If you’ve been building eLearning in Articulate Storyline for a while, you’ll know it’s rarely the big things that let a course down. More often, it’s the small details – the spacing, the consistency, the way interactions behave, the clarity of the content on screen. Individually, they don’t seem like much. Together, they shape the entire experience.
The good news? You don’t need to redesign everything to improve your work. A few simple, practical changes can make a noticeable difference, not just to how your courses look, but how they feel to use. Here are some of the key things to focus on.
Keep Your Build Clean and Consistent
- Stick to one navigation approach – avoid mixing interaction styles like submit buttons, click-to-continue, and player navigation. Pick one approach and use it throughout.
- Use consistent dimensions – keep boxes, buttons, and drag-and-drop elements the same size across screens so everything feels structured and intentional.
- Align everything – text, shapes, and buttons should line up across slides and layers. Even slight misalignment is noticeable.
- Apply templates properly – stick to the defined sizes, colours, fonts, and button styles. Small inconsistencies quickly make a course feel unpolished.
Pay Attention to Layout and Typography
- Avoid random fonts – copying and pasting can introduce inconsistencies, including in the Notes panel. Always check and reset styles where needed.
- Remove orphans – a single word on a new line breaks readability and makes layouts feel uneven.
- Keep list formatting consistent – indentation, bullet styles, and spacing should be uniform throughout the course.
- Avoid overusing bullet points – too many lists can make screens feel repetitive. Vary your layouts to keep things engaging.
- Don’t rely on default design – standard fonts and predictable layouts can make courses feel generic. Small refinements go a long way.
Use Visuals Properly
- Avoid poor-quality imagery – blurry visuals, outdated clipart and overused stock images reduce credibility instantly.
- Choose visuals that match your style – characters, icons, and imagery should feel consistent with your overall design.
- Don’t be lazy with design – even simple layouts can look polished with good spacing, alignment and visual balance.
Give Clear Instructions
- Provide instructions where needed – use on-screen text or audio to guide learners through interactions.
- Keep instructions simple and consistent – if learners have to think about what to do next, the experience slows down.
Don’t Over-Engineer Your Build
- Keep your build simple – there are often multiple ways to achieve the same outcome in Articulate Storyline. Choose the one with the fewest triggers, layers, and variables.
- Avoid unnecessary complexity – over-engineering makes courses harder to update, test, and maintain.
Stay Organised Behind the Scenes
- Label everything in the timeline – clear naming makes a huge difference when updating or troubleshooting later.
- Build once, then duplicate – this ensures alignment and consistency across slides and layers.
- Remove unused elements – delete old triggers, layers, and slide masters to keep your file clean.
Keep Interactions Predictable
- Use consistent interaction patterns – learners shouldn’t need to relearn how each screen works.
- Match question states – fonts, sizes, and layouts should be consistent across responses.
- Remove hover states on non-clickable objects – if something looks interactive, learners will expect it to be.
Use Media Intentionally
- Make video the hero – if you’re using video, adjust it to the entire screen. Avoid shrinking it to fit a layout.
- Be consistent with audio – if narration is used, apply it consistently across screens.
- Clean your transcripts – remove internal notes, instructions or anything not relevant to the learner.
- Remove seek bars on screens without audio – this avoids confusion and keeps the interface clean.
Technical Checks
- Check all buttons, links, and icons – if something looks clickable, it should work.
- Review interactions – make sure everything behaves as expected across the course.
- Only show completion when appropriate – after all slides are viewed or the quiz is successfully passed.
- Adjust timelines – ensure there are no long gaps after media ends.
- Avoid shuffling “None of the above” answers – it breaks the logic of the question.
Clean Up Before Publishing
- Remove unused states – extra states can cause confusion and unintended behaviour.
- Delete unnecessary triggers and layers – keep your file efficient and easy to manage.
- Re-link external resources – especially important when publishing from a different device.
Get Your Publish Settings Right
- Confirm completion settings – align these with your LMS requirements.
- Set correct pass marks – ensure they match what’s communicated in the course.
Using AI in eLearning Design
And finally, one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing right now. AI is now part of the eLearning workflow and when used well, it can significantly speed things up.
- Use AI for a first draft, then refine it – AI can quickly generate content, structure, and questions, but it still needs your input to align tone, clarity, and relevance.
- Use AI to generate interaction ideas – it’s a great way to explore different approaches, especially when turning static content into something more engaging.
- Use AI to simplify complex content – AI can help break down dense information into clearer, more usable content.
None of these tips are complicated. But together, they make a significant difference. Better eLearning design isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the small things well, consistently. That’s what improves the learner experience. And that’s what makes your work stand out.
