One of the most familiar challenges in instructional design begins with a perfectly reasonable request: “We need to cover all of this.”
The “this” in question could be a 200-page technical manual, several presentations, process documents, or years of accumulated organizational knowledge. And quite often, the expectation is to turn it all into an engaging, easy-to-understand learning experience. Preferably within 30 minutes.
Having worked on instructional design projects across different industries, I’ve come to appreciate that one of the most demanding parts of our profession is deciding what deserves the learner’s attention. It’s a decision that involves much more than reducing word counts or dividing content into smaller sections.
Different Stakeholders, Different Priorities
Subject Matter Experts (SME) naturally want technical accuracy and completeness.
Business stakeholders want training that addresses a specific need.
Learners want information they can understand, remember, and apply.
And instructional designers are responsible for bringing these expectations together within the available time and resources.
The challenge is that all these perspectives are valid, but they don’t always lead to the same design decisions.
Consider a foundational technical course intended for employees who are new to a subject. The source material may contain detailed engineering explanations, exceptions, advanced troubleshooting procedures, and information accumulated over several years. All of it may be technically relevant, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all of it belongs in an introductory course.
This is where instructional design requires careful judgment. The question is no longer simply whether the information is important. It’s whether the learner needs it at this stage, at this level of detail, and for the tasks they’re expected to perform.
The Difficult Part Is Making the Trade-offs
In my experience, content prioritization works best when the discussion moves away from individual topics and toward the intended learning outcomes.
What should learners be able to explain, identify, or perform after completing the training?
What knowledge is essential to achieve those outcomes?
What can be introduced later, provided as a reference, or reserved for advanced learning?
These questions help make content decisions more objective. They also make conversations with stakeholders more productive because the discussion becomes about learning requirements rather than personal preferences.
Of course, there are situations where content cannot be reduced, particularly when safety, regulatory requirements, or critical procedures are involved. In such cases, the trade-off may involve adjusting the duration, delivery format, or scope rather than removing essential information.
I’ve also learned that simplifying content doesn’t mean making it superficial. A well-designed introductory explanation can preserve technical accuracy while avoiding details that learners aren’t yet equipped to interpret.
Making Room for Learning
As an ID Manager, I find myself paying increasing attention to these decisions during the early stages of a project. Once content has been approved, structured, and developed, revisiting its scope becomes considerably more complicated.
A course that attempts to cover everything may appear comprehensive, but coverage alone tells us very little about what learners will understand or retain. Sometimes, including another topic means sacrificing the time needed to explain an existing one properly, demonstrate a process, or provide meaningful practice.
Ultimately, instructional design involves making informed choices about how learners spend their limited time and attention. The objective isn’t to make the course as short as possible or to include as much content as possible. It’s to ensure that the content, depth, and learning experience are appropriate for the intended audience and purpose.
And sometimes, the most valuable contribution an instructional designer makes is asking a deceptively simple question: “Does the learner really need to know this now?”
