From User to Learner-centered

In this course, we sometimes use "learner-centered design" and "human-centered design" to mean the same thing. However, as someone transitioning from a UX designer to a learning designer, I do recognize several differences between these concepts. In essence, human-centered design aims to satisfy users, while learner-centered design focuses on fulfilling individuals' learning and development needs. Now let me elaborate.

When learning and working in the field of UX(User Experience) design, we frequently discuss user-centered approaches. For UX designers, this means understanding user needs, iterating with user feedback, and ensuring the design addresses user problems and satisfies their expectations. For instance, when designing a B2B website for a furniture company, the process begins by understanding the context in which users will access the site. We then identify what they seek, what captures their interest, and what encourages them to stay. After gathering insights, an interactive solution is crafted to engage users and facilitate purchases. The design's effectiveness is then evaluated through user flow data from the website's backend. In general, this process keeps the user at the center, aiming to enhance engagement and facilitate transactions.

Learner-centered design, however, examines the individual’s learning and development needs carefully. For example, when reimagining higher education ecosystems, learning designers first identify factors affecting student learning, examine demographics, and recognize gaps in existing offerings. The goal is to redesign the system to better serve students in achieving their educational goals. Unlike the clear metrics of sales or visits on websites, evaluating the impact of learner-centered design involves student satisfaction surveys and analyzing metrics like graduation and enrollment rates. Here, the focus is on fostering personal growth, not merely user satisfaction.

The key message is that "learner" is distinct from "user." While users broadly interact with all kinds of physical or digital objects, learners engage specifically with instructional activities and materials. Users seek satisfaction, solutions, and savings. Learners, on the other hand, pursue development despite constraints. Hence, when we say the below sentence, it should be clear to us, as learning designers, that we are designing for learners, not users.

The first step in any learning design process is to know your learners.

However, learning design can still benefit significantly from human-centered design principles. One vital aspect is perspective-taking, which helps prevent designers from imposing their own views and biases on the design process. Without this methodology, designers risk creating fictional learner groups that reflect their own experiences, rather than acknowledging the real group's diverse characteristics and needs. Therefore, leveraging human-centered design principles can promote more equitable and accessible learning experiences. Additional mindsets with equity implications in learning design include radical collaboration, action bias, experimentation mindset, and being process-orientated.

Some might question whether it's possible to completely remove our personal biases from designing for humans for full objectivity.I would argue that as humans, we share more commonality than our differences. And genuine collaboration requires understanding both one's own perspective and the historical experiences of those being designed for. As long as learning designers remain humble, continuously reflect on their limitations and biases, and adhere to principles such as those from equityXdesign (See in the table, in which actions are recommended by T127 class), they can create equitable and inclusive learning experiences.

References

1. Wisser. "Teaching and Learning Lab Practicum, HGSE Class Slides, Class Session 5." 2025.

2. Creanova. (2020, July 17). User-centered design for medical devices. Creanova. https://creanova.com/2020/07/17/user-centered-design-for-medical-devices/

3. Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). User-centered design. Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/user-centered-design?source=post_page-----f5508c7b8faf---------------------------------------

4. Hill, C., Molitor, M., & Ortiz, C. (2016). Racism and inequity are products of design. They can be redesigned. Medium.