Instructional Design merits recognition if only for the very fact that it encompasses a variety of technical considerations, not the least of which includes the aesthetics of presentation. I take some inspiration from a well-established instructional designer, Tim Slade. After listening to one of his webinars, I was interested in a book which he recommended titled slide:ology, The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. Although the book itself was not intended solely for Instructional Designers, the parallels between many of its contents and ID principles are striking.
Nancy and her husband are both founders of the company Duarte. According to their mission statement: “With the Duarte Method you and your team will learn the skills necessary to deliver persuasive presentations that improve careers, companies, and lives.” It is also worth noting that their company works with other industry giants such as Adobe, Google, HP, and Google.
The book focuses on the use of design as an aid in presentations. It’s no wonder then that the book itself does very well at effectively incorporating its own designs. What a delight to see all the images that are strewn throughout its pages. It becomes apparent that aesthetics is only part of slide:ology’s intent. Ultimately, it communicates a fundamental appreciation for how images can convey meaning and instill a direction in thinking and information processing.
The writing content seems to be just as appealing as the visual aids. There is as apparent sense that a personal level of interest is being conveyed in the reader. The quirky sense of humor is not overdone and seems to fit in well with the rest of the narratives, situations, and case studies. I definitely appreciated the light jabs at PowerPoint and an account about Nancy’s husband making a presentation with an exploding Ken doll to convey a well-received point to their children (Pg 176). On the subject of case studies, they usually come from well-established or well-known individuals giving accounts of how design methods improved their presentations. None of the writing is overly complex or overwhelming. Still, the visuals in the book gave my eyes a nice break from reading every once in a while.
Some of the methods outlined in slide:ology hearken to the fundamental methods that are ingrained in Instructional Design. For instance, page 12 encourages “a creative process that takes into account both audience needs and feedback from colleagues.” This is a method that all instructional designers follow before designing and developing courseware. Another parallel can be found on page 204 which mentions building a template to condense the time-line of the design process when long-term projects demand occasional modifications. This reminds me a lot of the Rapid ISD Model, introduced by David Meier, which is modeled for projects that are on a tight deadline and require content to be constantly changed.
Here are some other random content which I like about the book. It actually teaches you how to draw on a sheet of paper in simple ways. Page 28 has an intuitive suggestion on how to annotate and arrange sticky notes so as to “re-order content until the structure and flow feel right.” This alone gives me a new direction for storyboarding for eLearning content. There are numerous before and after examples of improved presentations. Page 96 delves into some deep facts concerning cultural conditioning as well as biological factors (notably eye movement) that determine how humans process images.
Slide:ology doesn’t limit its content to using images in presentations. It also explores how text and font come into play. There is also content regarding use of video, dimensions, lighting, grids, and so on (check out the Fibonacci grid structure in page 101). Though the contents evolve into more advanced design methods and considerations, The book does so well at covering these ideas in simple and effective ways with the aid of its visual and design sense. Basically the book practices what it preaches.
A quote from the introduction gives us an understanding of why design in presentation is so important by stating “As communicators, learning to create visual stories that connect with out audience is becoming imperative especially in light of global competitive pressure.” slide:ology is just one of those tools that no ID should be without. If you want a reliable reference for effective methods in visual storytelling, then this needs to be in your library.