The silent reason learners tune out (and how to fix it)
Safe, predictable learning design feels comfortable, but it’s exactly why learners disengage
When it comes to digital learning, the instinct is often to play it safe. Stick to what you know. Keep things familiar.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: playing it safe is the very thing that’s costing learning its reputation.
For years, L&D has relied on SME-driven content, often lifted straight from PowerPoint. And the result? Learners switch off. In fact, surveys show that up to 75% of employees report feeling disengaged with traditional training — not because they don’t want to learn, but because the way it’s presented simply doesn’t connect.
Meanwhile, other business functions like marketing, product, even internal comms are raising the bar. They lean on design to capture attention, drive action, and change behaviour. They know that design isn’t decoration. It’s strategy. And it works.
So why does learning still settle for “turn this 40-slide deck into a video”?
Design is the difference
Creative freedom doesn’t mean letting designers “do whatever they want.” It means trusting them to do what they’re trained to do: make decisions that drive success.
Evidence shows that when design takes the lead, the impact is undeniable:
Engagement: Courses that use interactive or gamified elements can see up to 90% of learners report higher motivation compared to traditional formats.
Completion: Gamified eLearning delivers 15–23% higher completion rates than static courses.
Retention: Learners in active, design-led environments retain 40% more information on average than those in lecture-based formats.
These aren’t small lifts. They’re game-changers. And they’re proof that creativity, far from being risky, is the safest bet for real impact.
When learning looks different, it is different
When learning experiences are designed with the same boldness and creativity as a marketing campaign, learners notice. They engage. They finish. They apply what they’ve learned.
We’ve seen it first-hand: in one global rollout, a creative, gamified approach to digital learning scored 14% higher in satisfaction than comparable courses in the same organisation. That kind of shift doesn’t just change how people feel about a single course — it changes how they feel about learning as a whole.
Gamified experience that shifted how stakeholders and learners viewed eLearning at Nestlé, receiving a 4.8/5 satisfaction rating and scoring 14% higher than comparable programmes inside the company.
Safe is no longer safe
Playing it safe leads to predictable results. And in today’s landscape, predictably average isn’t enough.
Creative direction in learning isn’t a nice-to-have.
It’s the difference between another course that gets clicked through… and an experience that makes people stop, think, and change.
The organisations that will lead the next wave of L&D are the ones willing to trust design, push past the safe option, and embrace a new way forward.
