Designing Digitally
10/12/2017
We now live in a smart world, with smartphones, and most importantly, smart ideas! Mlearning or mobile-learning is one such smart idea for training. It has taken corporate training by storm. But, that does not mean that every organization should jump at the idea. You need to analyze whether M-learning is the best solution for your company. How do you know that mobile-learning will maximize your company’s productivity? Do you have the infrastructure to make it work?
Here are five things to consider before creating a mobile-learning strategy for your organization.
It is important to consider the devices used by your employees. Common devices include a tablet or a smartphone, using Apple (iOS), android, or windows operation system. With growing necessities and demands of mobile and social media, devices built on these platforms represent almost 90% of the global market share. If you are sure about the kind of devices your learners will be using, you need to design a responsive learning solution. Most organizations advocate the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Here, the employees are encouraged to use their personal mobile devices for work and learning.
Linked with learner devices is learner connectivity. The quality of any sort of mobile experience is dependent on the kind of bandwidth the user has. Not all your employees will have high internet connectivity. They might not find it worthwhile to go through a course that takes forever to load. And, even if they have good internet speed, they might not want to spend it on downloading learning videos.
Do not forget to consider the mobility of your employees. In case your employees have more of a desk job, they wouldn’t need M-learning. So, don’t force it on them. But, be sure that the training can be offered on various platforms including desktop. However, if your employees are always on-the-go, you must consider meeting their training needs without hindering their movement.
You need to track learner performance. But, is it possible to give them access to the Learning Management System (LMS) while they are mobile? Should your learners need access to the LMS at all? Do you think it will be better if they can download a package for offline use, and then track their progress when they get back? There are several solutions that are available. You have to think and opt for the one that suits your organization best.
If you choose to opt for a mobile learning solution, you need to think about the kind of content you wish to design. Ideally, learning should be available in short chunks. No one likes to go through an hour-long course while traveling. The layout and design should be simple and responsive. Avoid using fluff. Your employees will not be too willing to use their connectivity downloading irrelevant content.
At Designing Digitally, Inc., we have experts who design custom mobile learning to suit individual needs. We have experience across organizations and sectors.
Get in touch with our experts who can create solutions specific to your requirements.