Love to Learn Spotlight: Niels Floor

Have you ever sat through a dull lecture, watching the clock, waiting for a break, and wondering why learning has to be so boring?

Niels Floor thought the same. But instead of accepting it, he decided to change it. In 2007, he introduced the term Learning Experience Design (LXD) – a way to make learning not only more engaging and immersive but, most importantly, more effective.

The Father of Learning Experience Design

Originally from the Netherlands, Niels began his career in graphic and interaction design. When he first introduced himself as a Learning Experience Designer, people raised their eyebrows. "They thought I’d made something up," he says. But to Niels, it made perfect sense. With a background in design, experience in teaching at various universities, and a growing frustration with traditional education, he saw an opportunity: we learn from what we experience – so why not design learning the way we design great experiences?

Instant click

That thought led him to introduce the concept of Learning Experience Design. “I did introduce the term. Someone later found a scientific article where a researcher had used it years before, but it was just a single mention – nothing really came of it. When I came up with the term Learning Experience Design, I instantly felt this click, this moment where I thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’”

Niels followed through as he dedicated his professional life to the development, application and promotion of Learning Experience Design ever since.

At first, not everyone was convinced. "In the Netherlands, people can be quite sceptical," Niels says with a grin. But he didn’t let that stop him. Now, as the ‘Father of Learning Experience Design’ – though he wouldn’t call himself that – he is dedicated to making learning more engaging and meaningful for educators and learners around the world.

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The impact quickly became global. The moment Niels landed in Brazil, he was invited to conduct training in Singapore.

That’s when it became apparent that the adopters of LXD were spread all over the world. Niels’s next challenge: how do you identify all these people and bring them together?

Niels tackled this by creating the Learning Experience Canvas, a free tool designed to help educators and designers craft structured learning experiences. As more people started using it, an international community began to take shape, eventually paving the way for LXDCON—now an annual conference celebrating its tenth year.

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A Rockstar in Learning Design

We know we’ve used the term 'learning rockstars' before, but Niels Floor is a true learning rockstar – quite literally.

As a teen, he dreamed of becoming a rockstar, and that love for music never faded. He plays the guitar, piano, and bass, and he sings—but what he enjoys most is writing music. In many ways, he sees it as similar to designing a learning experience.

This emotional connection is key to effective learning. Think back to your teenage days: If you were sitting in class and you had just fallen in love with someone, the whole world felt different, and everything in class seemed to take on a new meaning. Meanwhile, the person next to you might have been going through a breakup, experiencing the same lesson in a completely different way.

Our emotions shape how we learn and what we remember—something that’s just as true in the classroom as it is at a concert.

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When designing his own courses, Niels always prioritises experience over strict structure. During his time running a six-month minor programme at Avans University of Applied Sciences, he had the freedom to design the course as he wished. He started each class with a fun brain booster, made fresh juice for the students, and even created music for them. Niels incorporated all sorts of quirky activities, not necessarily to improve their brains on the spot, but to remind students, "Your brain is a very important part of who you are—treat it carefully."

Rather than focusing just on learning objectives, Niels asked a bigger question: How do I want my students to feel at the start, and how do I want them to feel at the end? This approach makes learning more personal, flexible, and engaging. “Learning isn’t supposed to be easy,” he adds. “Challenge and discomfort are part of the process.”

Endure Experience Learning

Learning should be something you want to do—not something you have to endure. Niels has spent his career proving that when learning is designed as an experience, people don’t just remember it—they enjoy it. Whether through music, hands-on challenges, or creative interactions, he keeps pushing the boundaries of education.

Niels is convinced that a great experience should not only be educational but also emotionally engaging. "So you have to surprise them in a way that they're like, 'Oh, wait. This is better than I expected. This is actually quite interesting.' Instead of just taking it for granted and saying, 'Well, people don't like this. Let's just make it user-friendly and as quick as possible, and they'll be done with it.' No, I want to take a negative expectation and turn it into something where they're like, 'I'm actually looking forward to the next e-learning module.' That's what I'm aiming for."

We want more!

And he relates this to music as well: "When you go to a concert, if the artist is any good, they will leave you wanting more and shout 'We want more!' A great concert has build-up, climax, and everything in it—just like any great learning experience."

It may sound simple, but it's exactly what Niels aims for. In fact, the feedback he gets reflects this: people asking, "When is the next module?" rather than, "Please, not again."

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