views the slides in a certain way. Much of the movement is from top to bottom. The reason for this has to do with the accessibility of using the course on multiple devices. If someone were to view this course on a tablet or phone, it is easier to read on the smaller screens from top to bottom (especially if using portrait mode). I also wanted the learners viewing to end at the bottom right of the slide leading them to the “next” button. The only major difference in movement is when you look at the 3 mock application slides. These slides have pulsing circles that will stop pulsing once you click on them. Meaning the learner can move throughout and view those 3 slides as they wish.
2. Mockup Usability 5 Best Practices:
The effectiveness of this mockup can be seen through the language used, the help button, and the navigation buttons. Some of the features of the applications were re-worded to ensure that an entry-level learner could understand clearly. There is a help button that will have different information to help the learners if they get stuck on a slide. On the 3 mock application slides, there are pulsing circles for the areas they need to click on, this helps to ensure they click in the correct area and are not clicking on unimportant areas.
The efficiency of this mockup can be seen through the navigation buttons as well as the flexible manner of completing the course. The navigation buttons allow learners to skip slides without having to click on every single button or icon. The pre-assessment allows learners to skip areas without even having to look at them by passing certain markers of success and tailoring the course to their needs. Learners also have the option to skip the course entirely and just complete the post-assessment for credit.
The engagement of the mockup can be seen through the layouts, color choices, and interactive elements. The slides are laid out depending on the content (mock application screens vs. Content screens vs. Assessment screens). The color choices were made to match by using an eyedropper on the 3 application icons as well as using a web application called “Coolors.com” that helps create color palettes that follow color theory principles. Icons were chosen to help enhance the text choices on some slides (both regular black and white icons and the application icons).
Error Tolerance of the mockup can be seen through the links with icons, the help button, and the “back” button on the assessments. The icons all have text either below or next to them – if a learner clicked on either, they would still open the pop-up with text, audio, or video. The help button would be programmed with simple information for navigating the course as well as help on the specific slide the learner is on. The back button on the test allows learners to go back and redo/reset a question they got wrong.
Ease of Learning of the mockup can be seen by the buttons and navigation panel. Anything that is a button looks like a normal button. The navigation panel remains in the same spot throughtout the entire mockup to ensure learners do not have to search for the buttons. Ideally, I would match the navigation panel to an eLearning course from the company's current catalogue of courses to ensure even more ease of learning.
3. UDL principles for Engagement, Representation, and Action/Expression:
Engagement is shown in this mockup by the relevance of the information as well as the autonomy it provides adult learners to complete the course in a tailored way. The information in this course is entirely relevant and even involves mock application windows that learners can navigate without the fear of messing something up in a live environment. Adult learners come with knowledge and skills so to engage this group there are opportunities to accelerate their learning as needed.
Representation is shown in this mockup by having both text and audio for any information on the screen. Links on specific pages will have pop-ups that would include video of the interaction being done in the application or short video explanations of the topics. Another way that representation is taken into consideration is the fact that the buttons have both text and an icon related to the text. I used icons from the Microsoft library and used search terms for those icons that related to the text. Some text throughout the mockup was also rewritten for clarity and to avoid any words they may not be familiar with yet.
There are multiple methods of action and expression seen throughout the mockup. The navigation of the course is incredibly flexible, learners can navigate in the following ways: Doing the entire course from beginning to end, taking a pre-assessment to customize the course to their needs, or by clicking through slides and skipping to the test at the end. Most LMS that I have worked with have a built in “table of contents” that would also allow learners to skip to specific slides.
4. Accessibility principles within the mockup:
The perceivability of the mockup is seen through the icons with the text, labels for the navigation controls, and the audio descriptions that are activated when they click on the speaker icon. The buttons on the screen have text along with icons to help learners understand what they are clicking on – those icons were described above as being chosen based upon the text. The navigation controls are consistent with many modern applications to ensure perceivability. There is an audio button that allows users to listen to the slides along with audio descriptions of what is on the individual slides.
The operability of the mockup depends on the eLearning authoring tool that is used. Applications like Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate are already designed to allow users to utilize accessibility features (such as functioning with both mouse, keyboard, and touch screen) and using assistive devices. Those applications along with the LMS allow users to view the material using any device, whether it is a computer, tablet, or smartphone. There is also no time requirement and learners could take breaks from the course as needed through the table of contents with a bookmarking feature from the LMS. The mockup also has clear page navigation with buttons in the same location.
The understandability of the course is evident by the language used, predictable arrangement of content, the help button, and the ability to navigate back to correct responses on the assessment. The language was modified on certain slides to ensure entry-level learners can understand all information. On the first slide about the CRM, the acronym is defined and written out where it is referenced to help learners understand. The content is arranged with a consistent location for the navigation buttons as well as buttons throughout that have a consistent look. The help button has information to assist learners with the course and is located by the audio button which gives audio descriptions to enhance understanding. Finally, the assessment allows learners to review their answers and return to questions to correct mistakes which is incredibly helpful as learners can sometimes remember information as they work through test questions.
