The eye learns with: That's why your e-learning will be significantly more successful if you use visual elements. We provide you with examples and concrete tips for creating your next online course!

We humans are simply made

We humans are simply made. We are not machines that can process abstract formulas easily. Therefore, your online course should be as simple to process as possible, provided your participants have brains instead of microchips. Support learning by offering them as many images as possible. Here, "image" does not always mean a photo but can cover a wide range: from graphics to emojis to videos. But more on that later!

Storytelling is a great method to capture your participants' attention. This applies to presentations just as much as to online courses, especially in onboarding. However, words—whether written or spoken—are not always the best choice in storytelling: With visual elements, the content is easier to understand. This increases motivation; your participants are more likely to stay engaged, and the learning success is greater. To put it visually:

Visual elements lead to better understanding, which leads to higher motivation and ultimately to greater learning success. Source: blink.it

6 visual options for your online course

What types of visual elements are there? These 6 options are particularly helpful for online courses:

1. Videos

2. Sketchnotes

3. Images of all kinds

4. Numbers

5. Typography

6. Emojis

1. Videos

Let's start with the essential: Visual elements work best in motion. Use videos in your online course by embedding appropriate content from YouTube and other platforms. Or create your own short learning videos! This method is especially recommended in coaching. Because the more often your participants see your face in the online course, the closer they feel to you.

Tip: Enhance the learning process in the video EVEN MORE by working with overlays. It might look something like this:

2. Sketchnotes

A slightly different type of visual support in the online course is sketchnotes: these are notes that consist not just of text but also contain images and structures. In this article, you'll learn more: Learning with Sketchnotes – Creative Tool for Your Training

3. Images

Quite simply, in third place: Any kind of image. Upload your own sketches to your online course (for example, created with Canva) or use freely licensed images.

Important: The overview of your course should also be visually appealing. Therefore, always try to use appropriate thumbnails for your content.

4. Numbers

Surprisingly effective: Use digits instead of writing out numbers. Due to the visual effect, digits stand out more in the text and thus remain better in memory: An 8 stands out more from the surrounding text than if I simply write eight.

5. Typography

Let's stick to text: because visual elements start with writing. We all know—and hate—presentations where we cannot read anything. Either the font is too small, or the page is overloaded with text. The font style itself should also be well chosen: some fonts are harder to read than others.

6. Emojis

Lastly, a visual eye-catcher of the 21st century: Emojis can lighten up your online course a bit. But don't overdo it: after all, you don't want to come across as a lovesick seventh grader! 😍😎😱😂 Here and there, an emoji can direct attention to important points.

Tip for emojis: On the website smileybedeutung.com, you can easily copy emojis and paste them into your online course.

Use a visually appealing LMS

Besides the visual content, the overall impression is, of course, important! On some platforms, you can upload the most beautiful content, but your participants might be deterred by an unstructured layout. The following points will help you choose an LMS that suits you:

• Are thumbnails for your content possible?

• Can you use your own CI?

• Can you divide content (e.g., in the form of chapters)?

• Can you hide content so that the course doesn’t seem overwhelming and intimidating right from the start?

• Can you, as a participant, find your way around immediately and recognize the course's structure?

In the following article, you'll find a concrete example of how to visually get the best out of your course: In 4 Steps from a Boring Online Course to a Successful Highlight

Cone of Learning: The Hierarchy of Visual Learning

The more senses are engaged during learning, the better the learned material sticks. We all know that. As learning experts, we also understand that there are different learning types: a visual learner learns better with images and videos, whereas an auditory learner does so more with language and sound recordings. However, two aspects are often overlooked here:

1. Doing is always the most important: A visual learner also anchors what they have learned best by trying and practicing it themselves.

2. Within the senses, we can make finer distinctions: For example, a video is more helpful than just a photo. And a photo is usually more helpful than a graphic.

These two aspects lead us to the so-called "Cone of Learning." If you google it, you will find several representations of learning pyramids. In summary, the Cone of Learning means: The greater your active involvement, the higher the learning success. For example, reading does not help you learn as well as when something is shown to you or when you talk about it with others.

On the eLearning Industry Blog (English), Lubos Janoska has brought the Cone of Learning up to date scientifically. He also chose a nice example that I would like to summarize here:

Simple representation of the Cone of Learning: From mere text to sketches to images and videos. Source: blink.it

The illustration above contains only the basis of the Cone of Learning (Points 1-4). After using videos, there are additional learning formats that cannot be well represented visually anymore. Therefore, here are all 10 steps in the Cone of Learning according to Janoska:

1. Written symbols (text)

2. Visual symbols (e.g., graphics)

3. Still images and audio recordings

4. Moving images (videos, animations)

5. Exhibitions (viewing without touching)

6. Excursions (experiencing real examples)

7. Demonstrations

8. Role plays (own participation)

9. Simulations, gamification

10. Direct self-application

The last point is the pinnacle of the Cone of Learning. Janoska describes it as follows: Think of the diagram above and the term "apple." Then take an apple and take a bite. Perceive the apple with all your senses while mentally repeating what you have learned about the apple up to this point.

Conclusion: How to make your online course successful with visual elements

Let's briefly recap the key points from this article:

• Choose an LMS that is visually appealing and clear

• Use thumbnails for your course content

• Structure your course clearly, such as with chapters

• Convey your content through storytelling

• Choose appropriate visual media for your content

• Even with text content, pay attention to the visual aspect

• Always remember to motivate your participants to take action

…because despite the strong influence of visual elements, one thing remains very important: The greatest learning effect arises from personal action. Therefore, it's best to immediately set a date in your calendar to enhance your online course visually!