Last week, we began looking at some of the limitations of eLearning interactions, and how to work within those constraints. Your comments and feedback indicated that this is a topic of interest to many of you. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to discuss effective ways to design eLearning interactions on the Thursday posts to this blog.
The interaction we are looking at today is one that has varied applications, of which we will explore a few. Today we will look at some applications for a drag and drop interaction resembling a jigsaw puzzle to present and arrange information. My favorite application for this style of interaction is when we are presenting various pieces of information that are more meaningful when connected. That may be specific features that combine a create a benefit or when there are steps in a process that combine to an outcome. Any objective that combines various elements can be considered for this interaction.
When I design this interaction, I like to use the placement of each puzzle piece as an opportunity for feedback and more information about that piece of the puzzle. When the learner correctly or incorrectly drags a piece onto the puzzle board, the feedback is displayed or read to give them more information about the piece and why it was correctly or incorrectly placed.
Below is a generic wireframe of this type of interaction that can be passed to a developer to bring to life. As you can see, there are pieces that contain relevant information for the interaction, and a few distractors. In this wireframe, you see a simple square layout, mostly because my graphic design skills are lacking, and PowerPoint only has so many shapes to work with. To make this more visually appealing, you may want to design the puzzle in a shape that is relevant to the course or the objective this interaction is serving.
Can you think of more applications for this style of eLearning interaction? Have you used this style of interaction in your training? Let’s talk about that and other thoughts you may have in the comments below.
Would you like more help with your eLearning design and development? Drop us a line, we’d love to talk in more detail about how our creative, learner-centered approach can breathe life into your next training!
