I am Kellie Whiteston — a materials designer, writer, and editor. I value creating resources that are simple and easy for today’s busy learner to use and mentally digest. I specialize in designing on-demand learning resources and performance support systems.

I follow the philosophy that training should remove obstacles for the learner, be engaging, and focus on facilitating access to information instead of controlling it. In my work, I focus on learning solutions having four main aspects:

1. Incorporated – Materials and information should work within the learner’s activities, not in parallel or against them. Today’s learner expects anytime access and immediate gratification.
2. Obvious – Learners shouldn’t need a decoder ring to figure out what the materials are saying or a map to understand how to navigate a resource. Clear organization, obvious headings, and scannable information are key to communicating what is needed and get back to the task at hand.
3. Flexible – Materials and resources should be based on flexible frameworks and templates to assist with rapid design, repeatable use, and expansion to meet new challenges.
4. Visually appealing – Because boring interfaces are, well, boring.

Of course, terms like simple, easy, and obvious can be a myth and a trap like the terms intuitive, user-friendly, and common sense can be. These terms must be defined for the targeted audience, identifying the layers of experience they are bringing to the table. I prefer to translate these terms to familiar, predictable, and consistent.

I also have a lot to say about development and implementation processes. I hope you enjoy my blog. Please contact me with questions or if you would like to see how I can work with you.