After several years of research, Richard Mayer, an American educational psychologist, recommends the following guidelines to enhance multimedia for the purpose of education and communication.

1 Coherence Principle

Use only the information that the learner needs.

• Most often, that means simple text and simple visuals that relate directly to the learning topic.

• Remove all the fluff.

• “Is this image 100% necessary to help with comprehension? Or could you find a better one?

• Does this message use simple enough language so the audience will understand? Maybe I could trim down a few words.”

2 Signaling Principle

Show exactly what to pay attention to.

• What is the most important part?

• Highlight important words.

• Using arrows to direct attention.

• Use slides or scenes that separate learning sections to signal that we’re moving to the next topic.

3 Redundancy Principle

Humans learn best with narration and graphics, as opposed to narration, graphics, and text.

• Only include graphics or text, but not both together.

• If they are together, make text minimal.

4 Spatial Contiguity Principle

Relevant text and visuals should be physically close together.

5 Temporal Contiguity Principle

Corresponding words and visuals are presented together, instead of in consecutive order.

• Animation (or visual) should be occurring at the same time as the voiceover audio. This is preferred to having the voiceover audio play first, and then watching a visual after

6 Segmenting Principle

Information is presented in segments, rather than one long continuous stream.

• When learners can control the pace of their learning, they performed better on recall tests.

• Add next buttons or allow the user to adjust the speed at which a video plays.

• Break up learning into smaller, bite-sized chunks. Make sure no one lesson, slide, or video has too much information packed in it.

7 Pre-Training Principle

Humans learn more efficiently if they already know some of the basics. 

• This often means understanding basic definitions, terms, or concepts before beginning the learning experience.

• You can use this principle by creating an introductory “guide” or “cheat sheet” for learners to use throughout the course.

• Or you can create an entire lesson up front dedicated to understanding the basics, before the learner moves into the actual course.

8 Modality Principle

Humans learn best from visuals and spoken words than from visuals and printed words.

• If there are visuals and too much text, learners will be overwhelmed.

• Limit the amount of text you use on screen overall.

• Rely more on visuals, unless you need to define key terms, list steps, or provide directions.

9 Multimedia Principle

• Images and words are more effective than words alone

10 Personalization Principle

Humans learn best from a more informal, conversational voice than an overly formal voice.

• Keep your language simple and casual.

• Avoid overly professional sounding text, or long, complex words.

• Use the first person (you, I, we, our). This is where it helps to consider your audience demographics.

11 Voice Principle

Humans learn best from a human voice than a computer voice

12 Image Principle

Humans do not necessarily learn better from a talking head video.

• Relevant images and animations are more effective than a talking head of an instructor.

• Talking heads can provide some value for the instructor by building credibility and trust.

• This is especially useful to establish at the beginning of your learning experience.

• Try to limit your use of talking heads as your video or course dives deeper into the learning content.