The Story All Instructional Design Consultants Know (Even If They’ve Never Said It Out Loud)
Years ago, I walked straight into the deep end of consulting without even realizing it. I’d been assigned to a massive implementation project involving payroll, time and attendance, and reporting, all domains I had absolutely zero expertise in. Payroll codes? No idea. Time-off accrual rules? Couldn’t tell you. Reporting logic? Not even close.
But here’s where the instructional design consultant life kicks in.
I shadowed other trainers for two weeks, and then my manager walked over with the confidence of someone handing you a latte and said:
“Okay, you’re up next. Teach the payroll analysts, and while you’re at it, help us redesign the training.”
No certification.
No background in payroll.
No grace period.
Just expectation.
And I did it.
Not because I magically became a payroll expert overnight, but because instructional design consultants develop a different superpower called rapid sense-making. We learn industries we’ve never worked in. We decode workflows we’ve never seen. We anticipate where people will struggle before SMEs even notice. We turn chaos into clarity.
That is one of the reasons clients actually hire instructional design consultants.
Yet somehow, the industry keeps telling consultants they must learn every AI tool on the market just to stay relevant.
Absolutely not.
Why Chasing Every New AI Tool Is a Waste of Time for Instructional Design Consultants
AI tools are multiplying like gremlins that got fed after midnight. Every week brings a “game-changing” platform promising to revolutionize course creation, automate storyboarding, or magically understand an entire business from a single prompt.
Meanwhile, instructional designer contractors are burning time, energy, and brain cells trying to keep up with an ever-shifting tech landscape.
Here’s the reality, supported by research, not hype:
1. AI adoption rarely delivers ROI on its own
An MIT study revealed that 95% of organizations see no measurable return on their AI investments in the early stages. Not because AI is ineffective, but because organizations, including learning and development teams, are adopting tools without clarity or strategy.
2. Professionals with AI experience often work slower
Another analysis found that workers using AI tools performed 19% slower than those who didn’t.
Why? Because they’re:
- checking for AI-generated errors
- rewriting content for accuracy and tone
- learning interfaces
- troubleshooting unexpected “AI hallucinations”
3. The “Productivity J-Curve” is real
A J-curve describes a pattern where things get worse before they get better. Research shows that AI adoption causes productivity dips before improvements appear, sometimes significantly. Instructional design consultants feel this firsthand:
- hours spent learning tools you’ll never use again
- mental fatigue from switching platforms
- increased QA time because AI outputs must be verified
- constant fear of “missing out” on a better tool
This isn’t professional growth, its burnout disguised as ambition.
4. Tool fatigue is harming outcomes
A 2021 survey found 70% of professionals reported digital fatigue as their top challenge.
On top of that, employees, including instructional designers, lose up to 1.8 hours per day navigating fragmented systems.
More tools don’t equal more value.
More tools equal more fragmentation.
So, here’s where some people might panic and think: “Wait, does this mean I should ignore AI completely?”
Not at all.
The problem isn’t AI itself, it’s the exhausting, reactive cycle of adopting every shiny tool that crosses your LinkedIn feed. You don’t need to reject AI. You need to stop letting it dictate your workflow, your calendar, and your sense of professional worth.
The instructional design consultants proving tangible results aren’t the ones with the longest tool lists. They’re the ones who can demonstrate measurable impact with the tools they already have, drawing a clear line between tools that serve their process and tools that hijack it.
That’s the shift: from chasing to choosing.
The Real Opportunity: Strategic Use of AI – Not Endless Adoption
Despite the hype and overwhelm, AI does offer meaningful gains for learning experience design, but only when it’s used intentionally.
- tasks completed 12.2% faster
- workflow efficiency increased 25.1%
- content rated 40% higher in quality by human evaluators
AI isn’t the problem. The problem is tool-chasing without strategy.
Instructional design consultants don’t need more tools. They need better questions. Here are four questions you should ask before investing your time, energy, and money in another AI tool.
