Subject Matter Expert & Visuals for eLearning Projects

An eLearning project requires a lot of preparatory work since such material is intended to educate people. When working on an eLearning project, you will undoubtedly need to dig deep into the subject you are writing on. Unless you aren’t a professional in a specific field, you will have to seek the help of one. Such a professional is called a subject matter expert (SME).

The subject matter expert knows the ins and outs of the subject in a particular field. In this case – the field your educational project is about. This is the person that will consult you on all facts included in the material, give you guidance on the processes, and generally, provide you with all essential information you need to start writing/creating your piece.

Now, where to find a good SME is a matter of another subject which we may discuss some other time. So, let’s assume you have found your subject matter expert, gathered the information needed for your project, and proof-checked your material with them. So far, so good. What else is missing?

If you needed an SME to explain this subject to you, imagine the trouble your audience would experience processing the same information by themselves.

The role of the subject matter expert is to give you guidance and confirm the accuracy of the facts. Your job is to present the material in a comprehensive way while conveying the expertise received by the subject matter expert behind the material. Sounds easy and it’s not so hard to achieve if you leverage the power of the most effective tool for conveying information – visual content.

If the subject matter expert is the King of your eLearning project, visual content is the Queen. 

It is proven that the brain processes visual content times faster than text. People have been communicating with drawings way before the languages emerged. When it comes to perceiving new information easily, things haven’t changed dramatically. People still perceive concepts and ideas via drawings better than via reading.

So, the good news is there are several types of visual content that will help you convey the specific knowledge of your eLearning project to your audience. Each of them has unique powers that will help you make your material snackable.

Cartoon characters

Cartoon characters have specific features which make them great ice-breakers and influencers on your audience. Even if your eLearning project is about a serious subject, cartoon characters can do wonders to help you convey the valuable competencies received by the subject matter expert. Even more, the cartoon characters can take up the role of the subject matter expert behind the material.

In an eLearning project, cartoon characters become the subject matter expert your audience perceives – a friendly, appealing, and educating personage. Regardless of what subject your material is about, it could be conveyed with the help of an appropriate character, whether a doctor, a professor, a teacher, why not a superhero. Browse cartoon characters for eLearning projects.

Data visualization

In your eLearning project, you will most like to have statistics and facts to share with your audience. Graphic elements such as pie charts, graph charts, diagrams, timelines, conceptual drawings, and schemes can and should be presented in an appealing way. Your goal is to make your data easy to understand with the help of engaging visual materials.

Also, adding human figures to your data visualization will help your audience identify with the content better. Browse data visualization elements.

Other visual elements

If your eLearning project is in written form, including other visual elements like photos, graphical data like icons, conceptual drawings, and illustrations will enrich your material and make the training even more effective.

If your eLearning project is a video, you can also leverage the power of visual representation. The most preferred explainer video styles are partly or fully illustrated which enables a lot of creativity while conveying the expertise in an easy-to-understand way. Furthermore, including a cartoon character in the role of a subject matter expert for your video will certainly appeal to your audience the most and allow you to present even complex information in a simple and understandable way.

To sum up, having a good subject matter expert for your eLearning project is just one side of the picture of creating great material that your target audience will understand. To make your eLearning project really successful, you need to convey complex information in a simple way by using cartoon characters and visualization elements.

Good luck to all creating eLearning projects. Feel welcome to share your thoughts and advice on the subject in the comments below.