Instructional Design Innovation is About People

There's a seductive myth in instructional design today: innovation means cutting-edge technology, new tools, and novel processes. We chase after every shiny, new platform or model, believing it’s the missing piece to elevate our training. But let me make something clear—innovation has always been, and always will be, about people.

Yes, technology and processes matter. They can streamline workflows, enhance delivery, and broaden access. But true innovation occurs when instructional designers create experiences that feel unexpectedly sensible to those who matter most: our learners, subject matter experts (SMEs), stakeholders, and reviewers.

Innovative instructional design is not defined by the novelty of your methods or the complexity of your tools. It’s defined by your ability to pinpoint exactly what your users need and deliver it in a way that resonates clearly and deeply. The measure of innovation isn't

"Wow, this looks futuristic!" but rather, "Wow, that makes perfect sense."

Yet, our industry often gets this backward. We focus so heavily on the how—processes, technologies, platforms—that we forget about the who. Instructional design is fundamentally a human-centered discipline, yet we repeatedly reduce it to technology-centered thinking.

People don't remember flashy technology; they remember thoughtful, meaningful experiences. Your innovative solution might be a carefully restructured sequence of lessons, an elegantly simplified explanation, or an engaging, interactive exercise—none of which necessarily requires cutting-edge technology.

When was the last time your learners genuinely celebrated your course because of its technological sophistication or adherence to a rigid, formalized process? More often, they celebrate when a training session respects their time, anticipates their struggles, or truly solves their real-world problems. That’s real innovation.

Our most meaningful moments as instructional designers come not when we successfully deploy a complicated learning platform, but when we see genuine comprehension dawn on a learner's face. That happens because we designed for them, not for our own obsession with technology or methodological purity.

So, if you truly want to innovate, shift your gaze. Look away from the seductive promise of tools and templates, and instead invest deeply in understanding your learners, stakeholders, and SMEs. Understand their struggles, motivations, frustrations, and goals. Let that deep human insight drive your decisions.

Innovation isn't in what you're building—it's in who you're building it for. Start with people, and everything else follows.