How to Elevate Your Training with Backward Design

Ever started designing a training session by pulling up an old slide deck and thinking, “Well, I guess I’ll just update this bit and maybe add a quiz at the end”? Yeah. We’ve all done it. But here’s the thing—that’s the opposite of what effective learning design should look like.

Backwards design flips that whole process on its head—in the best possible way. Let’s dig in!

What is Backwards Design?

Backwards design is all about planning with the end in mind. Or starting with the destination. Instead of beginning with what content you want to cover, you begin by asking,

“What should learners actually walk away with?”

From there, you figure out how you’ll know they’ve learned it, and only then do you plan the learning activities.

Let’s say you’re building an onboarding program for new customer support reps. You start with the end goal: “By the end of week 2, they can confidently resolve a basic customer issue on their own.”

To get there, you work backwards:

• First, they need to understand the product—so you start with short, self-paced videos covering the basics.

• Next, they need to see it in action—so you add a live demo and shadowing session with an experienced rep.

• Then, they need to practice—so you include a few guided exercises using mock tickets.

• Finally, they need to prove they’re ready—so you run a short live simulation with feedback.

Each step builds toward the final outcome, with learning experiences that grow in complexity and confidence. That’s backwards design in action.

The idea for the backwards design approach originally comes from Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design (1998) framework, which has been used in both education and corporate learning for decades. And for good reason! It brings clarity, structure, and purpose to your training design process.

Why it matters (and why most people don’t do it)

Let’s be honest—most of us start with content. We open up PowerPoint, we grab last year’s materials, we think about what we want to say. But that can lead to bloated, unfocused training that looks great on paper but doesn’t actually change anything.

Backwards design makes you pause and say: “What’s the goal here?” It helps you align your learning activities with real business outcomes, not just what’s easy or familiar to deliver. This approach can make your job a lot easier in the long-run – stakeholders consult you instead of informing you after a decision has been made, employees trust the process and are more willing to enroll in your courses, your focus is laser sharp on things that move people and the business forwards, and (potentially most importantly) you stop wasting time building things that no one uses.

The 3 key stages of backwards design

Wiggins and McTighe break it down into three stages:

Step 1. Identify the desired results

What should learners know, do, or feel by the end of the learning experience? Be specific. Use action verbs. This is your north star.

❌ Bad Practice: “Participants will understand time management.”

This is too vague, passive, and impossible to measure.

✅ Good Practice: “By the end of the session, participants will be able to create a prioritized daily schedule using the Eisenhower Matrix.”

This is clear, specific, and action-oriented.

Step 2. Determine acceptable evidence

How will you know if they’ve got it? Maybe it’s a knowledge check, maybe it’s a role-play, maybe it’s a real-world application. The point is—don’t leave it to chance.

❌ Bad Practice: “We’ll just ask them if they liked the session.”

Feedback is not proof of learning.

✅ Good Practice: “Participants will complete a short scenario-based task where they prioritize tasks for a fictional day and explain their choices.”

This demonstrates actual application of the skill.

Step 3. Plan learning experiences and instruction

Now that you know the goal and the evidence, build your activities. What do learners need to experience, practice, or discuss to get there?

❌ Bad Practice: “Start with a 45-minute presentation on productivity theory, followed by a long Q&A.”

This is passive, one-size-fits-all, and not linked to the outcomes.

✅ Good Practice: “Begin with a short video explaining the Eisenhower Matrix, Have a discussion on the common time management mistakes, followed by a hands-on activity where learners build their own schedule.”

This is far more engaging, relevant, and builds toward the desired result.

A real-world example

Let’s say you’re designing a session for new managers on giving feedback.

• Desired result: Managers can deliver clear, constructive feedback using the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model.

• Evidence: They role-play giving feedback and receive peer and/or facilitator feedback.

• Learning experiences: You include a short video on the SBI model, break the group into pairs for practice, and share a downloadable cheat sheet they can take to their next one-on-one.

See how clean that is? You’ve got purpose, alignment, and a clear path from start to finish.

When to use it

Backwards design works beautifully when outcomes matter more than just covering content. Think leadership development programs, onboarding, or any kind of behavioral training. Basically, if you care about what learners do after the session — this should be your go-to approach.

Final thoughts

Backwards design is a mindset shift that makes everything you create more intentional and learner-focused. It stops you from jumping straight into content and forces you to think about outcomes and impact (be honest – you’ve done it! We know, because we’ve done it, too!).

So next time you’re building a new training session, don’t start with slides. Start with the end. Your learners (and your stakeholders) will thank you.