The Best Elearning Companies Follow Simple Guidelines for Success

When products become popular, a predictable process begins. A vast number of companies begin to manufacture the hyped-up product. The product is all the rage, so businesses decide that the faster they can push out the desired item, the more money they will make. They quickly discover that they can produce even faster if they cut some corners. The end result is a market saturated with inferior products.

The elearning business has not been immune to this cycle. Once gamification, game-based learning, and simulation training grew in popularity, the race to put products out as quickly as possible was on. Like any other product, a hastily designed and developed elearning program isn’t going to carry with it the effectiveness that is expected.

How do the best elearning companies do it?

There are some guidelines that, if followed, will ensure an elearning product that is of the best quality.

Don’t confuse quantity with quality. Producing a large amount of elearning activities doesn’t mean that those activities are going to be effective.
Make sure the content is meaningful. Randomly attaching badges to activities may be motivating in the short-term but doesn’t lend lasting meaning or understanding of the content.
Clarify learning objectives. A hastily produced game or simulation may not have as strong a focus on the learning objectives as it should. A game that is jam-packed with too much random information will be ineffective and can cause frustration for the learner.
Make the design player-centric.The best elearning companies know that the most effective games motivate the players to reach their goals and the learning objectives.

Mistakes to avoid

In the rush to mass-produce a product that is popular, mistakes are commonly made. Here are some missteps that e learning companies should avoid when developing their products:

Don’t over-do it with rewards. Rewards are good and they motivate, but too much of a good thing is still too much. Incorporating too many rewards causes them to lose their meaning and can shift the focus from the important content.
Don’t forget about engaging learners at an emotional level. Internal motivation can come from competition, teamwork, and the desire to win. When learners are emotionally engaged, they are learning at a deeper level. Be careful, so that competition doesn’t become the focus, however.
Don’t forget the importance of the design. The learning objectives may be clear, but they will never be met if the game mechanics and design are not up to par. If the game is buggy, freezes up frequently, or play isn’t smooth, the users will become frustrated and will not want to finish.

Looking toward the future

The problems that come from an innovative method of training exploding onto the scene won’t go away anytime soon. The new products and methods will change, but the cycle of saturation with inferior products will continue. It’s important than elearning companies, who wish to maintain their status as being at the top of their game, pay careful attention to the mistakes to avoid and the components to add to a quality, effective elearning program.

Contact Designing Digitally, Inc. today for training success at your business.