A learning experience design course teaches L&D professionals to design learning around the learner's context, motivation and workflow rather than around content. Bodhih's LXD course covers learner research, personas, journey maps, rapid prototyping, blended learning architecture and usability testing. It runs over 3 days in person or six 3-hour virtual sessions and ends with a tested prototype.
- Recommended: 3 days in person, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions over three weeks, customised to your team
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: LXD course, learning experience design training, learning experience designer course, LXD certification
Where and how: learning experience design training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why learner experience now decides whether training works
Employees now learn in the gaps between meetings, on their phones and inside the tools they already use. Content that ignores this reality is skipped, however good it is.
Learning experience design brings the discipline of product design to L&D. It asks who the learner is, what gets in their way and what the smallest useful experience looks like, then tests the answer before investing in production. A learning experience design course gives your team a repeatable way to do this.
What participants will be able to do
Research real learners
Run short learner interviews, observations and empathy maps that reveal what people actually need at work.
Build personas and journey maps
Turn research into learner personas and end-to-end journey maps that show friction points and moments of need.
Design blended architecture
Combine live sessions, digital assets, practice and on-the-job support into one coherent learning journey.
Prototype before you produce
Create low-fidelity prototypes of learning assets and test them with real users in days, not months.
Apply design principles
Use cognitive load, multimedia and accessibility principles to make learning clear, usable and inclusive.
Make the case for LXD
Present a learner-centred design to stakeholders with the evidence and success measures they expect.
Who should attend
- Instructional designers moving towards a learner-centred approach
- Trainers who want to design journeys, not just sessions
- L&D managers redesigning onboarding or academy programs
- E-learning and digital content developers
- HR and talent professionals who own employee learning platforms
- Designers and product people moving into L&D roles
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01From instructional design to LXDModule 1 · 90 min+
- What LXD adds to ADDIE and SAM
- Learner-centred versus content-centred design
- A diverge-then-converge design process applied to learning problems
- Case study: redesigning a program that nobody finished
02Learner research and empathyModule 2 · 3 hours+
- Planning short learner interviews and job shadowing
- Empathy maps and jobs-to-be-done for learners
- The five moments of learning need
- Lab: interview a real learner and synthesise insights
03Personas and journey mappingModule 3 · 3 hours+
- Building evidence-based learner personas
- Mapping the journey before, during and after formal learning
- Spotting friction, drop-off and moments that matter
- Lab: map the current and future journey for one role
04Designing the learning architectureModule 4 · 3 hours+
- Choosing modalities: live, digital, social and on-the-job
- Action mapping to keep every asset tied to performance
- Spacing, practice and reinforcement across weeks
- Designing for mobile, accessibility and low bandwidth
05Rapid prototypingModule 5 · 3 hours+
- Paper, slide and clickable prototypes
- Iterating in short cycles using SAM
- Writing microcopy and instructions that learners follow
- Lab: build a prototype of one key learning moment
06Testing and iterationModule 6 · 2 hours+
- Simple usability tests with five learners
- Reading learning analytics and feedback
- Deciding what to keep, change or remove
07Capstone showcaseModule 7 · 2.5 hours+
- Present a tested learning journey prototype
- Stakeholder-style questions and feedback
- Personal plan for applying LXD at work
Sample training plan: 3-day hands-on design
This three-day studio turns L&D teams into learner-centred designers. Small design teams take one live brief, such as a new-joiner journey that people drop out of, and work it like a product team. They interview real employees, build personas and journey maps, design a blended architecture, prototype key learning moments on paper and slides, and test them with real users on day three. The course ends with a tested prototype presented to stakeholders and a personal plan for the next live project.
Participants can explain what learner-centred design adds, frame a design challenge and run a real learner interview.
- 09:30–10:00Worst learning experience awardEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Content-centred or learner-centred?Concept burst
- 11:15–12:15Frame the live briefGroup challenge
- 12:15–13:00Interview craftSkill drill
- 13:45–15:00Talk to real learnersHands-on lab
- 15:15–16:30Empathy map and insightsBuild sprint
- 16:30–17:30What surprised usReflection
Participants can build a persona and journey map from research and design a blended architecture tied to on-the-job behaviour.
