Most eLearning interactions keep learners busy, but don’t make them better. This blog shows which interaction patterns genuinely support behaviour change, which ones are just decoration, and how to use interactive design to help people think, decide and apply skills in the real world.

Have you ever noticed how some courses feel full of interactivity… but none of it actually helps you learn anything?

You tap a hotspot.

It reveals a sentence.

You drag something across the screen.

Nothing changes.

You click next.

So much of what gets labelled as ‘interactive eLearning’ is really just movement. It fills time, looks busy and meets a stakeholder’s request for ‘engagement’, but it doesn’t shift behaviour.

The good news is that behaviour-changing interactions don’t require big budgets or fancy software. They just need good design: clear purpose, psychological relevance and a story that pulls learners into a decision, not a sequence of clicks.

Why interaction matters (when it’s done well)

Meaningful interaction isn’t about breaking up long paragraphs. It’s about helping people:

• Understand something faster

• Make a decision

• Apply a principle

• Reflect on what they already do

• Practice in a safe space

  
  

If interaction supports that, it earns its place. If it doesn’t, it’s noise.

The interaction patterns that actually support behaviour change

Below are five interaction types that work brilliantly in eLearning when designed with care. Each one has a clear purpose that goes beyond simply ‘breaking up the page’.

1. Scenario Decisions

Purpose: Practise judgment in a safe space

Humans learn best when they need to make a choice and deal with the consequences. Scenario decisions don’t need huge branching structures. Even simple ‘What would you do next?’ moments can create powerful learning.

Example

A manager must decide how to respond to an underperforming team member.Three options appear.Each one leads to a short response that explains what would happen and why.

Why it works:

• It creates a micro-story

• It makes the learner think, not click

• It mirrors the real world, increasing knowledge transfer

  
  

2. Reflection Moments

Purpose: Connect content to personal experience

Reflection is one of the strongest, least intrusive forms of personalisation. It forces the learner to pause and connect the learning to their world.

Short prompts are enough:

• ‘Which part of this do you find hardest?’

• ‘Think of a time when this went well. What helped?’

• ‘What would you try differently next time?’

  
  

This mirrors behaviour change models that emphasise self-awareness as the first step. It’s light-touch and doesn’t need to be tracked to be effective.

3. Learner-Led Exploration

Purpose: Give meaningful choices and reduce cognitive load

Exploratory interactions work when they help learners control pace and depth.

Good patterns include:

• Click-to-reveal examples

• Expandable ‘learn more’ sections

• Optional deep dives

• Tabs for different contexts (e.g., ‘for managers’, ‘for analysts’, ‘for customer teams’)

  
  

Why it works:It respects adult learners’ autonomy and avoids overwhelming them with a wall of information. This is a key part of designing for cognitive load.

4. Guided Practice Tools

Purpose: Support application, not consumption

These are simple tools embedded inside the course that learners can use immediately:

• Conversation planners

• Checklists

• Action plans

• Step-by-step guides

• Printable prompts

  
  

They turn learning into something practical. Popcorn uses this pattern frequently because it supports behaviour change long after the course is closed — part of our commitment to making learning accountable to commercial goals.

5. Real-World Simulation (Lightweight)

Purpose: Give realistic rehearsal without heavy development

You don’t need a full simulation to create immersion. A sequence of scenario steps - each with a realistic consequence - can help someone practise a skill they’d otherwise find intimidating.

For example: Handling a complaint. Delivering feedback. Making a risk decision. Escalating an issue.

The value comes from realism, not technical complexity.

Interaction patterns that rarely justify their existence

Not all interactions are equal. Here are a few that usually waste time without supporting learning.

1. Click-everything-to-reveal text

When the learner has to reveal the information just to continue, it’s busywork. If the interaction doesn’t change what they do or how they think, remove it.

2. Forced drag-and-drop

Great for sorting tasks with meaning.Pointless when it’s just rearranging labels for the sake of it.

If dragging doesn’t reflect a real mental process, it’s decoration.

3. Overly complex branching

Sometimes branching is powerful. Often it’s unnecessary and expensive.

If every branch leads to the same place, the learner notices. If the branches don’t mirror real consequences, it breaks immersion.

4. Spinners, sliders and novelty widgets

If a novelty interaction doesn’t improve understanding, it distracts. Learners come away remembering the movement, not the message.

How to decide whether an interaction belongs in your course

Before adding anything interactive, ask three questions:

1. Does this help someone make a better decision at work?

If the answer is no, rethink.

2. Does this help someone connect the learning to their own experience?

Reflection and self-assessment nearly always earn their place.

3. Is there a simpler way to create the same effect?

If so, use the simpler option.

This keeps your course focused, respectful and behaviour-centred - exactly the type of design Popcorn is known for.

What this looks like in practice: a quick example

Imagine you’re designing a course on giving feedback.

A behaviour-changing interaction flow might include:

• A short real-world scenario

• A choice: ‘What would you say next?’

• Tailored consequences for each choice

• A reflection prompt

• A conversation planning tool

• An optional deep dive for those who want it

  
  

FAQs

Do I need fancy tools to build behaviour-changing interactions?

Not at all. Storyline, Rise, Evolve, Gomo and similar tools all support simple, powerful interactions.

How many interactions should a course have?

As many as are useful. Some modules need two. Others need twenty. The key is purpose, not count.

How do I convince stakeholders to avoid the ‘clicky’ stuff?

Show them how realistic decisions lead to better performance outcomes than decorative interactions. Use scenarios tied to actual business challenges.

Can these interaction types work in compliance training?

Definitely. Compliance is a behaviour problem, not a content one. Scenarios, reflections and guided practice make the rules meaningful.