Beginning Stages of My Prototype

March 01, 2026

As I started developing my prototype, I began to consider balancing practicality and passion. Kelley and Kelley (2013) suggest that when choosing between money and passion, it's important to consider both. In these early stages, I notice that things like budgets, timelines, and analytics are easier to measure than the emotional aspects of instructional design. Kelley and Kelley (2013) state, "Money will always be easier to measure, which is why it takes a little extra effort to value the heart."

For me, the "heart" of this prototype focuses on literacy equity and dyslexia-responsive instruction. This isn't just a professional development module; it's a belief that teachers deserve structured, accessible, and empowering learning experiences that lead to meaningful student growth.

Building the Skeleton Frame: From Vision to Structure

This week marked the start of building the skeleton frame of my design in Articulate Rise. Rather than attempting to perfect content, I focused on creating a shell, a structural outline that holds the vision in place. Kelley and Kelley (2013) emphasize that “principles of prototyping can apply to trying new work roles as well; small, quick experiments provide the most bang for your buck.” Building the Rise course shell felt like one of those small, quick experiments. It is not polished. It is not fully built out. But it is tangible.

I created five core modules as the architectural backbone of the course:

• Module 1: Understanding Dyslexia: Characteristics and Impact

• Module 2: Assessment and Data Analysis for Dyslexia-Responsive Instruction

• Module 3: Evidence-Based Literacy Strategies for Students with Dyslexia

• Module 4: Leveraging Technology for Dyslexia Instruction

• Module 5: Reflective Practice and Sustained Growth in Literacy Instruction

Designing this skeletal framework helped me clarify sequencing and coherence. Norman (2013) describes the stages of action as goal, plan, specify, and perform. My goal is to build teacher capacity in dyslexia-responsive literacy instruction. The planning stage involved determining which learning progressions best support that goal. Specifying actions required that I translate that plan into actual modules within Rise, including creating headings, placeholder lessons, navigation pathways, and basic lesson descriptions. Performing meant physically building the shell inside the platform.

Articulate Rise Modules in Course Shell

Even this early structural work revealed the complexity Norman (2013) describes, noting that deciding to turn on a light requires determining how to get it done. This means choosing the instructional flow and asking some clarifying questions:  Should assessment come before strategies? Where does technology integrate? How does reflection sustain learning? This requires planning rather than assumption.

Bridging the Gulf of Execution in My LMS Design

Norman (2013) explains that we bridge the Gulf of Execution through signifiers, constraints, mappings, and conceptual models. As I built the Rise shell, I began thinking about how teachers will navigate the modules. Are expectations clear? Does the progression feel logical? Do lesson titles act as signifiers for what participants will gain?

At this stage, I am intentionally using simple conceptual models: each module moves from knowledge to application to reflection. This predictable structure aims to reduce cognitive overload and support behavioral-level processing. The Rise interface itself provides certain constraints and mappings that guide sequencing, but I must ensure the instructional design aligns with those affordances.

Bridging the Gulf of Evaluation, as Norman (2013) explains, requires feedback and a clear conceptual model. I am beginning to think about where reflection checkpoints, knowledge checks, and application tasks will live within each module so that participants can perceive, interpret, and compare their learning with their instructional goals.

FIGURE 2.1. The Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation (Norman, 2013)

Emotional Processing: Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective

Norman’s (2013) three levels of processing, visceral, behavioral, and reflective, are evident in my experience.

• Visceral level: When I first saw the Rise shell with the five modules listed, I felt excitement. Seeing structure materialize created a sense of emotional progress.

• Behavioral level: As I clicked through navigation and tested lesson flow, I evaluated usability. Does the structure function smoothly? Does it support efficient execution?

• Reflective level: At the highest level, I asked whether this design aligns with my purpose: advancing literacy equity and empowering educators. The reflective level is where conscious decision-making resides (Norman, 2013), and this is where I reconcile design decisions with my broader professional mission.

Kelley and Kelley (2013) remind us that when we “go for the heart,” we tap into deeper reserves of energy and enthusiasm. I experienced this while drafting Module 1 on understanding dyslexia. Rather than merely presenting characteristics, I began envisioning stories, case examples, and real classroom scenarios. The structure exists, but the heart is what will ultimately animate it.

Execution and Evaluation as Ongoing Cycles

Norman (2013) notes that action consists of doing and interpreting. As I build this prototype, I am continuously cycling between execution (building modules, organizing content) and evaluation (reviewing alignment, clarity, and purpose). Each time I revisit the shell, I compare what exists to my original goal. This comparison stage influences my emotional state, sometimes affirming, sometimes revealing gaps.

The prototype at this stage is skeletal, but it represents intentional forward motion. The shell in Articulate Rise functions as a structural blueprint, similar to framing a house before adding walls and finishes. It gives shape to the vision while leaving room for iteration.

Integrating Heart and Structure

In final reflection, these beginning stages are teaching me to hold structure and passion in tension. Kelley and Kelley (2013) push me to value the emotional core of my work, while Norman (2013) provides a cognitive framework for disciplined execution and evaluation. The five-module skeleton is not the finished artifact; it is the conceptual and structural bridge between vision and implementation.

This prototype is forming through small experiments, structured action cycles, and reflective alignment with purpose. I am not simply building modules; I am building a learning experience grounded in empathy, usability, and sustained instructional growth. And in doing so, I am building my own creative confidence as a designer.

References

Kelley, T., & Kelley, D. (2013). Creative confidence: Unleashing the creative potential within us all. Currency.

Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things (Revised and expanded ed.). Basic Books.