Extension Engine
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Whether at home or at work, we’re all constantly completing tasks. Often we do things without thinking; undertakings can be repetitive, so we go on autopilot. Only occasionally do we stop and ask, What could we improve upon next time? What could be done more efficiently, and how could we make the outcome better?

When you hear the term product design, what comes to mind? You’re likely imagining the evolution of a physical object like Edison’s light bulb or the first iPhone. If your own work is design related, you may also think of the most basic definition of product design: the creation of an item, from its appearance as an idea in someone’s head through to its development as a tangible entity. 

The term learning experience design is having a moment. An increasingly utilized and recognized phrase within and even outside the field of online learning, it’s popping up in many places as people discover what this kind of design is all about.

If you’ve ever used Duolingo or Airbnb, you may have noticed the small, cheery animations scattered throughout each site and their apps. These animations may move when you scroll by or when you complete a task, like the flickering cartoon flame Duolingo displays when you’ve had a multiday streak of successful progress in your new language.

When done well, project management work is invisible to people who aren’t directly involved in doing it. In some ways, that’s by design. There isn’t usually a reason to let everyone in on each behind-the-scenes detail of what happens to make a job run smoothly. That doesn’t mean, though, that every organization uses the same approach to project management, or that every approach is equally effective.