The Trouble with Templates

When Structure Helps, and When It Gets in the Way

Templates are one of L&D’s favourite tools, with very good reason. They promise consistency, clarity, and just enough structure to make things easier without stifling creativity, in theory.

In practice, they often become a trap. They encourage filling in boxes over solving problems and often disguise a lack of clarity with neat formatting. Worst of all, they allow us to feel productive while quietly sidestepping the bit where we have to think.

This isn’t a rant against templates. I like a good template and have several. I even colour-code some of them, which should probably worry me more than it does.

But if we want to do more than just make content quickly, we need to talk about the unintended side effects of template-led design and how to avoid them.

The appeal of the template

There’s a reason templates are so common, blank pages are terrifying, and structure helps.

Templates are particularly useful when:

• Onboarding new team members

• Creating consistency across multiple designers

• Ensuring key requirements aren't forgotten

• Getting people to start instead of overthinking

They’re also helpful when trying to raise the baseline, making sure that, even in a hurry, something sensible gets produced.

In short, they work best when used to support thinking, not stand in for it.

This is consistent with the view presented by Reiser and Dempsey (2017), who argue that the role of process models and structures in instructional design is to facilitate thoughtful decisions, not dictate standardised outputs.

When structure starts to backfire

Unfortunately, that’s not always how it goes. When templates become boxes to tick, rather than problems to solve:

• We write learning outcomes because there’s a box for them, not because they help clarify intent.

• We include a quiz because the template asks for one, not because we’ve worked out if it’s the best way to support transfer.

Before you know it, you’ve got a beautifully structured course that’s entirely irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Even worse, templates can give the illusion of progress. Just like filling out a to-do list with things you’ve already done (I see you), using a familiar template can feel like momentum, even when we haven’t validated the need, scoped the problem, or explored the context. And when tools and platforms encourage template-based rapid creation, that habit only gets stronger.

What good templates do

A good template doesn’t just structure your content, it asks you questions. It forces you to stop and think: What’s the problem? Who’s struggling? What’s getting in their way? What will look different if this works?

It leaves space for exploration, not just formatting, and it doesn’t pretend that all problems can be solved with the same box-ticking approach.

Reiser and Dempsey (2017) highlight the importance of analytical thinking and adaptability in instructional design. They warn that rigid processes can limit innovation if used in place of critical analysis, especially when the root causes of performance problems are poorly understood.

Norman (2013) adds that good design should reflect a deep understanding of human behaviour and system interaction. Templates that fail to take user context into account can appear clean on the surface but miss the mark entirely when it comes to practical usability.

And of course, as Clark and Mayer (2016) emphasise, effective learning design requires alignment between instructional methods and learning goals. Templates that embed specific media or interaction types, regardless of whether they support those goals, can easily lead designers astray.

How to use templates without falling asleep at the wheel

A few practical tips:

1. Treat templates as checklists, not blueprints
   Not every box needs to be filled. Not every course needs the same shape. Let your understanding of the problem lead, not the form.

2. Use templates to guide conversation, not just production
   Invite SMEs, stakeholders, or users to help fill them in. Use them as springboards for questions, not just silent solo exercises.

3. Have a second template for validating whether you need the first one
   This sounds ridiculous, but it works. Have a lightweight diagnostic to ask, “Do we need to make anything at all?”

4. Review your own use regularly
   If everything you produce starts looking suspiciously the same, the template might be doing too much of the thinking for you.

So…

Templates are not the problem.

But when we stop thinking because the form is familiar, we risk doing bad work efficiently.

In a field like ours, where clarity and context matter more than consistency, we can’t afford to let structure stand in the way of sense-making.

So by all means, keep your templates, just make sure they don’t become cages.

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References

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.). Hoboken: Wiley.

Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things (Revised ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

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