Memory and recall difficulties

Overview of the challenge

There is an obvious objective for most learning resources to support learners in gathering, understanding, memorising and retaining information, concepts and skills. But there may also be demands on memory in terms of actually using the resource as intended. For example, users of a resource may need to memorise and recall:

  • instructions for its use;
  • location of and navigation to a particular feature of the resource;
  • terminology specific to the resource.

Good e-learning resource design can help to reduce demands on memory and recall; while poor design can place extra demands on users, making the resource more difficult to use and reducing its effectiveness as a learning aid.

Meeting the challenge

Meeting this challenge when using multimedia:

Throughout the resource, make sure there is a consistency in screen layout and design, and in terminology and concepts used, in order to reduce the cognitive load required for someone to familiarise themselves with how to use the resource to carry out the task in hand.

Make on-screen text as easy to read as possible, and use lists, headings and short paragraphs to organise and present information.

Use multimedia to enhance textual content, to provide visual cues and illustrations or demonstrations of information, concepts and experiences.

For moving content, think about whether it is essential to the purpose of the resource (in many cases it will be), or whether the same information or experiences could be delivered in a static format. Where moving content is provided that could be a distraction, make sure people can control it by slowing it down, pausing it or turning it off.