OP Design - SADIM
I followed the SADIM model for the design of this Output Packet.
The model is made up of 5 stages: Survey, Assess/Analyze, Design, Implement, and Maintain.
A Lean Approach to Online Course Design
Here is an early Lean Canvas I created for my course. The original idea was to create a course directed at entrepreneurs who were looking to build courses themselves.
I made this rapid prototype and shared it with a few friends and allies - the main insights I gained were that my big risks were that there were several other people doing something similar, and many of them had far more experience than I do in creating and selling courses.
I also hosted a free webinar on the Gaia Radio platform during this early stage title '5 Principles for Designing Regenerative Learning Experiences'. The design of the webinar was informed by a another webinar I attended on designing webinars by David Siteman Garland, who does the Create Awesome Online Courses program.
I thought it went pretty well for my first webinar. I had around 10 people attend, and I was able to engage with some potential customers, ask them questions and get some good feedback. I also felt good about how I delivered my message and it helped me to fine-tune my thinking on the subject.
Webinar Design
After my first business model interviews and hosting my webinar, I came to the conclusion that supporting others to create courses was a niche that was too crowed, and my unique angle didn't give me enough edge to make my offering attractive compared to the existing alternatives.
I iterated my design - this involved doing some reflecting on who exactly I wanted to serve and what value I felt I could create for them.
I gained some insight reading the book Expert Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Finding Your Message, Building a Tribe, and Changing the World by Russel Brunson (founder of ClickFunnels). In the book, he takes the reader through some exercises exploring their own story (as well as highlighting the importance of telling your story to build a following and sell your course).
I found through this process that my story was really about facing extreme uncertainty and finding the courage to heed what was calling to me - having faith in my own ability to learn through the process.
The focus of my course changed from supporting course creators to helping individuals become better self-directed learners - and in doing so, helping them build the confidence they need to face uncertainty as I have and to take leaps of faith toward the lives of their dreams.
I created a second canvas and did another round of interviews:
After this next round of interviews, I began to see that I had a unique offering that could create real value for my customers. The big risks identified in this round were identifying exactly who these customers were and creating viable channels to them.
I began to design an updated offering based on the feedback and insights that emerged for me during the design process.
The following mindmap was created during the design process for my Living & Learning by Design course. I have found xmind to be an invaluable design tool personally - perfect for brainstorming and creating outlines, rapid prototyping different structures, etc. Easy to share and get feedback on as well.
Living & Learning by Design Course
Next Steps
My plan now is to experiment with an approach that I very recently came across in Expert Secrets. It will involve building a page with a short form that allows people to ask their biggest questions about the topic of becoming a skilled designer of self-directed learning experiences.
I will offer free spots in a 'pilot course' (a lightweight prototype course used to test the market) to everyone who submits a question. I can run the pilot in a Facebook group using Facebook Live, eliminating the need to mess around with a lot of tech for the free offering.
I can also use the questions that people ask to inform what I am focusing on for the course content.
After the pilot, I will again iterate the design based on feedback and if I feel interest was strong enough, I will look to develop a full course and charge for it. I will drive sales by hosting a regular webinar (which I will design though another iterative process).