If you’re exploring a career in instructional design or just curious about what instructional design professionals actually do, you’re in the right place.
Instructional designers aren’t just course creators—they’re problem-solvers. They work across industries, partnering with businesses to create learning programs that help employees gain knowledge, build skills, and perform better—all in the shortest time possible without sacrificing quality.
Let’s break down some of the key areas where instructional designers shine and the kind of work that goes into each.
1. Content Refresh: Keeping Training Current
One of the most common and crucial tasks for instructional designers and instructional design contractors is updating existing training materials. Whether it’s an outdated policy, a shift in technology, or new branding, content refresh projects are all about keeping learning relevant.
This means:
- Auditing current materials for accuracy and relevance.
- Updating visuals, terminology, and processes.
- Reworking assessments to reflect new priorities.
- Enhancing outdated courses with modern tools or better engagement strategies.
Instructional design consultants often get pulled into these projects when internal teams don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with ongoing updates. A solid content refresh can breathe new life into a program and extend its shelf life—without reinventing the wheel.
2. New Program Builds: Designing from the Ground Up
When there’s a completely new learning need, instructional design contractors come in to build something from scratch. This is where the ADDIE model (or similar design frameworks) really comes into play.
This process typically involves:
- Conducting a needs analysis to understand the business problem.
- Interviewing stakeholders and subject matter experts.
- Designing a curriculum that aligns with learning objectives and outcomes.
- Developing engaging content and activities.
- Testing and rolling out the program to learners.
New program builds are a great example of how instructional designers use both creative thinking and strategic planning. The goal is always the same: make learning practical, relevant, and accessible.
3. Onboarding Initiatives: Setting Employees Up for Success
A solid onboarding program can make or break an employee’s first few months on the job. Instructional designers play a major role in helping new hires feel informed, supported, and confident in their roles.
Here’s what they typically do:
- Map out the full onboarding journey (not just day one).
- Design content that introduces company culture, tools, processes, and expectations.
- Create role-specific training paths.
- Develop onboarding checklists, job aids, and support resources.
Engaging onboarding content helps reduce turnover, boost morale, and get new employees up to speed faster—which is a win for everyone.
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4. Leadership Initiatives: Growing Strong Managers
Great leaders aren’t born—they’re developed. Instructional designers build leadership development programs that help new and seasoned managers grow their skills in areas like communication, coaching, emotional intelligence, and decision-making.
These programs often include:
- Self-paced modules.
- Peer learning groups or cohorts.
- Scenario-based activities.
- Real-world projects.
- Coaching or mentoring components.
These aren’t your standard one-way PowerPoint trainings. Today’s leadership development is immersive, personalized, and built around actionable insights—thanks to skilled instructional design professionals who know how to make it stick.
Download Your Copy of Elements of a Learning Journey for Instructional Designers
5. Technical Training: Building Skills for the Job
Whether it’s learning to use new software, operate machinery, or understand data systems, technical training is another core focus for instructional designers.
This type of training often includes:
- Step-by-step tutorials and simulations.
- Practice exercises and assessments.
- Interactive guides and toolkits.
- Troubleshooting scenarios.
The challenge here? Explaining complex systems in a way that makes sense to non-technical learners. That’s where instructional designers shine. They work closely with subject matter experts (SMEs) to translate technical jargon into meaningful, practical content.
But another key consideration is designing for sustainability. Because software and systems are constantly being updated, instructional designers often build training in a modular, flexible format—so individual pieces can be refreshed without redoing the entire course. That might mean using template-driven eLearning, layering in dynamic data sources, or organizing content into reusable microlearning blocks. This thoughtful approach makes it easier to maintain accuracy over time and saves teams time and money when inevitable tech changes occur.
6. Safety & Compliance Training: Keeping Everyone Informed and Protected
Instructional designers are also key players in building safety and compliance training that checks all the boxes—while still being engaging enough to keep learners awake.
We’re talking:
- Workplace safety protocols.
- Anti-harassment and diversity training.
- Industry-specific compliance modules (like HIPAA or OSHA).
- Cybersecurity awareness.
It’s not always the most glamorous content, but it’s critically important. Instructional design consultants use storytelling, scenarios, and interactive elements to make compliance training memorable and effective.
7. Video Development: Learning in Motion
Video is one of the most powerful tools in a designer’s toolkit. From explainer videos to animated walkthroughs, instructional designers often lead the charge in producing visual content that supports different learning styles.
Video development may include:
- Writing scripts.
- Creating storyboards.
- Collaborating with video editors or animators.
- Recording voiceovers or directing talent.
Many instructional design contractors use tools like Vyond, Camtasia, or Adobe Premiere Pro to build professional-quality videos quickly. The result? Short, high-impact content learners can watch anytime, anywhere.
8. ILT to vILT Conversion: Going Virtual
A big part of modern learning design is taking traditional instructor-led training (ILT) and converting it into virtual instructor-led training (vILT). With remote and hybrid work here to stay, this skill is more in demand than ever.
To make this shift, instructional designers:
- Redesign content to fit shorter, virtual-friendly formats.
- Add interactive tools (polls, chat, breakout rooms).
- Coach facilitators on virtual delivery best practices.
- Create digital handouts and resources.
This isn’t just about taking a PowerPoint deck and adding a webcam—it’s about rethinking the entire learning experience for a virtual space. A highly experienced instructional design consultant can help your organization with this conversion.
9. New Product Training: Enabling Sales & Support Teams
When a company launches a new product or service, employees need to know how to talk about it, sell it, and support it. That’s where new product training comes in.
Instructional designers help:
- Craft messaging that aligns with the product’s features and benefits.
- Build training modules for different roles (sales, support, marketing).
- Create hands-on activities to reinforce learning.
- Align training with product rollout timelines.
Speed is usually the name of the game here—so instructional design consultants often help fast-track content creation while ensuring the quality holds up.
Pulling It All Together
As you can see, instructional designers are involved in a wide range of initiatives that support employee growth and business performance. They’re strategic thinkers, creative problem solvers, and communication experts all rolled into one.
And whether they’re working full-time in a company or independently as instructional design contractors, their work helps organizations:
- Speed up time to competency.
- Improve employee engagement and retention.
- Support change management and innovation.
- Stay compliant and reduce risk.
- Build a culture of continuous learning.
Instructional design isn’t just about making courses—it’s about solving real business problems through learning. And when done well, it can have a lasting impact across every level of an organization.
Download Your Copy of 5 Reasons to Hire an Instructional Design Consultant
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