Who Is This Article For?

This guide is designed for professionals who are interested in using technology, learning science, communication, and design to improve how people learn, perform, and grow within organizations. Whether you come from education, business, healthcare, corporate training, human resources, technology, nonprofit leadership, or another professional field, instructional design and technology can provide a pathway for expanding your impact.

You do not need prior instructional design experience to enter the field. Many professionals already bring highly transferable skills, including leadership, communication, project management, training, problem-solving, content development, technology use, and an understanding of how people learn and develop. Graduate study in instructional design and technology can help professionals build upon those strengths while developing the specialized skills needed to design effective learning and performance solutions.

Key Takeaways:

  • Instructional design and technology is a growing interdisciplinary field with applications across multiple industries.
  • Employers increasingly seek professionals who can connect learning design with organizational goals, technology, data, and human performance.
  • Competitive IDT professionals combine technical expertise with communication, project management, collaboration, data literacy, and leadership.
  • Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are changing how IDT professionals design, develop, evaluate, and personalize learning experiences.

So, what exactly does it take to enter the field as an instructional designer? There are a number of technical skills, soft skills and traits that are characteristic of many successful instructional designers in today’s technology-dominated field.

What Skills Does an Instructional Designer Need?

Instructional designers need to possess a wide range of skills to do their jobs well. In many cases, aspiring instructional designers will build portfolios of their work so that potential employers can see their expertise in action. The skills of an instructional designer range from technical expertise to crucial soft skills that enable effective learning solutions.

Why Employers Value a Diverse Skill Set in IDT Professionals

Instruction design and technology (IDT) is such a broad field with methodologies that can apply to an extensive range of learning scenarios. For example, an instructional designer may work for a small public school district, a large university or even a nonprofit organization. With this in mind, employers looking to hire IDT professionals are generally looking for people with a diverse skill set that includes not just technical expertise, but certain soft skills as well.

As a result, employers are looking for professionals who can do more than develop instructional materials. Strong candidates can analyze organizational and learner needs, collaborate with stakeholders, manage complex projects, select and use appropriate technologies, evaluate results, and lead learning and performance initiatives.

Building a Portfolio to Showcase Skills

A strong IDT portfolio can draw from experiences across many professional settings. Training programs, presentations, onboarding materials, curriculum or learning resources, needs assessments, project plans, multimedia products, evaluation tools, technology implementations, and professional development materials can all demonstrate relevant competencies when presented through an instructional design lens.

Keiser University’s graduate programs in Instructional Design and Technology provide opportunities for students to develop portfolio-ready projects throughout their coursework. By graduation, students can demonstrate not only what they know, but how they apply that knowledge to authentic learning, training, leadership, and organizational challenges.

Technical Skills Every Instructional Designer Should Master

Instructional design and technology professionals need many technical skills. These include experience with e-learning tools, LMS, multimedia and coding. Below is a instructional design skills list that every IDT professional should aim to master.

Skill #1: E-Learning Development Tools

Organizations across industries rely on digital learning to support employee development, professional training, onboarding, compliance, continuing education, and academic learning. As a result, instructional designers should be comfortable working with e-learning development tools used to create engaging and interactive learning experiences. Instructional designers need to know how to work with popular e-learning development tools, such as:

  • Articulate 360/Rise (currently the industry standard)
  • Lectora
  • Camtasia
  • iSpring
  • Cornerstone OnDemand
  • Docebo
  • Absorb LMS

Skill #2: Learning Management Systems (LMS) Proficiency

People learn and engage with information in different ways, and effective instructional designers know how to select media that supports both the learner and the intended outcome. Elements include:

  • Graphics
  • Audio
  • Video
  • Animation and simulations
  • Interactive media

Instructional designers must also know how to work with different learning management systems, including:

  • Blackboard
  • Moodle
  • TalentLMS
  • Canvas
  • Google Classroom
  • 360Learning

Skill #3: Multimedia Production

Today’s students learn in a number of ways, so instructional designers using technology to enhance learning should be prepared to incorporate different kinds of multimedia to cater to different learning styles. This should include the use of graphics, audio and even video animation in instructional design.

