How a Trip to Disneyland Reminds Me of Good Instructional Design

This summer our family was lucky enough to visit Disneyland! So many aspects of our trip reminded me of good ID principles. Here are some great practices that Disney has perfected:

Build Anticipation

Even before our trip, Disney was sending me emails about all the fun that was in store for us. In instructional design, we can let our learners know what courses are coming up and what they will get out of it. Even better, get your company leaders to spread excitement about a new training before it comes out! This helps you get more buy-in and results in more people interested in your course.

Include All

Disney has a new emphasis on accessibility, which shows in their more recent park designs and ride processes. My son uses a wheelchair and we were able to pull up a ride list with a thorough explanation of the accessibility levels for each. We were so pleased to see that California Adventure (the newer park) was designed with accessibility in mind!

As IDs, we can also design accessibility into our projects from the beginning. This is a lot easier than trying to retrofit accessibility later, as Disneyland has had to do for some of the older rides. In addition, we can make the accessibility options clear from the beginning, so our learners can find what they need.

Know Your Audience

Why do people go to Disneyland over other vacation destinations? They know it is the “happiest place on earth!” They know they will be greeted by smiles from cast-members, upbeat music, and a lot of fun. They also know that kids, families, and adult visitors are expecting the parks to be clean and safe. Disney is good at matching their parks to the expectations of their visitors.

Instructional designers can also get to know their learners to make sure they are offering courses that match their expectations and needs. Ideally, we want our courses to also be safe places to learn and, if possible, fun to complete.

Keep Things Moving

Even though lines may be long at Disneyland, they are usually moving at a fairly good pace. Processes run smoothly and predictably, even if there is some waiting involved.

For IDs, we don’t necessarily have long wait times, but many courses do have a fairly long time commitment. One thing that we can do is let learners see their progress through a progress bar or menu.

Let People Know How Long Things Will Take

Speaking of waiting in line, Disney also does a great job of estimating wait times. When we visited, you could use an app to see the wait time for rides all over the park.

When making eLearning courses, instructional designers can include an estimate of the time the course will take or the estimated time remaining. This gives learners an idea of how much of a time commitment the course will be for them.

Give Choices

Disney offers many ways to have fun! From gentle boat rides to exciting roller coasters, there is a wide variety of enjoyable activities for different ages and levels of thrill.

Learners also love choices! For example, some learners may have extensive knowledge of the topic of our course, whereas others may be beginners. Using branching choices, we can differentiate our courses for the learners’ levels of knowledge. In addition, sometimes people who work in different roles may take the same company-wide training. Giving learners the chance to select their role helps us target the training to their responsibilities on the job.

Offer Small Moments of Delight

Hidden Mickeys, a wave from a princess, a sudden cloud of bubbles - these tiny moments of delight make a Disney experience so special.

As IDs, we can think about what little moments we can add to our courses that will make learners smile. It could be some gamification, a small animation, or a lovely visual that connects with learners. These small touches can make our courses enjoyable and memorable as well.

Get Feedback for Future Improvement

After our trip, Disney emailed us to fill out a survey and give them feedback on our experience. Not only did that make us feel like our experience was important to them, it also gave them a chance to improve the experience for future guests. The connection to ID is obvious, as we can gather feedback from our learners and improve future courses.

We loved our trip and enjoyed so many aspects of our visit. I hope the examples in this post gave you some great ideas for your next course!