One unexpected result of the multimedia revolution is the opportunity to improve the quality of training. Many training programs lacking in instructional design are repurposed as multimedia distance learning programs because of the lure of cost savings in travel, space allocation, salaries, and time away from the job. As a result, there's an opportunity to make formerly wobbly classroom programs into something well designed that delivers the learning objectives. Recent studies, like one conducted by The Forum Corporation, indicate that there's plenty of room for improvement. Some 58 percent of the business leaders interviewed in a 1999 survey were dissatisfied with the overall effectiveness of training, and 57 percent didn't feel they were getting a return on their training investment.
Instructional designers are concerned about context, which is why they like to do needs analyses.
The needs analysis phase may take weeks, but the building phase typically takes months. Each activity, bulleted list, or case study is part of the overall program design and must advance its purpose. Everything that's true about the importance of instructional design in traditional training development is even more critical when multimedia is involved. The multimedia training product must serve as both content and instructor. The multimedia design process is heavily weighted by up-front organizational and technical decisions that commit a project to a path that's often difficult to change.