When you first learn instructional design (ID), it’s easy to imagine your “ideal learning experience”: a compelling storyline, perfectly layered scaffolding, polished interactions, and beautifully structured assessments.
But once you step into real projects, “reality” quickly appears — time constraints, limited resources, organizational culture, stakeholder priorities, and more.
So the key question becomes:
How do instructional designers bridge the gap between ideal theory and actual project constraints?
Your Job Isn’t to Force the Ideal Model
There’s a common misconception that an instructional designer’s job is to apply an ideal learning framework exactly as theory describes.
In reality, the role of an ID is to:
- Design the best realistic solution that still achieves the learning objectives
- Maximize learning impact within the project’s constraints
It’s not about perfection. It’s about making the highest-impact choices under real conditions.
The Gap Isn’t “Bad” — It’s the Starting Point
Every project has gaps. Yes, always
Like:
- Missing or incomplete learner data
- Legacy systems that limit what can be built
- Short training hours
- SMEs who can only spare 30 minutes a week
- Learners who may not be motivated
- Conflicting priorities across departments
These gaps are not failures — they’re conditions.
And the work of an ID is to design solutions that still deliver results despite them.
Three Practical Ways to Bridge Ideal and Reality
1. Separate the “non-negotiables” from the “adjustables”
For example:
Non-negotiable:
- Required performance outcomes
- Critical concepts that must be understood
- Knowledge tied to compliance or business risk
Adjustable:
- Level of visual polish
- Amount of interaction
- Complexity of scenarios
- Authoring tools
Once you define these boundaries, discussions with stakeholders become dramatically smoother.
2. Uncover the stakeholder’s real intention
Requests often have unstated motivations.
For example,:
- “We want this in video format.”
→ Actual intention: Learners are skipping content, and we need a way to prevent that. - “Make the slides flashier.”
→ Actual intention: We need something persuasive for leadership.
Understanding the real purpose helps you propose solutions that satisfy both learning goals and stakeholder needs.
3. Prioritize “one step forward” over perfection
Instructional design is built on iteration:
Draft → Feedback → Revision → Testing → Improvement
Because this cycle repeats, delivering a perfect first version is neither required nor realistic.
In fact, small, incremental progress makes revisions far easier.
If you hand over a “finalized” masterpiece and then hear:
“Please revise this, replace that, remove this section…”
— you would cry. (I would, for sure.)
So share the mindset:
- “This version is good for now.”
- “We’ll improve it in the next iteration.”
Once this expectation is aligned, collaboration becomes significantly easier.
What Happens When Alignment Goes Well?
- Fewer conflicts
- More cooperative stakeholders
- Faster project progress
- Better learning outcomes
- IDs become highly valued (okay, maybe slightly exaggerated — but still true)
In short:
Alignment is one of the biggest predictors of project success.
Final Thoughts
The ideal–reality gap is a natural part of instructional design.
The key is not to resist the gap, but to create the highest-impact realistic solution by:
- Defining what must be protected vs. what can flex
- Understanding stakeholders’ true intentions
- Prioritizing continuous improvement over perfection
With these principles, your learning experiences become more realistic, more effective, and far more manageable.
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