Skill #4: Knowledge of Coding Languages

More often, instructional designers are also expected to use programming and coding as part of their jobs. With this in mind, aspiring instructional designers should be familiar with popular coding languages like:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Python

Skill #5: Data Analysis and Learning Analytics Tools

Instructional designers increasingly use data to determine whether learning and performance solutions are achieving their intended results. Skills in data analysis and learning analytics allow IDT professionals to identify patterns, evaluate learner engagement and performance, measure outcomes, and make evidence-informed improvements. In organizational settings, these data can also help demonstrate how learning initiatives contribute to broader strategic goals.

Core Hard Skills that Set Instructional Designers Apart

Aside from more technical skills that instructional designers need to have, there are some additional hard skills that can be beneficial for those looking to break into this competitive yet rewarding field.

Skill #6: AI Literacy and Generative AI Tools for Learning Design

AI literacy is now an expectation rather than a differentiator in many jobs. Employers are now actively seeking candidates who can:

  • Use AI writing tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) for content drafting and scenario writing
  • Leverage AI image and video generation tools (Synthesia, D-ID, Canva AI, Adobe Firefly) for media production
  • Apply AI-powered tools to personalize learning paths
  • Understand the implications of AI-generated content in educational contexts

Skill #7: Curriculum and Instructional Design Principles

Instructional designers need a strong understanding of learning and instructional design principles that can be applied across educational, workplace, and organizational settings. This includes designing clear learning objectives, creating meaningful learning experiences, selecting appropriate instructional strategies, and developing solutions that support knowledge acquisition, skill development, behavior change, and performance improvement.

Skill #8: Project Management and Agile Methodologies

Instructional design initiatives often involve multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, evolving needs, and firm deadlines. Knowledge of instructional design models and project management approaches helps IDT professionals move projects from needs analysis through design, development, implementation, and evaluation. These skills are particularly important for professionals who aspire to lead teams, manage organizational initiatives, or oversee learning and development functions.

Skill #9: Assessment and Evaluation Techniques

Evaluation is an essential part of the instructional design process. IDT professionals must be able to determine whether a learning or performance solution achieved its intended outcomes and identify opportunities for improvement. Depending on the setting, this may involve assessing learner achievement, employee performance, engagement, behavior change, program effectiveness, or organizational impact. Effective instructional designers use those findings to continuously refine both learning experiences and broader performance solutions.

Skill #10: Content Development and Writing for Learning

According to the Association for Talent Development, writing is one of the most overlooked yet important skills in instruction design and development. As author Sophie Oberstein writes, “every stage of the instructional design process involves writing.” From needs assessments and evaluation reports to participant handouts and communication materials, instructional designers need to be prepared to craft written content that aligns with their goals.

Soft Skills That Make or Break an Instructional Designer’s Career

While a lot of the work in instructional design is technical in nature, there are still a number of soft skills that instructional designers must possess to thrive in this profession.

Skill #11: Communication and Collaboration, and Influence

IDT professionals rarely work in isolation. They collaborate with subject matter experts, organizational leaders, clients, technology professionals, educators, employees, and other stakeholders. Strong professionals know how to communicate complex ideas clearly, facilitate productive conversations, build consensus, and advocate for learning and performance solutions. These skills become increasingly important as IDT professionals move into consulting, management, and leadership roles.

Skill #12: Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Instructional designers are constantly running into challenges and obstacles, whether it is deciding on the right technology to achieve a learning outcome or finding a way to make learning materials more accessible. This is where having strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills can pay off, empowering instructional designers to come up with creative solutions to obstacles.

Skill #13: Adaptability and Flexibility

The scope of an instructional design project can change quickly and without much notice, so instructional designers need to be prepared to pivot and adapt as needed. Being able to think quickly on your feet and remain flexible will serve you well in this unpredictable line of work.

Skill #14: Time Management and Organization

Instructional designers are often under tight deadlines, working on projects with many moving parts (or even multiple projects at the same time). As a result, they need to have excellent time management skills and be able to maintain organization in their work at all times.

Industry and Organizational Knowledge That Expands Career Opportunities

Instructional design principles can be applied across industries, but effective IDT professionals also understand the context in which learning and performance occur. Whether working in education, healthcare, business, government, nonprofit organizations, or other professional environments, designers must be able to connect learning solutions to the needs, expectations, and goals of the organization they serve.

