Top Benefits of Incorporating Visuals into Your eLearning Course

Learning is not as simple as it seems since it demands a great deal of mental focus. Thus, when individuals participate in an e-learning training program to study and develop vital skills related to their job, they face a number of hurdles, such as unwanted interruptions and difficulty in staying focused. Even the limitations of human memory may be challenging since the majority of us can only recall and retain a limited amount of material that we have read or seen.

In accordance with this, when it comes to eLearning training, the eLearning course design should be such that learners can recollect what they were taught throughout the training session. Incorporating visual information into e-learning material is one of the most effective strategies to aid professionals in recalling what they have learned during a training session.

Why incorporate as much visual content as possible into the eLearning solution?

According to scientific studies, the human brain processes visual data 60,000 times quicker than text. Similarly, 90 percent of the information processed by the brain is visual. In cognitive theory, this phenomenon is known as the picture dominance effect; in general, individuals comprehend and recall images better than words alone. This is due to the fact that images are recorded in both verbal and visual memory areas, but words are not; images inspire naming more often than words elicit imagery upon analysis.

When developing an e-learning course, it is effective to use a variety of information channels, including merging text and graphics. According to research studies, when users come across text- or audio-only websites, they retain around 10 percent of the information they view. However, around 65 percent of the information will be retained if an image is added to the text. Words offer context for visuals, and vice versa, enabling visitors to recall both.

Visuals simplify information into smaller, easier-to-process bits, and when you choose the proper visuals, they provide more comprehension than text-based or audio-only explanations. In addition, learners often associate emotions with images, making your eLearning courses more engaging and memorable than if you merely used text.

Researchers conducted a test of students' ability to memorize and remember material from textbooks. The findings were shocking: after one day, the respondents recalled 54% of what they had learned, but after 21 days, just 18%.

In this blog, we will go into some data and figures to further demonstrate why eLearning course designers should embrace images in a corporate training program or custom eLearning solution.

Top reasons why incorporating visuals into your eLearning solution will be beneficial 

Given below are some top reasons why incorporating visuals into your eLearning solution will be beneficial.

Images are stored in long-term memory

When words, concepts, and ideas are used in conjunction with a visual aid, it increases the likelihood that they will be remembered. 

While long-term memory may retain large amounts of data, working memory has a much shorter retention time. According to the findings of a research study, an illustrated text was shown to be nine percent more successful than text alone in assessing immediate understanding, and it was found to be eighty-three percent more effective in testing delayed understanding.

Studies have shown that after three days, people remember about 10-20% of what they read or hear, but they remember over 65% of what they see. Thus, pairing ideas with relevant imagery is a simple technique to enable learners to remember what they've learned. Learners are more likely to retain information presented visually since it is easier for them to make sense of the information and focus on essential aspects of it.

Importantly, words are processed by our short-term memory, which can store no more than certain bits of data. In contrast, visuals are stored immediately in long-term memory, where they remain permanently engraved.

Utilization of distinctive and interesting images

For the eLearning content to be successful, it is essential that learners pay close attention to the eLearning content.

Do not expose your eLearning course to a design style that is dull and uninteresting. Therefore, you must maintain an element of surprise in your eLearning material so that your trainees are continuously engaged, and excitedly anticipating what you will deliver next.

Unusual and interesting data or content is readily remembered, according to a research study, and this is what makes a visualization memorable. The graphics should be unlike others and as fascinating as possible.

Since humans recall images better than long passages of text or lengthy lists of numbers, wherever possible, utilize images with the most information.

We also recall unusual or surprising pictures — those that leap off the screen and strike our senses — more vividly than static, mundane sights. Marketing ads or content that is wildly humorous and unexpectedly surprising are more memorable than those that adhere to a run-of-the-mill type of information presentation.

Therefore, 'eLearning content providers' should attempt to encase knowledge in clever or humorous graphics that make it difficult to forget.

Here are some techniques to interrupt patterns to improve retention:

•   Employ infographics wherever possible with a concept explanation. Use color or paragraph size to emphasize and contrast significant course aspects.
•  Utilize several formats to organize and convey text and incorporate music or video when photos are overused.
• Utilize unusual visuals or symbols to convey common concepts and relationships.

Employ colorful images in your eLearning content

The human brain like colors because they are aesthetically appealing and aid in the processing and retention of information. Images with vibrant colors draw our attention and prompt us to pay more attention, allowing us to pick out previously unseen elements. Colorful images also aid in recall since they alter our moods and elicit feelings. Warm colors, such as red, yellow, and orange, stimulate the mind and make material remember.

This increases the number of inputs that enter our brains and are transformed into long-term memory. The use of different types of colorful images related to a topic also strengthens our neural connections, memory, and the ability to learn about the topic. As an additional perk, color may be employed to create a more logical structure for your data.

Several studies have shown that the use of color in the presentation of learning materials increases our cognitive activity too. 

To create eLearning content with different types of unique and captivating images to make your training sessions engaging, you can contact us.