A Note from Your LEAD Mentor: Why This Work Deserves More Than “Make It Fun”
- CLASSwithMakeda
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Instructional Design has never had a single doorway.Some of us arrived here from teaching. Some from graphic design. Some from HR or IT. Some from roles that had nothing to do with Learning, Education, or Development at all.
Because there’s no clear path in, there’s also rarely a shared foundation. Many talented people are handed the title “Instructional Designer” without ever being taught what the work truly requires. They’re told to “make training fun,” “add gamification,” or “turn boring content into something pretty.” They’re mistaken for graphic designers or eLearning technicians whose primary value is knowing how to animate a button or sync audio to a slide.
But that is not the heart of this work.
Instructional Design is not decoration
Instructional Designers are problem‑solvers.
We are investigators and architects of learning experiences that address real human and organizational needs. Our job is to look at a situation that presents as a problem, conduct the analysis to understand why that problem exists, and then design an instructional solution that addresses the root cause—not just the symptoms.
When you see the work through that lens, the importance of Analysis and Design becomes unmistakable. These are not preliminary steps to rush through on the way to development. They are the core of the craft.
Development tools matter—of course they do—but they are not the job. They are simply the means by which the job is expressed.
This is why I created this body of work: because too many Instructional Designers are handed the tools without ever being taught the trade. And you deserve better than that.
How to treat this series as your mentor
Think of this YLM series not as a manual, but as a mentor—one that sits beside you as you work, nudging you toward clarity, reminding you of what matters, and offering guidance when the path feels tangled.
You won’t find rigid formulas here. Instead, you’ll find:
Tools and frameworks that help you think more clearly
Stories and examples that illuminate real practice
Reflective prompts that sharpen your judgment
You can move through these posts in order if you want a full apprenticeship experience, or you can jump to the topic that meets your immediate need. Either way, treat this space as something you return to again and again—when you’re stuck, when you’re curious, when you’re designing something new, or when you simply want to grow.
My goal is not to give you all the answers.My goal is to help you build the mindset and skillset to find your own.
The LEAD philosophy
At the center of my work is a simple belief: Learning, Education, And Development are far more connected than we treat them.
Our field is segmented in ways that don’t serve us. We divide ourselves by:
Audience: K‑12, higher education, corporate, nonprofit
Role: teacher, professor, trainer, facilitator, instructional designer, consultant
Setting: classroom, virtual, hybrid, workplace
But at their root, all of these roles share a common purpose:to use instruction to address issues within our audiences and help people grow.
The elementary school teacher designing a literacy lesson, the college professor structuring a seminar, the corporate trainer preparing a workshop, and the instructional design consultant building a performance solution are all engaged in the same essential work. All are trying to design learning experiences that are effective, efficient, and meaningful.
I believe our field needs at least one professional space that acknowledges these commonalities—a place where Learning, Education, And Development are not separate silos but interconnected disciplines. A place where we recognize that the principles of good instructional design transcend setting, audience, and job title.
This series is written in that spirit.It is for anyone who designs learning—regardless of where you sit or who you serve.
🔍Designer’s Insight
If you’ve ever felt like your job is “just making slides” or “just building eLearning,” pause and reframe. Your real work begins before any slide exists—when you’re asking, “What is really happening here, and what kind of learning experience would actually help?”
Even when you’re under pressure to “just get it built,” you can still hold yourself to a higher standard by:
Asking at least one clarifying question about the problem
Naming the difference between symptoms and root causes
Documenting your assumptions so you can test them later
This mindset shift alone can change how you see your role—and how others see your value.
Reflective prompt
Take a moment to think about your own path into this field.
What experiences, assumptions, or expectations shaped your understanding of what an Instructional Designer does?
Where did those beliefs come from—past roles, managers, job descriptions, school, or necessity?
How might those beliefs need to expand or shift as you step into this work with greater intention?
Write down three insights that come to mind.These will serve as your personal starting point as we “open the toolbox” together in the posts that follow.
What’s next in the YLM series
In the next post, we’ll explore what it really means to become indispensable as an Instructional Designer.
Not because you work faster.
Not because you know the tools.
But because you think differently.
We’ll look at how to shift from order taker to strategic partner, how to use your design mindset in real‑time conversations, and how to position yourself as someone who solves problems — not just someone who builds training.
This is the mindset shift that changes everything.
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