Skill #15: Learning Sciences and Adult Learning Principles

Understanding how people acquire knowledge, develop skills, remain motivated, and transfer learning into practice is foundational to effective instructional design. IDT professionals draw upon learning theories, adult learning principles, motivation theory, and evidence-based instructional practices to create effective experiences for learners across educational and professional settings.

Skill #16: Corporate Training and Development Strategies

For instructional designers who plan to work for organizations/corporations, having a solid understanding of corporate training and development strategies is also important. Understanding the differences between training for compliance, onboarding, skills development, and leadership development is an advantage in job interviews.

Skill #17: Understanding Compliance and Certification Requirements

In some contexts, instructional designers must follow certain compliance standards and certification requirements in their work. For instance, a curriculum may need to be developed with certain accessibility standards in place (known as 508 compliance). A solid knowledge of these requirements can go a long way in avoiding issues down the road.

Skill #18: Organizational Learning and Talent Development

IDT professionals increasingly contribute to organizational learning, talent development, onboarding, compliance, reskilling, leadership development, and employee performance. Understanding how learning supports organizational goals allows instructional designers to move beyond course development and contribute strategically to workforce and organizational development.

Skill #19: Stakeholder Communication and Learning Needs Analysis

As IDT has expanded into corporate and organizational settings, the ability to consult with business stakeholders — not just educators — has become a distinct and valued skill set. Instructional designers in corporate environments are frequently expected to conduct structured needs analyses, present design proposals to non-instructional audiences, translate business performance gaps into learning solutions, and demonstrate ROI to decision-makers.

For educators entering corporate IDT roles, this is the skill area that most commonly requires deliberate development. The good news is that the underlying skill — understanding what people need to know and how to help them learn it — is exactly what experienced teachers do. The shift is in the audience: from students to organizational leadership.

This competency is increasingly included in IDT job postings under titles like “instructional design consultant,” “learning experience designer,” and “performance consultant.”

Skill #20: Learning Experience Design (LXD) Principles

As IDT professionals advance in their careers, they may be called upon to lead project teams, facilitate cross-functional collaboration, guide technology initiatives, manage learning and development functions, or influence organizational strategy. Effective leadership in IDT requires more than supervising others. It involves building relationships, facilitating change, communicating a vision, making evidence-informed decisions, and helping teams work toward shared goals.

Developing these competencies can prepare IDT professionals not only to design learning experiences, but also to lead the people, projects, and organizations responsible for creating them.

How to Build and Advance Your Instructional Design Skills

Professional development and growth should be a top priority for anybody looking to get into instructional design and technology. Fortunately, there are many practical ways to improve upon these skills and competencies.

Workshops and IDT Conferences

For instance, consider attending any of the numerous workshops and professional IDT conferences held throughout the year. Some examples of popular industry events include:

  • Association for Talent Development International Conferences and Exposition
  • DevLearn and Learning Solutions Conference and Expo
  • Learning Technologies Conference
  • TechLearn Conference
  • Training Industry Conference and Expo
  • SXSW EDU (growing presence of IDT professionals in recent years)
  • ATD TechKnowledge (focused specifically on learning technology)

Online Courses and Certifications

You might also look into taking some standalone online courses in instructional design and technology or related fields. Some courses may even prepare you for a professional certification, though a formal degree (such as a master’s degree or even a terminal doctorate degree) is ideal if you want to stand out as a thought leader in this evolving field.

Mentorship and Guidance from IDT Experts

Another excellent way to learn more about instructional design while building upon your skills in a hands-on setting is to pursue a mentorship or other professional guidance from established IDT experts. Having a mentor can also give you the chance to build a professional relationship that can lead to other opportunities for growth down the road.

Pursue a Graduate Degree at Keiser University

Instructional designer skills play a crucial role in enhancing education and training environments. As you can see, there are many instructional designer skills that you will need to develop and sharpen to make a difference in this dynamic field. In addition to having the essential skills of an instructional designer, you will also need the appropriate credentials.

At Keiser University, we offer advanced degree programs that can help you build upon these foundational skills in a student-centered environment. From our Master’s Degree in Education Instructional Design technology to our Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Design and Technology, you can find the program that best suits your needs and professional goals. Reach out to request more information from a graduate admissions counselor or start your online application today!