Finding Your Niche Part 2: Roles That Work Alongside Instructional Designers
Expertise often grows through cross-disciplinary partnerships, which is something that was never more true for me than when I was creating a media-rich course with looming deadlines and a number of stakeholders in the project. Our work felt less like it was rooted in a classroom and more like it was anchored in a production studio. So on that note, let’s talk about a course design’s supporting cast and crew!
Graphic Designers: Presenting information visually can make content more memorable. When you as an ID understand how visuals support cognitive processing, like highlighting relationships and reinforcing meaning, you can guide a designer toward solutions that serve both learning and aesthetics. Good design isn’t decoration; it’s another form of instruction.
Programmers: As an ID, having a working knowledge of authoring tools, standards like SCORM or xAPI, and accessibility constraints allows for more seamless collaboration. Programmers appreciate clear logic and detailed storyboards. These partnerships push you to think beyond static content and explore what’s technically possible to engage learners.
Media Developers: Media developers turn instructional ideas into visual and auditory experiences. IDs can support this work by writing purposeful scripts and identifying learning moments for emphasis. When instructional and media design work hand in hand, the result is both pedagogically sound and engaging.
Project Managers: Every great course has someone quietly keeping the wheels turning. Project managers bring structure to creative chaos, ensuring timelines, budgets, and stakeholder needs stay on track. For instructional designers, learning to think like a project manager, like setting milestones, tracking dependencies, and communicating clearly, builds trust across teams. Project management may not be flashy, but it’s what allows good design to reach the finish line.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): SMEs are the backbone of content accuracy and realism. Instructional designers rely on their expertise to ensure that learning outcomes align with real-world needs. The challenge lies in balance: IDs should guide SMEs to focus on what learners truly require without overwhelming them with detail. Building respectful partnerships starts with clear objectives and open communication. When IDs frame conversations around learning impact, SMEs see the value in clarity, not just content.
Working across disciplines means learning to speak the language of your diverse cast and crew, and a crucial aspect of that is knowing when to lead with your instructional expertise and when to listen and adapt. As the instructional designer, you become the connector: someone who bridges creativity, technology, and pedagogy. Figure out which roles align most naturally with your strengths and interests, and lean into those collaborations. And just as importantly, know where you need support — and do your best to make friends with those folks!
Check out Finding Your Niche Part 1 of this double-post in order to determine if your approach to instructional design is more creative, inclusive or business-focused.
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