Concentrate on what is wrong: design as you think

Looking beyond the surface design to really connect

I have several hobbies and interests that bring me great joy. Cooking – and jumping a rope – are definitely high on this list. I eat an entire diet that is mainly not transformed, and every day I prepare and prepare fresh meals to support this lifestyle. After having prepared my meal, one in my favorite ways to relax is to watch Youtube shorts, especially those to jump the rope (jump rope) – a sport that really fascinates me. I think the jump rope is so cool! It's like playing a video game and defeating the boss. As I discover new tips, focus on what is wrong with my current technique and pushes me to learn them, I update effective.

YouTube Short Inspire

From time to time, however, a video outside my usual flow sneaks. Barely a few weeks ago, one of these unexpected videos drew my attention. He presented a restaurant owner sharing his trip to improve the culinary experience of his guests.

" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener nofollow">

Simply good vs. Be five stars

This video stood out – something about his approach to change his restaurant experience led a silent power that touched me a sensitive string. His restaurant received disappointing criticism in two stars, and he knew something should change. This company meant everything for him, and even if he was frustrated by bad criticisms, he was not ready to abandon his dream of possessing it. Instead, he became curious. Determined to understand what excellence looked like, he took his team for dinner in a local five -star restaurant, hoping to discover what really distinguishes him from his.

When they arrived at the five -star restaurant, they paid particular attention to everything – how the staff praised and signed up with the guests, the flavor and the presentation of the food and the overall atmosphere of the space. Each member of the team took mental notes of what stood out and what fell flat.

Although food has won unanimous praise for its excellence, some team members noted that coffee was “just correct” and that the limited selection of beer failed to raise the overall experience – and did not fail to those who expected a complete and really satisfactory culinary experience.

" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener nofollow">

Comments

Rather than rejecting these apparently minor criticisms, the owner looked. He saw the potential in the comments. Instead of postponing these apparently minor details, he saw an opportunity in their criticism to improve his restaurant. The owner welcomed these comments with open arms and quickly took action to improve his catering experience.

He adjusted the roles according to the passions and forces of each member of the team. Design coffee enthusiast with the responsibility of improving the coffee experience – obviously selecting high quality grains and refining the brewing process to raise each cup. Another member of the team, passionate about craft beer, was responsible for building a selection of beers that completed each dish.

These changes were not drastic, but they were intentional and strategically targeted, thoughtful and targeted improvements. And because of these simple adjustments, in just a few months, their notes climbed – and he also joined the ranks of five -star establishments.

Preview

You may be wondering, what is a restaurant to do with educational design? Why do I tell you exactly this story? This story has aroused a reflection on my approach to educational conception.

He holds us a mirror as educational designers, reminding us what really matters when we create learning experiences. We often fix what looks good: Sleek animations, interactive features and polished visuals. But what about “coffee and beer”? What about these subtle, often neglected details that shape quietly – and sometimes sabotage – experience? We have to focus on what is wrong.

Example of a moment “coffee or beer” in the educational design

Imagine that you have designed a journey of beautifully polished elations full of elegant interactions and clean visuals. But when the learners arrive at training exercises, they find unrealistic scenarios – nothing like the challenges they are really confronted with work. Due to this disconnection, the motivation of drops and learners completely ignore the practice.

This disconnection is like presenting a delicious meal, but associating it with a mediocre coffee and a limited selection of beer – this decreases considerably, but subtly, the overall experience. This moment of “just correct” coffee in learning could ignore the way learners emotionally connects to the content or how relevant the examples are. And we can spot this problem when we focus on what is wrong.

Confession: My Design Blood Angle

When I created my pedagogical design portfolio for the first time, I strongly looked into my history as a second language (ESL) and my knowledge of educational theories (cognitive overload, andragogy, constructivism, etc.). I am proud of the projects that I designed because they took several months to compile, create and add to my wallet. But to be fair – I only partially understand with the learner in mind.

