Skills you need to be a instructional designer
8 skills a hiring manager would actually test for, each with the level this role expects and what it is used for. Not a syllabus — the shape of the job.
Build my path to this roleUpskili checks what you can already do, then sequences only what is missing. No account needed.
What the role requires
Ordered by how much the job depends on it. The bar is the proficiency expected of a competent instructional designer — not mastery, and not a passing acquaintance.
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Instructional design models (ADDIE, SAM)
Essential
Frameworks used to structure end-to-end learning solution development.
Deep -
Articulate 360 (Storyline, Rise)
Essential
Primary authoring tools for building interactive e-learning modules.
Strong -
Learning Management Systems (e.g., Workday, Docebo)
Important
Platforms for deploying, tracking, and reporting on training programs.
Strong -
Needs analysis
Important
Process to identify performance gaps and root causes before designing solutions.
Strong -
Visual design principles (Camtasia, Adobe Suite)
Important
Creates professional layouts, graphics, and video edits for learning content.
Strong -
SME collaboration
Important
Elicits and validates technical content from subject-matter experts.
Strong -
Kirkpatrick evaluation model
Useful
Measures training effectiveness across reaction, learning, behavior, and results.
Working -
SCORM/xAPI standards
Useful
Technical standards ensuring content interoperability with LMS platforms.
Working
An order worth learning it in
A list of ten skills is the same unhelpful answer a catalogue gives, just sorted. This is where to actually start.
Start here
Essential to the role, and reachable from a standing start. Everything below rests on these.
- Learning Management Systems (e.g., Workday, Docebo)
- Visual design principles (Camtasia, Adobe Suite)
- SME collaboration
Then this
The rest of what the role is assessed on. Harder, and it builds on the foundation above.
- Instructional design models (ADDIE, SAM)
- Articulate 360 (Storyline, Rise)
- Needs analysis
What sets you apart
Not what gets you hired, but what separates doing the job from being trusted with it.
- Kirkpatrick evaluation model
- SCORM/xAPI standards
You almost certainly have some of this already.
That is the point of starting from the role rather than a course. Upskili checks what you can do, then builds a path across only the gap.
See my path to instructional designer