- 09:30–10:00Overheard at the coffee machineEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Personas from evidenceBuild sprint
- 11:15–12:30Current journey mapHands-on lab
- 12:30–13:00Design principles in a hurryConcept burst
- 13:45–15:00Future journey and architectureBuild sprint
- 15:15–16:15Red team reviewDebate
- 16:15–17:30Choose the moment to prototypeReflection
Participants can prototype a learning moment, test it with real users, iterate and present a tested design to stakeholders.
- 09:30–10:00Paper phone raceEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Rapid prototype, round oneBuild sprint
- 11:15–12:15Test with five learnersHands-on lab
- 12:15–13:00Keep, change, removeCase clinic
- 13:45–14:30Build the stakeholder storyBuild sprint
- 14:30–15:45Capstone showcasePresentation
- 16:00–16:45Design critique circleFeedback round
- 16:45–17:30My next live briefAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 3 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions over three weeks, plus check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is the learning experience design course?
The recommended design is three days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, or six live virtual sessions of three hours over three weeks. Follow-up check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days support application on live projects. A shorter two-day version is possible for teams with some design experience.
What activities are included in the learning experience design course?
Teams work a live brief from their own organisation. They interview real employees, build empathy maps and personas, map the current and future learner journey, prototype a key learning moment on paper or slides, test it with five users and present the tested design to a stakeholder panel.
How we deliver it
Studio-style learning
Participants work in small design teams on a live brief, with regular critique sessions like a design studio.
Real learners, real data
Wherever possible, labs involve interviews and tests with actual employees from your organisation.
Evidence-informed design
Design choices are grounded in learning science, including cognitive load, retrieval practice and spacing.
Customised with ADDIE
Bodhih uses ADDIE to scope the course around your programs, platforms and design maturity.
Tailored versions
For onboarding redesign
Uses your onboarding journey as the live brief, from pre-joining to the first 90 days.
For digital academy teams
Adds platform-level design topics such as learning paths, nudges and in-app learning experiences.
How we measure impact
Impact from the learning experience design course is measured at several levels. A pre and post design-skills assessment, run on AssessAll where relevant, shows growth in core LXD skills. The capstone prototype is scored against an LXD quality rubric by the facilitator and peers. Follow-up at 30, 60 and 90 days checks how many participants have applied learner research, journey maps or prototyping on live projects, with input from their L&D manager.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is learning experience design?
Learning experience design, or LXD, is an approach that designs learning around the learner's real context, needs and behaviour. It borrows from user experience and design thinking, using research, personas, journey maps and prototypes. The goal is learning that people choose to engage with and can apply at work, rather than content they simply complete.
How is LXD different from instructional design?
Instructional design focuses on structuring content and activities to meet learning objectives. LXD keeps that rigour but widens the lens to the whole experience, including motivation, workflow, technology and emotion. In practice, strong designers use both, and this learning experience design course shows how LXD methods fit inside ADDIE and SAM projects.
What skills does a learning experience designer need?
A learning experience designer needs learner research, empathy and journey mapping, instructional design, visual and interaction design basics, prototyping and testing, and data literacy. Stakeholder communication matters too, because designs must be sold internally. The course builds each of these through practical labs rather than theory alone.
Do I need a design or technology background?
No. The course is designed for L&D professionals, not graphic designers or developers. Prototyping is taught with simple tools such as paper, slides and common e-learning authoring software. Some familiarity with training design helps, and trainers newer to design may benefit from Bodhih's instructional designing program first.
How long does it take to learn LXD?
The core methods can be learned in the recommended three days or six virtual sessions. Mastery comes from applying them on real projects, which is why the course ends with a capstone and a personal application plan. Follow-up check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days support participants as they use LXD on live work.
Is there a certificate for this course?
Participants who complete the labs and present a tested learning journey prototype receive a Bodhih certificate of completion. The certificate reflects the capstone assessment, not attendance alone. It works well alongside Bodhih's trainer certification pathway for professionals building a career in L&D.
Can you run this course for our whole L&D team?
Yes. Most organisations run it as a private batch so the team can work on a shared live brief, such as onboarding or a leadership academy. We tailor examples, tools and depth to your context using the ADDIE model, and the course can run in person at your venue or live virtual.