1. Ask: “Where will AI genuinely improve my workflow?”
AI can provide real value in specific, high-impact areas:
Content drafting
AI can draft outlines, quizzes, case studies, and assessments in seconds, dramatically reducing development time.
Voiceover, visuals, and multimedia
AI narration and video generation eliminate the slow, expensive process of recording and editing voiceovers.
Accessibility enhancements
AI-powered captioning, transcription, and text-to-speech tools increase inclusivity with almost no additional effort.
Learner analytics and insights
AI can analyze structured and unstructured data to identify patterns, predict learner behavior, and inform design decisions.
2. Ask: “Where does human judgment matter most?”
There are areas where AI is helpful and areas where it absolutely should not lead.
Needs analysis
Stakeholder interviews require trust, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and the ability to interpret nuance, all human strengths
Strategic learning design decisions
Humans excel at subtasks involving contextual understanding and emotional intelligence, while AI systems excel at subtasks that are repetitive, high-volume, or data-driven. Instructional design consultants understand how to deliver human-AI synergy that provides real-time insights into organizational politics, performance realities, and cultural considerations.
Audience-specific contextualization
Instructional designers excel at translating complicated information into experiences that resonate. AI cannot interpret tone, emotional readiness, or other workplace nuances.
AI can support the design process, but it cannot replace human judgment critical to sustainable success.
3. Ask: “What is my repeatable process, regardless of the tools?”
Tools come and go.
Client expectations shift.
Budgets tighten.
Timelines shrink.
But the instructional design consultants who stay in demand are the ones with method-agnostic, adaptable processes that work in:
- Agile environments
- rapid design cycles
- SME-driven projects
- pilot-and-iterate environments
- tech rollouts
- leadership development programs
- hybrid or virtual learning ecosystems
Instead of anchoring your workflow to a specific methodology (ADDIE, SAM, LLAMA), focus on:
Questions for instructional design consultants that create clarity and protect flow
- What outcome are we trying to create?
- Who is the audience, and what do they need?
- What pain points or barriers already exist?
- Where does AI enhance speed and where would it compromise quality?
- What steps require human judgment, facilitation, or insight?
- What can be automated without losing impact?
- How will we evaluate quality at each stage?
Consultants who consistently ask these questions outperform those who focus on tools alone.
Templates, prompt libraries, and playbooks matter more than platforms
The future belongs to instructional design consultants who build:
- reusable prompts
- repeatable workflows
- adaptable templates
- scalable review processes
- clear decision criteria
These assets outlive every AI tool on the market.
4. Ask: “What would break if I removed this tool?”
This question instantly separates essential from noise.
If removing a tool:
- doesn’t slow you down
- doesn’t reduce quality
- doesn’t impact client value
- doesn’t change outcomes
…then the tool is optional. Organizations don’t need optional, they need frameworks that support focus, clarity, and efficiency.
Conclusion: Your Value Isn’t in Tools – It’s in Your Thinking
As a friendly reminder, instructional design consultants are not usually hired because they know a lot of AI tools. They are hired because they:
- understand the business
- understand the audience
- understand human behavior
- make sense of complexity
- anticipate roadblocks
- design for real people
- connect learning to performance
- and adapt faster than the pace of change
AI can accelerate your craft, but it can’t define your craft. The future belongs to instructional design consultants who use AI strategically, not reactively; who think deeply, not frantically; and who remember that human judgment will always be the foundation of learning that drives real behavior change.
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How TrainingPros Can Help
The organizations getting sustainable results from AI aren’t the ones collecting the most tools.
They’re the ones who stopped asking “What can this tool do?” and started asking “What problem are we actually trying to solve?”
And they’re partnering with instructional design consultants who know the difference.
Because here’s what most L&D leaders discover after months of tool experimentation: the consultant who shows up with strategic clarity delivers more value than the one who shows up with multiple AI subscriptions.
The strategic consultant can:
- Diagnose what’s actually broken (spoiler: it’s rarely the technology)
- Design learning that connects to performance outcomes, not just completion rates
- Decide where AI accelerates impact and where it just adds complexity
- Deliver solutions that work within your culture, your timeline, and your reality
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