There's a paradigm shift that follows the use of the Experience API. The shift comes from seeking insights on how effective our designed experiences are versus judgments about how well people learn from them. This change in mindset focuses on the outcomes from the audience that manifest in observable ways, mapped directly to our design assertions. It's not about xAPI or any specific technology - it's about modeling our design to get the insights we need to improve our design.

1. Designing for Insight
Aaron E. Silvers, Partner
MakingBetter
TRYxAPI Launch
ATD International Conference & Expo
May 16, 2015
USE THE TWITTER!!!!!
@aaronesilvers #tryxapi #atd2015

2. Insight
The capacity to gain an accurate
and deep intuitive understanding of
a person or thing.

3. Intended Insights…
I will consider the design of this presentation successful if…
• You are able to explain what the Experience API does.
• You relate the project planning and design approaches
recommended to your practice today, absent of any particular
technology.

4. Uh, what is xAPI?

5. The Experience API is a standard way of
talking about our experiences, using data.

6. How eLearning Works Today
• Your LMS tracks the activity of one learner.
• Your LMS only tracks within one “course.”
• Any role beyond the learner is missing.
• Any kind of custom reporting is really hard.
• The technologies are almost 20 years old.

7. The Experience API
Image courtesy of Rustici Software

8. The Experience API (xAPI)
• Can track many different types of learning experiences —
including things that happen in classrooms and in real
environments
• Moves beyond a web-based, single-learner/single-experience
model
• Promotes better design and technology practices
• Makes integration with other systems and practices easier
• Provides a way to gather and use more useful information.

9. It answers a lot of ‘How’ type questions…
• How can I inform better business decisions?
• How do I avoid locking us into a solution?
• How can I make investments in learning development last longer
and more future-proof?
• How can I make sure what I evaluate today is useful in the future?
• How will I connect a learner’s activities across multiple
applications?

10. Someone Did Something
“Observations”
Noun Verb Object
(To Someone) (Using Stuff) (With Some Result)

11. How Does Experience API Work?
• People interact with “stuff”
(i.e. content, apps, business systems, etc.)
• These interactions are observed and described as
statements.
• The “stuff” sends the statements to a Learning Record Store.

12. Image courtesy of HT2

13. LMS vs. LRS
A Learning Record Store (LRS) addresses one capability of a typical
Learning Management System (LMS).
User Management Learning Records Scheduling
Course Management Statistics Grade Book
Tracking eLearning Content Storage Search
Assignments Sequencing Delivery
Preferences Reports Assessment

14. What is a Learning Record Store, or LRS?
• It’s a database that stores activity statements - the “data”
• LRSs can be software (even hardware) that stands on its
own.
• LRSs can be a part of your Learning Management System
(LMS)
• LRSs can be built into other types of systems, too.

15. Using Data
Just important as
getting data into an
LRS for storage is
getting the data out to
use it.
Image courtesy of HT2

16. Image courtesy of HT2

17. The Gartner Hype Cycle
The Experience API is providing ROI at unprecedented scale…
Image courtesy of HT2

18. Your Seat at the Table
Business
User
“Employee”
System
User
(You)
(Probably)
Line
Manager
“Learning”
Director/
CLO
“Learning”
VP
“HR”
“IT”
COO
CFO
CHO
CMO
“Problem
Owner”
Provides Value to…Improving
Learning
Outcomes…
Providing
Better Insights
About Learning… Arms…

19. How Do We Provide Better
Insights About Learning?

20. Start with a good
value proposition.

21. Key Partners
• Who are the key Partners
for activities and
resources?
• 3rd Party Content?
• Application Developers?
• System Integrators?
• Vendors?
• IT?
• Executive Sponsors?
Key Activities
• What key activities are
needed for our value
proposition?
• Our Delivery?
• Our Customer
Relationships?
• Our Business Outcomes?
Value Propositions
• What is our value to our
customers?
Customer Relationship
• What type of relationship
does each segment want?
Customer Segments
• What groups or people are
we creating value for?
Key Resources
• What key resources are
needed to support the
model?
Delivery
• What delivery mechanisms
will work for our
customers?
Cost Structure
• Instructional Designers
• Tools
• Delivery
• Systems
• Partners
• IT Investment
Business Outcome
• Quantitity
• Quality
• Time
• Cost
• Satisfaction
• Value
Use a learning canvas to
map learning approaches to
business goals
http://resources.saltbox.com/learning-model-canvas/
Canvas courtesy of Saltbox

22. Design Modeling

23. Frame
What’s the
activity?
Persona
Who’s the
audience?
Effect
How do
evaluate
success?
Intent
What’s the
business
goal/
outcome to
be
achieved?
Model created with Problem Solutions

24. Frame Persona Effect Intent
“An Ebola
outbreak.”
“Hotline
operators”
“Reduce the clicks
to navigate to the
appropriate job
aids.”
“We want to
provide faster
access to
disaster relief
procedures.”

25. Design Modeling

26. 0
25
50
75
100
April May June July
Learn as much as you can aboutwhat hurts. Addressing the bigchallenges adds value back intothe organization — TAKE THEPAIN AWAY.
Report in
meaningful ways

27. Learn
Design
Measure
Analyze
Ideas
Build
LEARN about youraudience to inspireIDEAS about the
approach.Then DESIGNand BUILD with a plan toMEASURE what successlooks like.
Model adapted from Eric Ries’ “The Lean Startup”

28. Align Learning Objectives & Business Goals
• Your company’s Brand
• Its Mission
• Its Vision
• Competencies that support the vision
• Strategy, defined by Objectives
• Design models that support the strategy
• Offerings (Classroom training, online, performance support, social…)

29. Questions?