The Five Worst Mistakes That You Can Make in Mobile Learning

Designing Digitally

09/19/2017

5 Mistakes Mobile Learning

Mlearning is a powerful tool for learning, especially in the corporate environment. It helps learners to learn while on the move. It is engaging and effective if designed well. If learning designers fall prey to common mistakes, then the final output may not be as effective as desired.

Here are five mistakes to avoid while designing mobile learning solutions.

Mistake #1: Transferring content directly from the desktop to the mobile,

Do not copy paste e-learning content from the desktop to the mobile. Traditional e-learning has been designed for the learners to view on the computer. Designers have implemented visual and textual elements, keeping the screen size and resolution in mind. Mobile learners access it from different mobile devices. They prefer short bursts of content, instead of having to go through an hour-long course. They also prefer to pull content when they need it and not as a compulsion. It is important and necessary to keep mobile learning content bite-sized and easy on the eye.

 

Mistake #2: Ignoring crucial elements like mobile learning platform, app analytics, and security

Every mobile learning app requires a robust platform. A cloud-based one platform is preferable. The platform should be easy to deploy and be cost-effective. It should be scalable too. The training  learning must  have an analytics engine to track the effectiveness of the learning. If data is not captured on who is consuming what, which module is popular, and which module is being ignored,  improvements to the course cannot be implemented. A good strategy is to build in security and guided access features. This will ensure that learners do not stray away from the program and bypass the app.

 

Mistake #3: Disregarding the differences in various mobile devices

Each mobile device has its own user experience. The physical properties of a tablet are different from that of the smartphone. If the design is not based the physical properties of a device, the learner experience will be poor and disengaging. The ideal situation is to tailor the design of the course to different devices available. But, all organizations may not have the time and budget to redesign a course multiple times. In that case, learning designers design for the smallest device and then customize the content, accordingly.

Mistake #4: Using content that is media-heavy

Every learner will have different connectivity issues or browser limitations. Their device will have different storage capacity. These factors need to be kept in mind when including media elements in the course. Learners may not be happy using up their bandwidth trying to view large videos or downloading huge files. The best course of action is to keep the media elements to a minimum.

Mistake #5: Not harnessing the power of collaboration

Mobile is the best tool to encourage collaboration. Learners learn better if they collaborate with peers. The course should leverage the benefits of mobile collaboration to the extent possible. Harness the power of social collaboration for best results.

At Designing Digitally, Inc., our mobile learning experts create solutions that deliver exemplary learning experiences consistently on all mobile devices.

Get in touch with us, and we will take you through our successful mobile solutions that we have created for our top clients.