Tom sits down to do his sales training online. He has been asked to complete three lessons each week adding up to 30 minutes of online training. Tom is dreading it, but he is delightfully surprised at how quickly he can navigate the page and how well the content has been paired with the graphics and features. He gets through 4.5 of the lessons and leaves the 5th lesson bookmarked for the next chance he gets.
Mary has been trying to find the lesson that the Fraud Department has assigned her. She has barely gotten passed lesson one in the time she had expected to complete at least 3. Her screen has frozen a few times on the graphics, she has had to re-read some of the text-heavy slides, and isn’t sure if the lesson she is on is going to help her with the issues she is meant to address.
Which of the two people mentioned above had a better user experience with their eLearning course?
Who is going to continue with their eLearning course?
While engaging workers and making sure content is entirely covered are critical parts of course success, it is just as important to make sure your user interface (UI) is intuitive, useful, and easy to access. Taking the time to go through and check for great user experiences (UX) will help ensure that your students don’t lose out just because the course is difficult to navigate.
There must be a seamless flow between navigation/interface, the structure of content, multimedia, and graphic design to achieve a high-quality user experience. It leaves no rock unturned.
A pleasant experience with an eLearning course will facilitate and stimulate learning.
As you read on, think about the examples mentioned above and how each learner can be influenced by user experience factors.
Provided below are some essential questions you should ask to determine if your eLearning course is user-friendly. Consider them as an essential guide to designing the best user experience in your eLearning course.
Always start asking this question: is your eLearning course usable? Can learners accomplish what they desire on the course without pulling out their hair?
Make sure you understand the needs of those learners who will engage with your course before start designing your course. Don't get caught up with what “I” think my eLearning course should look like this! Embrace user testing and take your own course!
Evaluate each screen or step in every lesson. Has each been created with the learner in mind? The display/delivery of content is going to influence the student's take on it.
Why? Because design elements can enhance performance as they can direct them as well as ease any negative emotions or resistance to the learning experience.
Read more: 4 Steps to Becoming a Learner-Centered eLearning Professional
When it comes to eLearning, employees want a clean and well-organized interface so they can find what they need as quickly as possible without getting distracted.
If content feels cluttered, it will not be a smooth learning experience. Remember that learning is an emotional experience - adding too many visuals or text can overwhelm the learner and cause frustration. Instead, the course interface should give a sense of ease.
The learner should always intuitively understand what the main focus is on each screen. This guideline means that the screen should emphasize one main idea and one main action (Ex. advancing to the next lesson) and very few alternatives (Ex., going back, returning “Home,” and so on).
Efficient use of white space and a clean layout can invite the learner in and help him/her enjoy the journey. If the course looks simple and straightforward, there is less to resist.
Here are some questions to help achieve an uncluttered interface:
Read more: How To Avoid Designing Cluttered eLearning Screens
Going back to the example of Tom and Mary, UX design for eLearning courses is essential because it profoundly affects engagement. Your courses are not only crucial to learners as they educate many on their roles and growth in their careers, but also because businesses and teams have invested a great deal of time and energy to provide this to them and meet business objectives.
So. Who is most likely to have continued to another lesson? Tom or Mary?
Of course, the answer is Tom. Integrating elements accurately, making it accessible across devices, and using the questions mentioned to guide the UX process will help create more Toms at your company. It will be the first step for many to a long relationship with courses that can help advance your learner’s career as well as your business.