LessonsLesson design guide
Writing cards
Cards people read, understand and remember on a phone.
Learners take Grizlet lessons mostly on a phone, one card at a time, often between other tasks. A card has only a few seconds to make its point.
One idea per card
Each card carries one idea: one rule, one step, one example, one consequence. If you need "and also…", it's the next card.
- Heading: up to about 60 characters. It should say the point, not just the topic. "Report phishing with one click" beats "Phishing reporting".
- Text: 2–5 short sentences or a few bullets, roughly 20–60 words. If you scroll on a phone, it's too long.
- A concrete example on most cards: a real situation, a name, a number, a quote from a customer.
The heading test
Read only the headings of your lesson in a row. They should tell the whole story. If they read like "Introduction, Overview, Details, More details", rewrite them.
Write for people, not for documents
- Talk to the learner directly: "you", not "employees" or "the user".
- Short sentences, everyday words. Explain technical terms the first time, or don't use them.
- Active voice: "Your manager approves the request", not "The request is approved".
- Concrete over general: "Reply within 24 hours" beats "Reply in a timely manner".
- Lists for steps and options, paragraphs for explanations. Use bold for the one thing people must not miss, not for half the card.
- No walls of legal text. Translate the rule into what it means for the learner, and link to the full document with a Button card if needed.
The rhythm of a lesson
A good lesson alternates between taking something in and doing something with it:
- Hook: why this matters to me, now. A surprising fact, a question, a situation from work. The title card and the first card decide whether people keep going.
- What you'll be able to do: one to three goals as actions.
- Content and interaction in turns: an interactive card every 3–5 cards.
- Practice close to real work: a scenario, a matching or ordering task.
- Summary: the three things to remember.
- Action: a checklist or a question about what they'll do tomorrow.
The teaching approaches each have their own flow. Follow their order, and adapt the number of cards to your content.
Which card for what
| Card | Good for | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Card | One idea, one example, one step | Three ideas on one card; a heading that only names the topic |
| Video | Showing something hard to describe: a movement, a tool, a tone of voice | Long videos; a talking head repeating the text. Keep it to 1–2 minutes. |
| Quiz | Checking the goal; scenario decisions | Testing details from the text; ambiguous options. See Writing questions. |
| Matching | Terms and meanings, tools and purposes, situations and responses | Pairs that could match more than one way |
| Ordering | Procedures where the order really matters | Steps that could be done in more than one order |
| Poll | Opening a topic, activating experience, opinions with no right answer | A poll that actually has a right answer: make it a quiz |
| Form | Reflection, applying a topic to one's own work | Too many forms; vague questions like "Any thoughts?" |
| Rate | Confidence before and after; feedback on the lesson | Rating something learners can't judge |
| Checklist | What to do at work; a procedure to tick off | Long lists. Keep it to 3–6 items. |
| Button | Branching, further resources, the next lesson | Sending people away from the lesson halfway through |
Images and video
- Pictures that carry meaning: a screenshot of the actual step, a photo of the real place, a diagram of the process. A picture that only decorates takes space from the text and slows the card down.
- One picture per card, big enough to see on a phone. Use the image size and position to give it room.
- Diagrams work well for processes and relationships. You can create one with AI in the lesson's colors.
- Write the alt text for every meaningful image, so learners using screen readers get the same information.
- Video only when movement or sound matters. A video should be short (1–2 minutes), vertical if it should fill the card, and have subtitles when people speak. People often watch without sound.
- Use Make video mandatory only when the video is the core of the lesson. Being unable to skip ahead frustrates people.
Title card and title
- The public title is what learners see in invitations and in the player. Make it specific and inviting: "Spot a phishing email in 30 seconds" beats "IT security training 2026". See Lesson settings.
- The title card text can say in one sentence what's in it for the learner and how long it takes.
Accessibility
- Keep enough contrast. Grizlet styles check it for you; be careful with text on photos.
- Don't rely on color alone ("the red option") or on images alone for important information.
- Alt text for images, subtitles for videos.
- Write in plain language. It helps everyone, including people reading in their second language.
Writing for translation
If the lesson will be translated, write so that the translation can be accurate:
- Short sentences, one statement each.
- No idioms, puns, wordplay or culture-specific jokes. They rarely translate.
- Watch questions that depend on wording: "Which word…", rhymes, abbreviations that differ between languages.
- After translating, have someone who speaks the language check the questions and answers in particular. A small shift in meaning can make an answer ambiguous.