I see creativity as a force, as energy. When I design learning experiences, I don’t see myself simply structuring content. I see myself curating possibilities in order to craft spaces where ideas can unfold.
This isn’t just about instructional design; it’s about learning as an act of creation. This brings more fun, more excitement!
As I curate exhibitions, design a learning experience, or mentor creatives, the process is the same: set a foundation, invite exploration, make room for the unexpected.
Learning and creativity, to me, are inseparable. If we don’t create, we don’t learn. If we don’t learn, we stop creating. Creativity isn’t an extra layer—it’s the core ingredient that turns knowledge into experience.
Rick Rubin says, “There are no mistakes, only learnings.”
Unfortunately, in most places creativity got boxed in, or we feel "we" get boxed in as creators. In the corporate and academic worlds, we still often separate design from engineering, science from creativity, structure from play.
It became something we associate with art studios, music sessions, or brainstorming boards filled with colorful sticky notes. But creativity is not a department; it is the pulse of everything, especially learning.
Learning experience design (LXD) is where these forces come together. When we embrace creativity in the process, we don't just improve engagement—we unlock something much deeper: curiosity, joy, and the freedom to think beyond constraints. That's why I like to think as learning as growth: unlearning old ways, evolving and discovering with humility.
Creativity and Learning: A Natural Pairing
Think about the moments in life when you’ve truly learned something—when knowledge became alive rather than just an obligation, "I should". Even for a serious purpose, you felt a sense of play, curiosity, and exploration.
As Diane Ackerman beautifully puts it, "Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning."
This is why great learning experiences feel more like an adventure than an obligation. Whether through storytelling, visual design, problem-solving, or iteration, creativity transforms learning from a passive process into an active, engaging experience.
It’s about using imagination as a tool to deepen understanding, create emotional bound, and make knowledge stick so that you can use it in the real world.
Designing Learning as a Creative Act
1. Storytelling as a Learning Framework
A humans, we are wired for stories, from childhood, to fire-pit folkstales and legends, books, familiar discussions. We connect.
When you incorporate storytelling in learning experience design, you can turn abstract concepts into something tangible and memorable. Instead of simply presenting information, we can create narratives that learners connect with, giving them a reason to care, not just understand but feel.
Whether it's a workshop, an e-learning module, the narrative involves having a story—a beginning, middle, and end that learners can engage with. That’s why you can integrate storyboarding into your design process. Indeed, it’s not just about visuals; it’s about crafting a learning journey that feels meaningful.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in both art and education. A well-designed learning experience is more than content—it’s a story learners step into.
2. Design Thinking & Iteration
Design thinking, as Tim Brown from IDEO puts it, is about asking unexpected questions to get unexpected answers. In learning, this means embracing an iterative, learner-centered approach where creativity isn't just about aesthetics but about problem-solving.
A well-designed learning experience should feel intuitive, like a journey rather than a checklist. Every detail—the way content flows, the way questions are framed, the way feedback is given—should be intentionally designed to engage the learner’s curiosity.
Creativity is playful. It is full of trial and error, iteration, and unexpected discoveries. Yet, in traditional learning spaces, failure is often seen as a weakness rather than a step forward.
The best learning experiences mirror the creative process:
You try something, see what happens, adjust.
You explore, prototype, discard, and refine.
You don’t start with the perfect answer—you get there by engaging, experimenting, and thinking with your hands.
This is why, when I design learning experiences, I always like to ask: Where is the space for experimentation, for failure?
Design thinking is defined as a human-centered approach to innovation which balances people’s needs, technological possibilities, and business realities. It's the same for Learning.
The best learning isn’t rigid. It breathes. It responds. It evolves.
3. Playfulness & Experimentation
Virgil Abloh said, “No one invented anything. It’s the most democratic time for art, design, and culture.”
This is true for learning as well. Creativity isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about experimenting. Playfulness in LXD can show up in small ways: a quiz, an interaction, a fun game that turns knowledge into an engaging challenge.
Game design principles—such as progressive difficulty, feedback loops, and intrinsic motivation—can enhance the learning experience, making it dynamic and participatory.
I have observed that there can be a tension between structure and freedom in creativity. Between engineering and art. Between rigor and intuition.
At a personal level, I create best when I follow what excites me. This is how I design learning, too. Instead of forcing creativity into rigid structures, I let the process breathe. I set the stage, build the foundation, and then let the work respond to what unfolds.
This is why I bring design thinking into my learning projects. Because the process itself is creative—it is iterative, responsive, and adaptable. You start with curiosity, you test, you refine, you grow.
Culture & Context: Creativity is not Generic
For many different reasons, it can be assumed that creativity looks the same everywhere. Yet I believe, creativity is deeply cultural, contextual, and personal.
For example, if you were designing a course on agriculture basics, the creative approach would vary dramatically between an audience in Tokyo and one in Nairobi. The visuals, analogies, and even the way information is structured would need to reflect the learners’ realities.
Creativity in LXD is about listening first, designing second. It’s about understanding what feels intuitive and engaging for the specific audience, not just following trends or best practices.
Some reflections can be drawn:
What feels intuitive in one culture may feel rigid in another.
What sparks curiosity in one group may feel uninspiring in another.
What feels like "creativity" in one context may not even translate in another language.
Creativity as a Practice, Not a Talent
A myth I always push against: creativity is not something you have or don’t have.
We are all creative. See it as a muscle. A practice. A way of thinking that gets sharper the more you use it.
In learning experience design, this means:
Being intentional: Don’t add creativity just for fun—integrate it in ways that enhance engagement and meaning.
Starting with the learner: What would excite them? Challenge them? Make them see the topic differently?
Giving space for exploration: Allow learners to create, reflect, and iterate—just as designers do.
Staying playful: Be open to mistakes, unexpected connections, and new ways of thinking.
At the end of the day, learning is about transformation. And transformation doesn’t happen in rigid spaces. It happens when we allow room for curiosity, play, and connection.
So maybe the real question isn’t, “Should we integrate creativity into learning design?”
Maybe the real question is, “How can we possibly design great learning experiences without it?”
Let’s build, experiment, and design a world where learning isn’t just functional—it’s inspiring.
What about you?
How do you integrate creativity into your own learning process? How do you balance structure and play, knowledge and intuition?
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