Build Your Course Design Skills in 3 Steps

Why inspiration and imitation aren’t the same thing

A portfolio crossed my desk once that looked almost identical to work I’d seen elsewhere. The creator probably didn’t intend any harm. But in a small industry where people know each other’s work, it was a problem.

I think it’s fine to use someone else’s content to learn. Deconstruct it. Figure out what you like and why? Then build your own version. But do this behind the firewall. The goal of learning from others is to build your own skills, not produce copies.

Step 1: Find a source of inspiration

Good inspiration comes from everywhere. Since e-learning is mostly a visual medium, I focus on graphics and UX design. Here are a few places worth bookmarking:

• Design sites like Dribbble and Behance, where designers share work and often release free assets. I look for design ideas I could apply to a course.
• Presentation sites like SlideShare, where you can see how others structure and display content
• Mobile apps, which often have interesting navigation and interaction patterns worth studying
• News sites with multimedia stories, which tend to build simple interactive demos for major topics
• Template marketplaces like Template Monster and ThemeForest, which show a wide range of layouts and color approaches

Keep an ideas folder or bookmark collection you can return to. The goal at this stage is exposure, not execution.

Step 2: Deconstruct what you found

Once you have something that catches your attention, take it apart. Ask why the creator made each choice. What is the underlying structure? What would you do differently?

Then try to build a working version in your authoring tool. The goal isn’t a finished product. It’s understanding what makes the original tick. Two things happen when you do this well:

• You figure out what the technique actually requires to pull off
• You often stumble on new production methods you didn’t expect to find
• You run into constraints and build creative muscles to work through them

Step 3: Apply it to something original

Inspiration should lead to your own work, not a clone. The e-learning field is small, and people notice when something looks borrowed. But more than that, building something original is where the real skill development happens.

A few things to keep in mind:

• If your work was clearly inspired by someone else’s, give them credit when you share it. It’s good practice and avoids misunderstandings.
• Share what you build. If the work isn’t proprietary, consider releasing a source file, a how-to walkthrough, or a free template. It builds your reputation over time.
• Expect your own work to get borrowed sometimes too. Treat it as a sign the work is worth copying, and keep making more.

The goal of this whole process isn’t a replica of your source material. It’s a derivative work that shows where you started and how far you took it.

Key takeaways

The loop of finding, deconstructing, and applying never really ends. Each project adds to what you know, and each round of inspiration gives you new raw material. The more you practice it, the faster you move from “I saw something cool” to “here’s what I built.” What sources of inspiration do you keep coming back to?