Design for Learning- Principles, Processes, and Praxis, 2021a

13
The Role of Design Judgment
and Reflection in Instructional
Design
Ahmed Lachheb & Elizabeth Boling
As a student of instructional design (ID), or as a future ID practitioner,
you will have to make many decisions that allow you to move forward
in your design work. Such decisions will be informed in part by the
particular situation you are dealing with, influenced by precedent
design experience (see more about design precedent here), and
inflected with your values and ideals. Making decisions is a
fundamental human capacity. When designing, designers make
decisions specific to design. The capacity to make solid design
decisions is what distinguishes excellent designers from mediocre
designers. So how can designers make solid decisions? The answer is
through evoking good design judgments and constantly reflecting on
their design work.
What is Design Judgment?
When designers face complex situations—a constraint, a problem with
a client or another design stakeholder, a block in the design
Design for Learning 250