Previously, I talked about pitfalls in goal-setting during the research (Analysis) phase. This time, let’s look at pitfalls that often show up in the design stage. Funny enough, I fall into this trap myself.
Ego Design
You’ve done solid research and set clear learning goals. Now it’s time to design.
“Oh, this part is important. And so is this—maybe I should add a diagram. This section really needs a full explanation, so let’s dedicate a whole page to it.” …Wait, what were my learning goals again?
Sounds familiar? It certainly does to me—which is exactly why I need to keep reminding myself of it (lol).
If you let your excitement spill directly into the design, you risk falling into “Ego Design.” In the ID process, this is what makes a ship that had a clear destination suddenly drift off course.
Let’s look at two ways this enthusiasm can backfire.
Ego Design: Common Experiences
This pitfall often stems from two tendencies: Focusing too much on individual parts and Losing sight of the overall structure. Let’s look at how these play out.
1. Cramming in too much information
It’s easy to think, “This is important, and so is that,” and start piling on background details, extra knowledge, or superfluous animations to grab learners’ attention. But too much information hides the core message. Learners get confused, overwhelmed, and may lose motivation or confidence.
ID Solution:
To keep this in check, hold on to your enthusiasm but keep asking one question throughout the process: “How does this contribute to the specific learning objective?” Also, pause at natural breakpoints—like chapters or sections—to review the overall flow.
2. Getting Stuck in the Weeds (Losing the Overall Flow)
Another common trap is getting so absorbed in perfecting one chapter that you lose sight of the bigger sequence—for example, how Chapter 1 connects to the practical application in Chapter 3. A learning program isn’t just a pile of separate parts. It needs to be structured so learners can build skills step by step, in a sequence that makes sense and sticks in memory. Without that, even excellent individual pieces become a scattered collection that’s hard to retain and apply.
The fix? Early in the design phase, create a clear learning roadmap—something visual that shows the big picture—and set up a review process that prioritizes overall flow over individual pieces.
Summary: Design is about guiding, not overcomplicating
In this article, I talked about “Ego Design”—something I personally know all too well.
The goal of instructional design isn’t to show how much content you can pack in, but to help learners efficiently achieve their objectives.
Design is not about self-satisfaction—it’s a tool to guide learners toward success.
Now, the only question is: which ID pitfall should I cover next? 🙂
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