I became concerned about executives and technical boxes, assuming that the application of educational theory was sufficient to meet the needs of the learner. But I was not digging more deeply. I didn't really feel what the learners felt or did not ask me if my design could really help them succeed.

I was like this restaurant owner ignoring coffee and beer, focusing on food and atmosphere alone. I created learning experiences that were “quite good” – polished outside but lacking in emotional connection, the lived reality of the learner and the relevance of their real context.

Let's be honest and let's focus on what's wrong

Many vocational training programs aimed at professionals end up feeling dry, without interest and disconnected from real challenges in the workplace. They often rely on obsolete conference formats, dense slide terraces and biscuit content that does not engage learners or does not take up their real challenges. This lack of commitment not only leads to low motivation, but also poor retention and an application of equipment in the workplace. When training looks like a check box exercise rather than a significant learning experience, professionals are less likely to internalize new skills or change behavior – resulting from wasted time, missed resources and opportunities. To really empower business learners, training must go beyond boring presentations and connect with their realities, their emotions and their daily aspirations.

The realization: why the theory alone is not enough

I have been teaching ESL for years, and this experience gave me an overview of how learners think, fight and succeed. However, in my early educational design work, I did not fully use this empathy and focus on what is wrong. My realization by watching this video was clear: yes, I conceived in the same way which failed the user. I realized that I was counting too much on:

1. Comfort
   Conceive to reduce the learner's fatigue but not check if the learners found it relevant or motivating.
2. Principles of Andragogy
   Expect the learners to be directed, but do not build enough support or scaffolding of engagement.
3. Constructivism
   Encourage active learning but without really understanding what learners were leaning or how they felt during the process.

I conceived for the learners but not with the learners.

The lesson: we have to focus on what is wrong

Here is the hard truth: if we focus only on what is right or what is easy to measure – completion rates, clicks, length of the course – we miss the heart of an effective learning design. The effective design comes from:

1. Find what is missing or broken.
   Like neglected coffee and beer, subtle gaps in commitment, motivation, relevance or emotional connection can quietly erode the effectiveness of learning experience.
2. Admit what does not work in our conceptions.
   It is uncomfortable but necessary to say: “My course falls flat here” or “my learners fight with this concept”.
3. Listen to the learners' comments deeply, even if it is difficult to hear.
   Are they annoyed? Confused? No supported? Their voice is the data that matters most.
4. Iter relentlessly.
   The design is never complete. The improvement stems from the front border and the creation of reflected and targeted adjustments – often by small but significant changes.

What a design centered on the learner looks like

If you always design mainly around learning theories or what you think that learners need, it's time to rotate. Here are three fundamental principles for conception with learner's empathy:

1. Emotionally
   Learning is not only cognitive. Motivation, anxiety, pride and frustration – any impact on retention. Design to approach these feelings, not just the facts.
2. Actively involve learners
   Give learners significant choices and opportunities to think, apply and interact – not passive content consumption.
3. Anchor in real contexts
   Connect the learning closely to the real world scenarios with which learners are faced. Relevance stimulates commitment.

My way forward: from theory to the design centered on the learner

I am currently thinking about my portfolio projects with this change of mind. Instead of simply checking the theoretical boxes, I ask:

1. How does it help the learner feel confident, curious and capable?
2. Am I creating a significant practice that reflects real challenges?
3. What feedback mechanisms are in place for continuous improvement?

I have developed a control list centered on these questions, knowing that this work can be messy and sometimes uncomfortable, but it is essential if we want to raise our teaching conception of good.

Your turn

If you are an educational designer who reads this, I challenge you to think honestly:

1. Where did you prioritize flashy features or theory on the needs of learners?
2. What “coffee or beer” element overlooks who could transform your design?

This is one of these subjects on which I want to exhibit because I think it is relevant and could be able to help other educational designers who do not know exactly how to fill the gap, so I will create a series for American pedagogical designers so that we really start to understand the real user challenges and create better learning material for them. So go to this trip with me! If you find it difficult to connect your content to the real success of the learner, I would like to discuss more with you.