Instructional Design and authoring tools: when, why, and how they work together
When it comes to Instructional Design, there's one debate that never quite dies: to use authoring tools or to not? For some Learning Designers, these tools are a dream. For others, they're a relic of corporate compliance training nightmares. So, where do we land?
Hi, I'm Bianca Raby—Learning Designer, educator, and occasional authoring tool convert. If you've ever sat through a painfully dry onboarding video or endlessly clicked through a training module just to get a certificate, then congratulations—you've met the classic use case for authoring tools in Instructional Design.
The role of authoring tools in Instructional Design
Let's be honest: authoring tools like Articulate Storyline, Rise, Adobe Captivate, and Camtasia rose to fame for a reason. They package content into structured, SCORM-compliant formats that play nicely with any LMS. In the world of compliance and corporate training, they're the workhorse behind most "click-next" modules we love to hate.
But Instructional Design is so much more than compliance—and that's where nuance matters. So here's the breakdown.
Why Instructional Designers love authoring tools:
- Visually engaging: Modern authoring tools offer sleek templates and graphic appeal.
- Interactivity built in: Drag-and-drops, quizzes, buttons, and more—right out of the box.
- Relatively easy to use: Many tools are designed with non-coders in mind.
- SCORM-friendly: Export your content and plug it into any LMS with ease.
- Data-rich: Great analytics features support learner tracking and reporting.
Why we sometimes don't choose authoring tools:
- Limited flexibility: SCORM files are hard to edit once exported—like burning a DVD.
- Better native tools: Some LMS platforms have excellent built-in features that reduce the need.
- Non-linear navigation: Authoring tools often default to linear learning paths.
- Video and blended delivery: Sometimes a more dynamic media mix is better.
- Accessibility issues: Some tools aren't as inclusive, especially for mobile-first learners.
- Social learning limitations: Collaboration and discussion don't thrive in a SCORM shell.
Evolving with Instructional Design trends
I'll admit it—early in my career, I avoided authoring tools like the plague. Those 2000s-style animated avatars and robotic voice overs haunted me. But like all tools, it's about how (and when) you use them.
Today, I actually enjoy using Articulate Rise. My team at Oppida even re-released our Learning Design Practitioner Microcredential using Rise, hosted on Thinkific. The result? A polished, clean learner experience that serves a clear purpose.
What's your take? Love them, loathe them, or learning to live with them?
Until next time, stay awesome!