When we’re looking at digital experiences, and especially in an industry which isn’t ‘Digitally Native’ (which is how I would describe UK Higher Ed), the primary focus is on the main user touchpoints, for example, the submission mechanism, how the user accesses the learning material etc. This is often due to necessity as the projects are budgetary or time constrained. What you can learn from industries without those constraints is what happens when the peripheral needs are met too.
The tiny satisfying moments in a digital interface might not mean much alone, but together their cumulative effect creates immersion that users can’t quite articulate but absolutely feel.
Think about how often learners encounter moments like these:
- “Quiz submitted successfully” (vs. something with personality)
- Progress indicators and completion states
- Navigation labels and breadcrumbs
- Feedback on wrong answers
Learners spend more cumulative time in these transitional moments than we acknowledge. Each one is either reinforcing engagement or quietly eroding it. Naturally the main focus of the major stakeholders in a uni project is on the actual learning content, it’s where the time and money is spent. But the emotional texture of a course isn’t just in the video or the content, it’s in the gaps between.
You don’t have Duolingo’s (or Disney’s) design team. You’re not going to overhaul every string in your VLE. So where do you focus?
For my money there are two places to focus: friction and achievement. When something goes wrong, be it a failed submission, a timeout, an error, users are primed to disengage, or perhaps blame the system itself. A bit of warmth there can defuse it. When something goes right, a completion, a milestone, a small moment of acknowledgment reinforces the behaviour you want. It doesn’t need to be confetti. Even a slightly warmer “Well done, you’re all caught up” beats a silent tick. When you’re next designing an experience, think about what your mundane is, and whether it’s memorable.