TP#22: Don't Make Me Think, Milestones & Memories, and Owning My Sh*t
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Don't Make Your Students Think
2. Owning Up
3. Podcast Milestones
4. Food Memories
L.E.A.R.N. course design
Don't Make Me Think
Photo Credit: Borys Kozielski, Wikimedia
I used to be the person teams would call in when their web app made people feel lost and confused. For over a decade, I lived and breathed user experience. I was the usability police, the interface whisperer. I worshipped at the altars of Jakob Nielsen and Steve Krug—especially Krug’s deceptively simple but pivotal book, Don’t Make Me Think. It was my usability bible. Because if your user has to stop and think about how to do something, they’re already halfway out the door.
Here’s the thing: teaching online is no different.
When you're designing your curriculum, you’re not just organizing information—you’re architecting an experience. And if your students have to burn cognitive fuel figuring out where to click, what a module is, or what the heck you mean by “Bonus Discovery Portal,” they’re not using that fuel to learn.
Your job, dear creative teacher, is to reduce friction. Everywhere.
Make It Obvious. Make It Easy. Make It Gentle.
Just like in user experience design, a good learning experience feels intuitive. If each lesson focuses on just one clear topic, students can breathe. Their brain can go: “Ah, this is the thing I’m supposed to learn right now.” Not “Wait, are we doing branding and client outreach and SEO in one video?!” (Please, no.)
Think of your course like a well-designed website. If someone gets lost, it's not their fault—it’s the architecture. Your course structure should guide them, not challenge them. Cognitive load is real, and we want every ounce of it reserved for learning and retention, not wasted on deciphering ambiguous lesson titles or playing hide and seek with the replay button.
Nomenclature, Navigation, and Nope
If your labels are inconsistent (calling something a “module” in one place and a “journey” in another) or your navigation buries key info three clicks deep, you are not helping. You're actually harming.
Because every tiny moment of confusion is a moment your student disconnects.
Every extra decision (“Where’s that download again?”) is a teaspoon of cognitive capacity siphoned away from the actual content—the thing they came to you for.
You're Not Just a Teacher—You're a Guide
A good guide doesn’t throw a map at you and say, “Good luck!” A good guide walks with you, shows you the trail, and makes damn sure you don’t trip over a root in the path. They design the experience for success. For joy. For momentum.
So next time you sit down to plan your curriculum, I want you to channel your inner UX nerd. Ask yourself:
Does this feel simple, clear, and focused?
Can my students tell what they’re learning at each step?
Is anything here making them stop and think about how to use the course instead of helping them learn?
Because when your students don’t have to think about the mechanics, they can finally think about the magic. Let’s make that the default.
July is Disability Pride Month. I don't talk about my disabilities much because our culture here in the U.S. tends to want to define you by them. That said, I'm trying to have less shame around them and have mentioned here before that I have lived with epilepsy since I was eleven. I haven't talked about being partially blind in my left eye since 2009 or that I am losing what sight remains in that eye.
The reason why I struggle is twofold. First is the stigma and shame associated with epilepsy. In 1973, I was born into a world that had only just begun to roll back the laws that made it illegal for anyone with epilepsy to get married. The same with the laws that made it legal to forcibly sterilize anyone with epilepsy. Those laws were not fully repealed until after the onset of my seizures. I grew up in their shadow, hiding my condition.
The second is that my disabilities are invisible. Unless I seize in front of you, you'll never know. I wear a medical bracelet, but everyone who sees it assumes I have diabetes. I also still have vision in my right eye. So even though I can barely see out of my left eye and have severely impaired depth perception, I can function.
However, this year, I decided it was time to own my shit and stop letting shame or conflict keep me from asking for accommodations. So, thank you for bearing with me and letting me stake my claim here in Disability Pride Month.
PODCAST
This Month on the Pod ...
WE MADE THE TOP 10!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful surprise to wake up to just a week or so ago. Two Cranky Creatives made the top 10 in our category on Apple Podcasts! I actually danced when I saw that.
I also goofed and mixed up months, giving you July's roster for the pod in my June newsletter. So, this month (for real), we discuss the value of art with Julia Barry, cultural appropriation with Xhico, and making bad art with Melissa Johnson.
If you haven't yet tuned in to Two Cranky Creatives, I hope you connect with us and listen wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop every other Wednesday!
ARTY STUFF
Food Memories
Last month, I responded to an art call for works that sat at the intersection of food, memory, and identity. I submitted my ice cream therapy illustration and a poem I wrote during my MFA program.
The art brief got me thinking about all the food memories in my life and what they mean to me, and that spurred me to begin a series on food memories that are pivotal in shaping me. The first is my ode to the cannoli. My absolute favorite dessert ever.
Hit reply and tell me about a favorite food memory of yours!
Ice Cream Therapy and all my wall art, is available on my Etsy shop.
Over on Patreon, I'm giving the Gangsters my personal AI prompt for creating SEO-optimized captions and descriptions for socials and POD. This particular tip has saved me 4-5 hours in admin work for my designs and Carrie continues her Etsy School series.
LOVE THIS NEWSLETTER?
If so, choose one of these ways to let me know:
Option 1: Send this to a fellow creative. Setting your students up for success is simple with the right information. If you know someone seeking to add course creation to their portfolio, send this their way!
Option 2. Send me a sentence or two about what you enjoyed! I honestly want to hear from you. I don't want to type into the ether. Connect with me. That's more fun!
Thank you so much for reading! I spend a lot of time trying to make this newsletter worth its place in your inbox. I hope that comes through!
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