Good instructional design is invisible. When it works, the learner isn't thinking about the structure, the sequencing, or the interface: they're just learning. That invisibility is the goal. It takes an enormous amount of intentional craft to disappear that completely.
My approach draws on Universal Design for Learning, backward design, and a deep commitment to centering the learner's experience- especially learners who have historically been asked to adapt themselves to poorly designed systems instead of the other way around.
Every design decision begins with a question: who is this for, and what do they need to feel capable, welcomed, and supported?
A beautiful design that confuses the learner has failed. Clear, purposeful structure is always the priority; delight comes after clarity.
Every choice about layout, language, image, and access reflects a value. I choose intentionally, with equity as the lens.
Understand learner needs, context, and gaps before anything else.
Establish clear learning outcomes grounded in backward design.
Sketch, storyboard, and structure with UDL principles at the core.
Build with attention to accessibility, clarity, and learner voice.
Gather feedback, iterate, and ask what could be more equitable.
Under contstruction.
Under construction
Under construction
I came to instructional design through the side door: through watching students struggle not because they lacked ability, but because the systems around them were designed without them in mind. That's what drives me. Design isn't decoration. It's a form of care.
— Sarah Schmidt, IDT Graduate Student, CSUSB