Design for How People Learn Summary

A well-designed learning experience can transform even the dullest content into an engaging and unforgettable journey.

1. Know Your Audience Thoroughly

Understanding your students' prior knowledge and motivations is just as critical as knowing your subject matter. Without this understanding, teaching becomes a gamble. Creating lessons tailored to your audience’s level and interests maximizes engagement and learning.

The book illustrates this through Sven, a graphic designer who launches into complex typography concepts without assessing his students' starting knowledge. Some students are overwhelmed, while others are disengaged by concepts they already know. Sven’s failure to gauge the audience results in a less effective lesson.

Getting to know your students isn’t only about gauging current knowledge. It’s also about understanding their reasons for learning. A motivated learner with a goal is far more eager to engage. Lessons tied to personal relevance—such as teaching communication skills to someone who dreads job interviews—make a lasting impact.

Examples

• Assessing basic typing skills before teaching advanced computer coding.
• Tying a math lesson to practical real-world problems, like budgeting or architectural design.
• Creating piano lessons built around a student’s favorite genre rather than generic exercises.

2. Make Lessons Stick with Memory Strategies

To ensure that lessons are retained, they must pass through three filters: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. The journey each piece of information takes can determine whether it’s quickly forgotten or remembered years later.

Chunking, or breaking information into small, digestible pieces, helps learners process and retain knowledge in manageable steps. For example, memorizing a phone number in chunks is far easier than recalling it as one long sequence.

Getting information into long-term memory also requires repetition and multiple connections. If a lesson is experienced in varied ways, such as through reading, writing, and application, it’s much more likely to stick.

Examples

• Teaching a chemistry concept using videos, group experiments, and handouts.
• Splitting a language lesson into practice for reading, writing, and speaking.
• Repeating a lesson on financial management through both lectures and role-play.

3. Context is Everything in Learning

New information needs to be organized meaningfully in a learner's mind—like placing labeled items on organized shelves in a closet. The better the context during learning, the more accessible the information later.

If you’re teaching a new skill, it’s best to link it with something the students already know. An English speaker learning Spanish can tie vocabulary to familiar Latin-root words. More context can also come from practicing in settings closely resembling the real ones where the skill will apply.

Role-playing challenging scenarios is another way to provide emotional and environmental relevance. For example, a manager-in-training could practice giving negative feedback in a role-play session instead of just discussing techniques.

Examples

• Teaching culinary students knife skills by making an entire meal rather than just chopping onions.
• Helping flight trainees practice dealing with emergencies in a simulator.
• Teaching customer service while simulating irate customer calls.

4. Design Lessons to Require Action

Engaged students retain more when they actively practice and apply new knowledge. Instead of listening passively to a lecture, learners should complete tasks that require thinking about and using what they’re taught.

For instance, a nutrition course could ask students to build their own meal plans rather than simply review dietary guidelines. An action-oriented structure transforms passive information consumption into skill-building exercises.

Applying knowledge solidifies it. By designing tasks that encourage active participation, teachers empower learners to better understand and retain the material.

Examples

• Instructing students to write code rather than just reading coding theory.
• Asking art students to create original compositions after learning art history.
• Guiding business students to draft real-world business plans instead of only discussing business principles.

5. Incorporate Desired Difficulty

Learning at just the right level of challenge keeps students invested. If a task is too easy, learners won’t care. If it’s too hard, they’ll disengage. Striking a balance motivates learners without overwhelming them.

The concept of "desirable difficulty," described by psychologist Robert A. Bjork, emphasizes setting tasks that push learners slightly beyond their current abilities. This effort fosters deeper learning by forming stronger connections to the material.

As students progress, challenges must gradually become more complex. Slow and steady increases in difficulty ensure growth without discouragement.

Examples

• Gradually increasing problem complexity in a math class.
• Introducing slightly harder choreography each week in a dance class.
• Asking for progressively longer essays in a writing course.

6. Build Good Habits Into Lessons

Skills are most effective when they become second nature. Helping students turn learned behaviors into automatic habits ensures lasting success.

To form habits, link them to a specific trigger. For instance, a programmer can make it a habit to perform version control each time they save a file. Repeating the action builds consistency over time.

Building strong learning habits requires fostering regular practice and reinforcing desired behaviors during the course. Students must engage with tasks regularly for the cues and behaviors to stick.

Examples

• Pairing bedtime with reviewing flashcards for language learning.
• Teaching athletes to warm up before every practice without exception.
• Reinforcing safe lab procedures in a science class until they become automatic.

7. Embed Knowledge Into Environments

Some information can live outside the learner’s head. Designing environments to contain relevant knowledge reduces the need for memorization, making learning less overwhelming.

For example, a visual aid such as a timeline of world events can complement a history lesson. Advanced walking tours often use maps or physical markers to guide learners without requiring them to remember directions.

Good teaching often means creating tools and systems that support learning, allowing students to focus on higher-level tasks instead of memorizing simple information.

Examples

• Adding labeled diagrams to simplify biology lab sessions.
• Designing class apps full of searchable content for a law course.
• Providing a checklist during airplane pilot training.

8. Measure Progress Early and Often

Evaluating students isn’t just about final exams. Frequent feedback throughout the course helps students adjust their learning approach and ensures understanding.

Create small, low-pressure opportunities for self-evaluation and peer feedback alongside formal evaluations. Instead of multiple-choice quizzes, ask thought-provoking questions that demand real recall and application of skills.

Continuous feedback doesn’t only benefit learners. Teachers can observe how well their material works and adjust accordingly to ensure success.

Examples

• Including reflection surveys after each lesson to gauge understanding.
• Using informal group discussions to check progress during ongoing projects.
• Assigning midterm tasks that simulate final evaluation scenarios.

9. Seek Tailored Lessons, Not Generic Plans

Every learner is unique, and lessons must adapt to meet varied needs. Offering flexible material or extra options ensures that students stay aligned with their goals and interests.

Lessons should leave room for students’ choices, such as letting advanced learners skip beginner tasks. Engagement thrives when learners feel that their unique needs are being addressed.

And don’t shy away from asking participants for input when designing the course. Student involvement in shaping their journey fosters a sense of ownership over the learning experience.

Examples

• Offering various pacing options for an online course.
• Allowing students in a writing class to choose essay topics they’re passionate about.
• Letting fast learners take on bonus challenges for extra credit.

Takeaways

1. Always structure lessons around the needs, motivations, and prior knowledge of your audience to ensure effective delivery.
2. Use repetition and varied formats to help learners retain information better in the long term.
3. Provide real-life applications, contexts, and regular feedback to create a practical and satisfying learning experience.