In today’s professional and personal environments, we often push to get through everything as fast as we can. Our phones can translate languages, tell us the weather and what to wear tomorrow, but we shouldn’t be asking Dr Google any questions when in need of medical assistance, for obvious reasons…
Many tasks shouldn’t be done in a hurry, at least not without acknowledging there’s a high degree of risk attached to it. Good learning included…
A good example is psychometric tests. These are common during an interview process. They can have up to 150 variations of similarly themed questions and take between 45 and 90 minutes to complete.
Why are these important?
The investment in time allows for insights to be gathered about who this person really is and gives us valuable insights into how they think, and how they behave across a variety of situations relative to the available role. A poor hire can be extremely costly in many ways.
If we make the effort to learn as much as possible about new team members, we should take just a little more time to understand them as “learners” before they are assigned any on-the-job training/learning. Poor learning can also be costly in many ways.
We have a process at the beginning of each project that allows us to gain a deep understanding of the specific requirements of your learners and we tie these insights into the vision, culture and goals of the business. This is the framework we use to deliver exceptional learning experiences. At Wavelength we call this a Discovery.
Our Head of LXD in New Zealand, Tania Vercoelen, says:
Our team goes far and wide throughout the discovery process to make sure we get as many insights as possible about your learners and what business success looks like.
An exceptional learning experience depends entirely on the ability to understand (like a psychometric test) who the learner is, how they behave, think, and learn, and then designing to them as well as the requirements of the wider business and although we’ve developed tools and techniques to speed this process up, it still takes questions, and it still takes time.
The feedback from our clients speaks for itself:
We loved it, it was impartial and driven by curiosity and delivered beyond any project we’ve ever seen!
Wavelength’s ability to really understand our people means every project is enjoyable and always hits the mark 🙂
5 reasons to make time for a discovery process
1. Gain Deep Insight into Learner Needs
A Discovery process allows you to thoroughly understand who your learners are—their motivations, challenges, learning preferences, and skill gaps. By taking the time to gather these insights, you can design learning experiences that are relevant and engaging, leading to higher learner satisfaction and better outcomes.
2. Align Learning with Business Goals
When you know your learners and understand your organisation’s vision, culture, and strategic goals, you can create learning solutions that directly support those objectives. A well-conducted Discovery process ensures that the training aligns with business priorities, delivering measurable value that supports overall growth and success.
3. Identify Gaps and Opportunities Early
A Discovery phase helps uncover gaps in existing knowledge, skills, or processes that might not be immediately obvious. By addressing these gaps early, you can design more targeted training that fills those voids, preventing costly mistakes and ensuring the learning solution addresses real needs.
4. Save Time and Resources in the Long Run
While a Discovery process requires an initial investment of time, it ultimately saves resources by preventing unnecessary rework or redesigns later. Understanding the learners and their needs upfront reduces the risk of creating irrelevant or ineffective training, saving time and money in the long term.
5. Define Success and Measure Impact
The Discovery process helps identify what success looks like and how to measure it. Defining metrics upfront allows you to track the impact of the learning programme, ensuring it aligns with the project’s goals. This clarity helps manage stakeholder expectations and provides a consistent framework for evaluating outcomes, demonstrating the value of the learning initiative.
Conclusion
In the world of learning design, understanding client and learner needs is not just important—it’s essential. A thorough Discovery process allows us to adopt an empathy-driven, client-centric approach, creating learning experiences that don’t just meet expectations but exceed them.
Great learning design is more than just delivering information—it’s about crafting experiences that resonate, engage, and inspire. By putting our clients and their learners at the heart of our Discovery process, we ensure that every solution is tailored to drive real, measurable results.
Let’s commit to making time for a Discovery phase that deepens our understanding of our learner’s needs and results in better learning for everyone.