Here you’ll find practical guides, templates, and tips to make your learning programs more effective. Click an article below to get started.
Here you’ll find practical guides, templates, and tips to make your learning programs more effective. Click an article below to get started.
Even the best training content can fall flat. The problem isn’t what you create, it’s how you plan it.
Organizations invest heavily in training and customer education, yet much of it falls short. Guides look polished, videos cover the details, but learners disengage, and outcomes don’t follow.
Why?
Often, the problem isn’t the content itself, but the planning behind it.
When designing content, teams often start with the topic:
“We need a guide on this feature.”
“We should explain this process.”
The topic-first approach feels natural: it’s easy to focus on what the company wants to say. But while the content may be accurate, it often fails to resonate with the audience.
A more effective approach starts with the need. Instead of asking, “What do we want to say?” ask, “What outcome are we trying to drive?”
Shifting from a topic-first to a need-first approach requires a change in perspective. At SaaS & Strategy, we encourage clients to begin by answering three key questions:
Every piece of training or customer education content should serve a measurable purpose. Are you aiming to increase product adoption, improve retention, or reduce support tickets? Clear outcomes shape both the content and how success will be measured.
Understanding your learners’ goals, experience level, and challenges is essential. A new customer onboarding program will differ significantly from advanced feature training for long-term users. Without context, even the most well-designed content risks missing the mark.
Even the strongest content fails if the delivery method doesn’t match how your audience engages. Should it be a self-paced article, a video walkthrough, or a live session? Timing and accessibility matter—content delivered too early or too late can lose its effectiveness.
When content feels like it “should” work but doesn’t, the issue is rarely design flaws or missing information. More often, it’s a planning problem. Without clearly defining the outcome, audience, and delivery method upfront, even beautifully executed content can fail to connect.
Think of content development like building a house. Starting with the topic is like choosing furniture before laying the foundation. Without a solid structure anchored in purpose and context, the end result simply won’t hold up.
To make this shift practical, here are three steps teams can take:
Start with alignment. Before creating content, involve stakeholders to define success metrics. What business outcome will this content support?
Develop learner personas. Even a light version of persona work can clarify audience context and prevent mismatched training.
Design with delivery in mind. Plan the format and channel early. A video might seem engaging, but if your learners prefer quick-reference PDFs, the effort may not pay off.
Training and customer education content can transform the customer experience—but only when built on the right foundation. By moving away from a topic-first mindset and focusing on outcomes, audience context, and delivery, organizations can create resources that truly resonate and drive measurable impact.
Before planning a new guide, course, or resource, pause and ask: “What do our learners need, and what outcome are we trying to achieve?” The answers can be the difference between content that falls flat and content that leaves a lasting impact.
Ever stopped scrolling because something felt confusing or flat? Visual storytelling goes beyond aesthetics—it guides your audience through a clear, engaging experience that communicates instantly. Intentional visuals create moments that stick; without them, content is easily forgotten.
Every visual choice—images, colors, fonts, and layout—should advance the story you want your audience to experience.
Strong visual storytelling can:
Communicate ideas quickly and clearly
Spark trust, curiosity, or excitement
Guide attention to what matters most
Keep your brand consistent across touchpoints
The Design For Impact: Visual Storytelling Worksheet helps you transform ideas into visuals that connect—whether building something new or refining existing content.
It enables you to:
Clarify the story your visuals need to tell
Make intentional design choices for clarity and impact
Structure content so messages and calls to action stand out
Strong visuals aren’t enough. Test with a fresh viewer, refine, and let storytelling turn design into experience that engages and drives action.
Download the full worksheet to get the prompts
I use with teams and design with purpose.
Not all content resonates with its audience.
Even well-researched articles or social posts can fall flat if they don’t consider how people will see, read, and interact with them.
By focusing on the right format, channel, tone, and language, you can turn content from overlooked to impactful.
Use these four tips to guide your choices and make every piece of content count.
Make Your Content More Effective
💡 Tip: Mix formats to reach diverse preferences and reinforce learning across multiple channels.
💡 Tip: Map content to real tasks or moments of need—not just platforms.
💡 Tip: Shared language builds trust, improves retention, and makes scaling learning easier.
By applying these principles, your content won’t just share information—it will engage, inspire, and drive action.
Even the best training content can fall flat. The problem isn’t what you create—it’s how you plan it.
Organizations invest heavily in training and customer education, yet much of it falls short. Guides look polished, videos cover the details—but learners disengage, and outcomes don’t follow. Why? Often, the problem isn’t the content itself, but the planning behind it.
When designing content, teams often start with the topic:
“We need a guide on this feature.”
"We should explain this process.”
This topic-first approach feels natural—it’s easy to focus on what the company wants to say. But while the content may be accurate, it often fails to resonate with the audience.
A more effective approach starts with the need. Instead of asking, “What do we want to say?” ask, “What outcome are we trying to drive?”
Shifting from a topic-first to a need-first approach requires a change in perspective. At SaaS & Strategy, we encourage clients to begin by answering three key questions:
Every piece of training or customer education content should serve a measurable purpose. Are you aiming to increase product adoption, improve retention, or reduce support tickets? Clear outcomes shape both the content and how success will be measured.
Understanding your learners’ goals, experience level, and challenges is essential. A new customer onboarding program will differ significantly from advanced feature training for long-term users. Without context, even the most well-designed content risks missing the mark.
Even the strongest content fails if the delivery method doesn’t match how your audience engages. Should it be a self-paced article, a video walkthrough, or a live session? Timing and accessibility matter—content delivered too early or too late can lose its effectiveness.
When content feels like it “should” work but doesn’t, the issue is rarely design flaws or missing information. More often, it’s a planning problem. Without clearly defining the outcome, audience, and delivery method upfront, even beautifully executed content can fail to connect.
Think of content development like building a house. Starting with the topic is like choosing furniture before laying the foundation. Without a solid structure anchored in purpose and context, the end result simply won’t hold up.
To make this shift practical, here are three steps teams can take:
Start with alignment. Before creating content, involve stakeholders to define success metrics. What business outcome will this content support?
Develop learner personas. Even a light version of persona work can clarify audience context and prevent mismatched training.
Design with delivery in mind. Plan the format and channel early. A video might seem engaging, but if your learners prefer quick-reference PDFs, the effort may not pay off.
Training and customer education content can transform the customer experience—but only when built on the right foundation. By moving away from a topic-first mindset and focusing on outcomes, audience context, and delivery, organizations can create resources that truly resonate and drive measurable impact.
Before planning a new guide, course, or resource, pause and ask: “What do our learners need, and what outcome are we trying to achieve?” The answers can be the difference between content that falls flat and content that leaves a lasting impact.
A design brief is a short document outlining a project’s purpose, goals, audience, and key considerations. It keeps everyone aligned and decisions purposeful. Without it, projects can drift and require extra revisions.
Content design isn’t just about looking good—it’s about working effectively.
A design brief ensures:
Clear, shared goals
Feedback tied to objectives
Efficient use of time and budget
Content design isn’t just about looking good—it’s about working effectively
It helps you:
Define goals and outcomes
Identify your audience
Set tone and style
Clarify where content will appear and the desired action
Answering these questions upfront gives your team a clear foundation for creating content that engages and delivers results.
A brief isn’t a checkbox—it’s a compass. Refer to it often to stay aligned and on track.
Download the full worksheet to get the prompts
I use with teams and design with purpose.