My Big Research Question

Big Research Question

How media developers of instructional materials such as e-learning websites and training handouts make judgments about visual designs of instructional materials.

Why It is Important to Investigate It

It is suggested by several scholars that existing principles of visual design, constructed primarily based on research findings of laboratory studies, do not provide enough information for designers to design in authentic and real settings. For the future purpose of improving visual design guidelines, I'd like to investigate how designers create visual designs of instructional materials in actual settings.

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Relevant Statements of Interest

Specifically, my study aims to describe the steps and routines of visual designing process engaged in by the media developers of instructional materials. Especially, it is aimed to understand how media developers decide visual design of instructional materials in accordance with constrains of time, money and other resources available to develop the materials. Additionally, this study seeks to describe the influence of stakeholders, including clients, indented learners and coworkers, on the decision making process of the visual design of instructional materials. What kind of relationships do the media developers have with other stakeholders? If the opinions and expectations of stakeholders conflict each other, how do the media developers negotiate and decide the visuals of instructional materials? Finally, if the media developers refer to certain guidelines of visual designs, how do they utilize the general guideline to fit a specific design needs?

Participant

So far, I've done 2 observations and 1 shadowing in a local instructional design company. The participants are adults who do visual design of instructional materials as their profession. The title of their profession is media developer. They are responsible for creating instructional media such as e-learning websites and training handouts.

What are Observed and Why?

During the two 1-hour observation sessions, interactions among the media developers during their media team meeting were observed. Observing interaction among them would inform magnitude and kinds of influence each stakeholder has and inform what kind of constrains media developers face when they are designing visuals of instructional materials. Additionally, during the 3-hour shadowing session, in addition to the group meeting, I observed how media developers actually design during solitary work period. The shadowing of medial developer’s solitary work will also inform how they do perform visual design in accordance with the external influences and constrains. I will do 1 more observation, 2 more shadowing, and 3 interviews next semester.