TL;DR: Great instructional designers aren’t defined by tool proficiency — they diagnose whether training is actually the right fix, translate SME depth into what learners truly need, make design choices based on judgment rather than decoration, bridge learner and business needs, and can justify every design decision. AI is now part of the job, but judgment (knowing what to ask it, and when to override it) matters more than ever. Sometimes the real answer isn’t a course at all — and sometimes the smartest way to fill a capability gap isn’t a permanent hire, but bringing in the right expertise at the right time (which is what Mediant Labs’ Staff Augmentation model is built for).
After decades of working with learning teams, instructional designers and subject matter experts, one thing has become clear: the best instructional designers are not necessarily the ones with the longest list of tools on their resumes. They are the ones who know what to do before they open the authoring tool.
The role has changed considerably. Instructional designers today are expected to work across learning science, technology, content, business needs and increasingly, AI. But some qualities have remained remarkably consistent.
Here are seven things experience has taught us about what sets great instructional designers apart.
1. They start with the problem, not the course
A request for training is not always a training problem. A strong instructional designer takes the time to understand what people need to do differently, what is getting in the way and whether learning is actually the right intervention. They look at the business and performance context before jumping into objectives, storyboards or screens.
That ability to diagnose before designing is one of the most valuable instructional design skills because it changes the conversation from “What course should we build?” to “What capability do people need?”
2. They know what learners need, not just what SMEs want to say
Subject matter experts bring depth. Instructional designers bring perspective. The best designers can listen carefully to an expert, understand the complexity of the subject and then decide what the learner actually needs to know, practise and remember. They are comfortable asking questions, challenging assumptions and simplifying without oversimplifying.
That takes more than content-writing ability. It takes curiosity, empathy and a strong understanding of how people learn.
3. They understand that good design is about decisions, not decoration
Engagement is important. But an engaging learning experience is not necessarily an effective one. Experienced instructional designers know when a scenario, simulation, interaction, video or assessment adds value and when it is simply adding another layer. They make design choices based on the learner, the objective and the context rather than the capabilities of the latest tool.
Creativity matters. But design judgment matters more.
4. They can move between the learner and the business
Good instructional designers understand that learning sits between two worlds. They need to think about the learner’s experience while also understanding what the organisation is trying to achieve. That means being able to translate business requirements into meaningful learning objectives, and learner needs into something stakeholders can understand and support.
This is particularly important for Learning Experience Designers, whose role increasingly extends beyond individual courses to the broader experience of how people access, engage with and apply learning.
5. They can explain why they made a design decision
One of the easiest ways to distinguish an experienced designer from someone who simply knows the tools is to ask, “Why?”
Why this activity? Why this sequence? Why this assessment? Why does the learner need to practise this rather than simply read about it?
Strong instructional designers can explain their choices. They can connect them to learning principles, learner behaviour and the desired outcome. That makes them much more effective collaborators with SMEs, business stakeholders, visual designers and development teams.
6. AI is now part of their toolkit. Judgment still belongs to them.
AI has quickly become part of the instructional designer’s everyday toolkit. Designers are using it to research, brainstorm, draft content and objectives, create assessments, develop media, support accessibility and accelerate repetitive production work. So AI fluency is increasingly one of the skills worth looking for when hiring an instructional designer.
But knowing how to use AI is only half the equation. A good designer knows what to ask AI to do, what not to ask it to do, how to evaluate its output and when human judgment needs to take over. The value of the designer is shifting away from simply producing content and towards shaping, questioning, curating and validating it.
The better question is no longer, “Does this designer use AI?” It is, “Does this designer know how to use AI without outsourcing their judgment?”
7. They know when the answer isn’t another course
Perhaps the most valuable quality is knowing that learning is not always the answer. Sometimes people need practice. Sometimes they need performance support. Sometimes the process needs to change. And sometimes the organisation simply needs more capability to get the work done.
That is why the best instructional designers think beyond the course. They understand the capability the business needs and can help determine the right way to build it.
When the capability matters more than the headcount
That distinction matters when building a learning team too. There are times when a permanent hire makes perfect sense. There are also times when a team needs an experienced instructional designer for a specific programme, additional capacity during a busy period, or specialist expertise that does not justify another full-time role.
That’s where the right talent partner can make a difference.
Looking beyond the job title
At Mediant Labs, we look beyond the job title to understand the capability, experience and context a team actually needs. Our Staff Augmentation model helps learning teams bring in the right instructional design talent to complement their existing capabilities, without treating every capability gap as a permanent hiring problem.
Because sometimes, the smartest way to build capability is not to build the team permanently. It is to bring in the right expertise at the right time.
Explore Staff Augmentation →