TL:DR – Learning should be interactive, goal-driven, and rewarding.
Escape rooms are wildly popular. Why? Because they make you feel smart, challenged, and motivated. And all of that happens in a carefully designed environment where every element serves a purpose.
Sound familiar? It should. That’s what great instructional design does, too.
When learners feel like they’re solving a meaningful problem instead of passively absorbing information, engagement skyrockets. The difference? Escape rooms are built for problem-solving. Many courses are built for content delivery.
Let’s fix that.
Here’s what Instructional Designers can borrow from escape rooms:
Make learning interactive, not passive
Escape rooms don’t give you a lecture, they give you a mission. Learners should be doing, trying, testing, not just reading or watching. Design moments that require input, not just output.
Create a clear goal with visible progress
In an escape room, the goal is obvious: get out. In learning? Sometimes the goal gets buried under buzzwords and endless modules. Let learners know exactly what they’re working toward and how far they’ve come. This is why clear objectives (think “At the successful conclusion of this training, you will-“) are so important.
Use challenge and constraint to drive focus
Escape rooms thrive on time limits and puzzles. You can use similar principles:
- Time-bound challenges
- Scenario-based decision-making
- Tiered puzzles that build on each other
Constraints make learners focus on the task and topic at hand. That’s a good thing.
Feedback should be immediate and relevant
If you input the wrong code, the door doesn’t open in an escape room. In training, feedback should be just as direct. Let learners know instantly if they’re on the right track—then guide them toward the solution.
Training Tip:
Instead of asking “What content do I need to cover?” ask:
“What problem can I help the learner solve?”
Great learning doesn’t just inform. It activates and gets the learner involved.
Consider recreating a pop-up escape room that requires your learners to DO something to move to the next station. The activities can build upon each other and lead to a “final boss” activity to complete successfully.
The ID Department knows escape rooms. We can help you apply the best ideas of escape rooms to your next training project. We can even help you create your own escape room for your next training event. Email us at info@theiddepartment and get started today.
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