In the ever-evolving field of learning experience design, it’s not enough to simply participate in learning experiences—we must also reflect on how they are structured, delivered, and received. Recently, I attended a one-day Digital Marketing Workshop, and instead of just absorbing the content, I took it as an opportunity to deconstruct the session through the lens of André Plaut’s Elements of Learning Experience Design (LxD). Plaut outlines several core elements that help shape meaningful, accessible, and empowering learning experiences: empathy, clarity, accessibility, intentionality, and iterative design. Here’s how I applied these principles to analyze the workshop.
These five planes move from abstract to concrete: Strategy, Requirements, Structure, Interaction, and Sensory.
I’ve structured my analysis of the learning experience using these five planes, beginning with what each plane encompasses, followed by its strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement.
1. Strategy Plane – Why does this learning experience exist?
The strategic plane focuses on my and other participants’ needs and goals as a learners and my organization’s goals who sponsored this workshop. Here’s how the workshop aligns with those aspects:
Learner Needs: Learn essential digital marketing tools and concepts
Organizational Goals: Facilitate accessible, one-day upskilling that encourages applied learning
This alignment of goals and user needs defines the strategy of the workshop.
2. Requirements Plane – What features and content does the experience include?
The requirements plane focuses on the key topics, methods, activities, and logistics necessary to create a successful learning experience. The requirements defines the boundaries of the learning content. In this case, the facilitators intentionally curated a limited but rich set of topics.
Each topic was framed within specific learning objectives that were achievable in a one-day format. By narrowing the focus to core skills, the workshop avoided cognitive overload and stayed relevant.
3. Structural Plane – How is the information organized and delivered?
The structural plane focuses on how the topics, activities, logistics, and assessments are organized within the workshop.
This structure reflects instructional design best practices, where knowledge builds progressively and learners are guided from understanding to application.
4. Interaction Plane – How are interactions and content arranged?
The interaction plane focuses on the specific actions, auditory experiences, and visual elements that participants will encounter during the workshop. This plane depicts the layout of interactions—the flow of the session, the placement of resources, the design of activities, and use of tools.
This deliberate planning ensured that activities flowed smoothly, guidance was accessible when needed, and participants could navigate the experience without confusion.
5. Sensory Plane – What is the final experience like for the learner?
The sensory plane focuses on the visual and auditory elements that participants will experience during the workshop. This is where the user (learner) actually interacts with the designed experience. The plane how all other planes come together visually, emotionally, and cognitively.
The emotional tone was as important as the content delivery: participants felt motivated, included, and safe to experiment and ask questions.
Final Reflection:
Breaking down this workshop across the five UX planes gave me new insight into how effective learning is designed, not improvised. Every plane—strategy to sensory—contributes to how a learner experiences, retains, and applies knowledge.
This exercise reinforced the power of structured reflection and intentional design in education. It’s not just about content delivery—it’s about crafting experiences that support how people truly learn.