Overview of the MISMO Framework

* soft, subtle music plays *

How can we start practicing Learning Experience Design or LX Design?

We will share with you the Habi framework, called MISMO.
It stands for Mindsets, Intended Outcomes, Starting Context, Modular Steps, and Options and Alternatives.

We developed this framework over the COVID-19 pandemic. As more educators started transitioning to a remote learning setup, we shared this as a way to support them and their students through the transition.

So – imagine that we are designing an online learning module.

The Mindsets phase outlines what designers bring to the LX:
our dreams, strengths, and key principles. In practice, this involves reflection: what are we good at? What particular strategies and philosophies do we want to underpin the learning module?

Defining the mindsets behind a learning experience helps to understand the “why” behind each part of the experience.

Next, the Intended Outcomes phase is when we describe the learning goals. Think about the changes in the learners after they go through the experience. What should they know? What should they be able to do? How should they feel?

By identifying the Intended Outcomes, we define success for the LX, which can help us stay aligned. Then, in Starting Context we look deep into who our learners are. Their strengths, hopes, obstacles, everyday activities, and spaces.

Imagine stepping into the SHOES of our learners—exercising empathy. In our example, we might do this by thinking about how our learners performed in past modules, or by conducting needs analysis surveys and interviews.

So we’ve got Mindsets, Intended Outcomes, and Starting Context.

This first half gives us a proper scope, which prepares our design process for the next phase…

Modular Steps is when we build the actual experience that the learners go through, from start to end. The experience is made up of the activities, tools, materials, events, interactions, assessments, platforms, resources — basically everything that brings our learners closer to the outcomes.

We recommend thinking about the experience as modular, that is, like separate blocks that we integrate to produce the overall experience.

Thinking in modular steps helps us stay flexible, arranging and rearranging them as we see fit. Which we will do in the last phase:

Options and Alternatives This phase invites us to think about accessibility and inclusion. How might we offer different pathways that lead to the learning goal? This might involve providing different formats of resources, considering low-tech solutions, or enriching the LX with supplementary resources.

Our learners have diverse contexts. So intentionally thinking about Options and Alternatives ensures that we are able to address particular needs that they might have, while also providing them the space to take ownership of their learning experience.

And there you have it – MISMO: Mindsets, Intended Outcomes, Starting Context, Modular Steps, and Options and Alternatives.

Once you try this out, you might notice that it’s not as linear as how we explained it. You can start with I, then S, then go back to M, and jump into O and back to M, then go back to S. You get the idea!

LX Design is an iterative process, but building with this order can help us get started in integrating this into our practice.

Which parts of the MISMO framework are you already using?