A Day in the Life of an Instructional Design Consultant

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to walk in the shoes of an instructional design consultant? Spoiler alert: it’s more than just building slide decks and clicking through eLearning tools. The best consultants juggle strategic conversations, creative storytelling, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes prep to make corporate learning not just functional—but meaningful.

Whether you’re thinking about becoming a consultant or you’re a client wondering what your instructional design partner actually does all day, let’s take a look at how an instructional design consultant’s day might go.

Morning: Reviewing the Plan and Prioritizing

The day often kicks off with coffee and a quick triage of Slack or Teams messages, emails that came in since last night, and today’s appointment calendar. Then it’s time to look at the project board. What’s due today? What stage is each deliverable in? What is at risk? What is late? Is a there anything with subject matter experts for review? Are there notes from QA or SMEs that need attention?

Consultants that are not on a full time, long term project often balance multiple projects at once, which means juggling platforms like Asana, Trello, and Outlook becomes second nature. The first hour of the day is all about setting priorities and switching gears from one client’s culture, tools, and voice to another.

Client and SME Meetings (aka “The Real Work Happens Here”)

Pre-Planning for the Meeting

Before hopping on Zoom, instructional design consultants spend real time preparing. That might look like:

• Reviewing notes from previous meetings.
• Creating a quick agenda or bullet list of objectives.
• Listing out questions that need clarification.
• Re-checking the client’s brand or compliance documents.
• Pulling up storyboards or prototypes to demo.
• Presenting the needs assessment you just completed.

This prep helps keep the meeting focused, the SME feeling confident, and the project moving forward. When you’re billing by the hour, a polished and purposeful meeting helps everyone win.

Download Your Copy of Sample Needs Analysis Report

What Happens in the Meeting

Once the call begins, it’s all about collaboration. The consultant might be:

• Gathering content from a subject matter expert (SME).
• Clarifying technical processes or compliance policies.
• Asking “why” to get past what the SME wants to teach and get to what the learner needs to know.
• Discussing assessment strategies or interactivity ideas.
• Negotiating deadlines or explaining what’s in (and out of) scope.

Great consultants don’t just nod and take notes, they guide the conversation and steer it toward learner outcomes.

Midday: Designing and Storyboarding

After a few meetings, it’s time to hit “Do Not Disturb” and dive into training content creation. This might mean writing out learning objectives that align with business goals, drafting a storyboard in PowerPoint or Word, or outlining the flow of a training course.

For many consultants, this is where the magic happens, transforming dense content into learner-centered experiences. If the consultant also builds courses, this is when they start pulling those elements into tools like Storyline or Rise. If they’re collaborating with an eLearning developer, they’ll prep scripts, screen layouts, or narration guidance for handoff.

This is deep work time. Headphones on, creativity flowing.

Download Your Copy of Quick Start Guide – Sustainable Instructional Design

Afternoon: eLearning Development or Reviews

Depending on the project, the consultant may spend the afternoon:

• Building slides and interactivity in Storyline or Rise.
• Creating narration with AI tools like WellSaid Labs.
• Creating animated scenarios in Vyond.
• Reviewing a prototype in Review 360 or a storyboard in Google Docs.

Sometimes it’s all of the above, especially when you’re the designer and the developer.

The name of the game? Attention to detail. Branding consistency, ADA compliance, meaningful interactions, not just “click next” all come into play here.

Late Afternoon: Feedback and Iteration

Once the first round of a module or course is done, it goes back to the client for feedback. This could include:

• Comments from stakeholders.
• Legal or compliance edits.
• SME fine tuning changes (“Actually, we don’t say it that way anymore…”).

This part of the process is usually more collaborative than glamorous. Consultants must be comfortable with constructive feedback and nimble when priorities change.

Sometimes, though, a client comes back with a request that goes well beyond the original scope, like adding a new module, reworking the format for an entirely different audience, or changing the tech platform mid-project. When that happens, experienced consultants know how to:

• Pause and assess the impact on time and cost.
• Communicate clearly and tactfully about what’s out of scope.
• Offer solutions or change order options (e.g., “We can include that in Phase 2” or “I’m happy to make that change, but it will require adjusting the delivery timeline and budget.”)
• Loop in the project manager or Relationship Manager if applicable.

Handling scope creep with professionalism protects both the client relationship and the consultant’s schedule. It also shows that you’re serious about delivering quality work within the agreed boundaries.

Download Your Copy of Streamline Your SME Review Process

Wrapping Up: Business Management and Marketing

No day ends without wearing the business owner hat. This includes:

• Logging hours in a timesheet tool.
• Sending invoices or reviewing contracts.
• Posting thought leadership or a portfolio update on LinkedIn.
• Checking in with recruiters or reviewing new gig opportunities.
• Taking a short course to stay sharp on tools, trends, or adult learning theory.

Consultants who want long-term success also market themselves, even when they’re busy. The pipeline doesn’t fill itself.

Common Challenges

Not every day runs smoothly. Some of the realities include:

• Chasing down SMEs for content or reviews.
• Navigating time zones with global clients.
• Balancing simultaneous deadlines.
• Working solo from home and managing energy dips.
• The money fears when a project ends and you don’t have another project lined up.

But those challenges are also what make this work rewarding. It’s a daily opportunity to solve problems, flex your creativity, and help people learn something new.