Lessons from the Trenches: Themed eLearning
By Adriene Russell
Posted June 4, 2025
Reflecting on the past
Early in my career, I created some of the most beautiful and engaging eLearning courses I’ve ever seen. But over time, I learned a tough lesson: just because training looks good doesn’t mean it works.
In this reflection from the trenches, I share my experience with themed eLearning—from clever to cringeworthy—and what really matters when designing for performance.
Hop in the Way Back machine with me!
This morning I found myself reminiscing about our early eLearning courses from the days when HTML and JavaScript were our only tools. Those were simpler times—and more complicated ones, depending on how you look at it.
The golden age of themed learning
Our first memorable course was themed around a fancy restaurant. A waiter held a silver tray with the course menu, complete with tiny knives and forks instead of forward and back buttons. It was charming, creative, and took an enormous amount of development time.
From there, we evolved to more elaborate themes: The Wizard of Oz, space adventures, you name it. For a while, we even had a policy requiring all eLearning courses to be themed for "higher engagement."
Fast forward to more recent years, and I was part of a space-themed series where learners traveled to collect resources on their way to the mother planet. With tools like Vyond, our graphics were better, our storytelling more sophisticated. It was genuinely fun to create!
The reality check
If you're thinking "That sounds amazing!"—hold that thought.
These courses were fun for designers and entertaining for some learners. But they came with significant problems that took years of experience to recognize.
Problem #1: Distraction from core performance
When themes don't directly support your training objectives, they become distractions. The more attention-grabbing your theme, the less focus learners have for the actual skills you're teaching.
(Now, if you're training people to pilot spaceships and collect resources, I have the perfect theme for you!)
Problem #2: Audience mismatch
That space-themed course I mentioned? We deployed it to analytical professionals—accountants and underwriters who approach everything with scrutiny and prefer straightforward information. Cartoon characters in spaceships didn't exactly resonate with this audience.
The gamification trap
Let me tell you about my most elaborate failure. I created a course where claims processors earned virtual money by processing claims correctly, then spent it at a virtual bakery to bring snacks to their claims club.
The graphics were stunning. The Flash interactions were flawlessly programmed. The scenarios were realistic and targeted actual performance gaps. It was beautiful, engaging, and had clear goals to motivate learners.
I'm the only person who ever finished it.
Not even our subject matter experts completed the course, despite saying it would be "a big hit with trainees."
The lesson
Themes aren't inherently bad. They can add engagement and enjoyment. But nine times out of ten, they're distractions—and sometimes they're training killers.
The path forward
It takes experience and careful experimentation to add creativity without derailing learning objectives. The key principles:
• Keep training laser-focused on required performance
• Add humor, storytelling, or relevant themes that support (not compete with) your objectives
• Never waste learners' time or attention on irrelevant elements
The bottom line
Your job isn't to create beautiful eLearning that everyone likes. It's to create effective eLearning that people stick with long enough to learn what they need to perform their jobs well.
Sometimes the most beautiful training is the simplest.
Call to action
Designing training that entertains is easy. Designing training that actually improves performance? That takes strategy.
If your team is ready to move from engagement-first to performance-first, let’s talk about how I can help.
Navigating other insights
© 2025 Next Level Training Strategies, LLC. All rights reserved.
Performance First™ is a trademark of Next Level Training Strategies, LLC.
Maxwell Leadership® content used by permission. All rights reserved by The John Maxwell Company.
No part of this website may be copied, reproduced, or distributed without express written permission.