Crafting Inclusive Multimedia Learning Assets: Two Productivity Tools that Every Instructional Designer Should Know About

Ever watched a training video only to rewind because the captions didn’t match the narration? That moment of frustration reveals a deeper issue: accessibility isn’t just compliance—it’s learner experience. When multimedia feels out of reach, engagement and retention suffer.

This post shows you how to problem-solve through the entire asset-creation cycle—defining goals, navigating challenges, leveraging productivity tools, and applying best practices—to build videos, animations, and interactives that truly include everyone.

Goals and Objectives

Every asset should align with clear learning outcomes and diverse preferences:

• Create engaging, inclusive content—videos, animations, and interactives—supporting visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners (Mayer, 2009).

• Reinforce pedagogical strategies—storytelling, spaced practice, formative feedback—through multimedia narratives (Clark & Mayer, 2016).

By tying each element to an objective, you ensure form follows function.

Common Challenges and Pain Points

Instructional Designers often juggle:

• Balancing rich visuals with cognitive load (Mayer, 2009).

• Ensuring WCAG 2.1 compliance for captions, contrast, and keyboard navigation (W3C, 2018).

• Iterating rapidly with SMEs and stakeholders without derailing timelines.

Anticipate these hurdles early to integrate solutions, not band-aids.

Tools to Boost Productivity

Two platforms shine for rapid, quality multimedia creation:

Vyond

• Customizable animated explainers for scenario-based learning.

  

  Screenshot of explainer templates that can be customized, rather than starting a project with a blank slate.

• Built-in caption tracks and audio layering.

  

  Screenshot from Vyond with an arrow pointing to the caption tool.

• Timeline comments speed stakeholder reviews.

  

  Screenshot of a timeline in Vyond where reviewers can add comments.

Canva

• Templates for infographics, slide decks, and social graphics.

  

  Screenshot showing infographic templates in Canva.

• Brand kits enforce color contrast and font legibility.

  

  Screenshot of the Brand Kits page in Canva where colors, fonts, voices, logos, and much more can be preset so the user does not have to customize all the elements individually.

• Real-time collaboration and version history simplify revisions.

Screenshot in Canva with an arrow pointing to the "Share" feature. Once shared, multiple users are able to collaborate on a single project in real time.

Leveraging Vyond and Canva frees you to focus on pedagogy and user experience, not manual formatting.

Best Practices for Multimedia Asset Development

1. Apply Multimedia Principles

   • Coherence: Eliminate extraneous content.

   • Signaling: Use arrows or highlights to guide focus.

   • Segmenting: Break content into learner-paced chunks (Mayer, 2009).

2. Embed Universal Design

   • Provide transcripts and captions for all videos.

   • Ensure keyboard navigation and screen-reader compatibility (Rose & Meyer, 2002; W3C, 2018).

   • Offer alternative formats—audio descriptions, PDF summaries (CAST, 2020).

3. Streamline Iteration

   • Prototype storyboards in Canva before full animation (Smiciklas, 2012).

   • Gather SME feedback via in-app commenting.

   • Lock core scripts early to minimize rework.

These steps turn accessibility from an afterthought into an integrated design mindset.

Key Takeaways

• Effective multimedia balances engagement, pedagogy, and accessibility.

• Vyond excels for animated scenarios; Canva accelerates visual asset development.

• Following Mayer’s guidelines and WCAG 2.1 ensures cognitive efficiency and universal access.

Call to Action

Ready to level up your next course?

1. Sign up for a free Vyond trial and build a 60-second explainer with captions.

2. Draft an infographic in Canva (Pro) aligned to one learning objective.

3. Share your work with peers and invite peer feedback.

Let’s move beyond checkboxes—design assets that solve real learner problems.

References

CAST. (2020). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). e-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Wiley.

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. ASCD.

Smiciklas, M. (2012). The power of infographics: Using pictures to communicate and connect with your audiences. Que Publishing.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (2018). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

AEM Center. (2025). Designing for digital access: Tools that deliver. https://aem.cast.org/tools/at-index