Responsive Design In Mobile Learning: 5 Reasons To Develop Mobile-Friendly Online Courses

Responsive Design In Mobile Learning: 5 Reasons To Develop Mobile-Friendly Online Courses
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Summary: All of the statistics point to the fact that mobile device usage is on the rise. According to research conducted by Smart Insights, Internet users in the United States spend roughly 2.8 hours a day accessing digital media on their mobile devices. In comparison, this figure drops to 2.4 hours per day on desktop computers. What does this mean? Tablets and smartphones are now the go-to sources for information, and eLearning professionals should be focused on mobile-friendly online courses. In this article, I’ll share the basics and benefits of using responsive design to develop mobile learning experiences.

5 Reasons To Use Responsive Design In Mobile Learning

Responsive design pertains to online training courses that are accessible on any mobile device or browser. All of the text blocks, images, and online videos seem to blend in seamlessly with the online course design, as though the eLearning developer created the module specifically for the tablet or smartphone the learner is using. For example, the images may shift or the screen size will shrink to provide the best possible online learning experience for the learner. Here are just a few of the most notable advantages of using responsive design to create your next mobile learning course.

  1. Provides a frustration-free mobile learning experience.
    Your learners are logging into the online course so that they can get the information they need when they need it the most. However, if they click onto the online module only to find that they cannot view certain images or access pages because of confusing mobile navigation, this will only lead to frustration. As a result, they are more likely to simply exit out of the online course instead of trying to struggle through it on their tablets or phones. While the mobile learning course may run smoothly and look perfectly polished on a laptop or desktop, it may be the exact opposite for mobile learners if you don’t use responsive design or create a separate online course for every device, which is usually out of the question if you’re on a tight budget or timeline. When learners find the mobile learning experience pleasurable rather than frustrating and bothersome, this allows them to immerse themselves in the mobile learning experience and interact with the online materials.
  2. Increased audience reach.
    Resposive design is certainly one of the top 6 mobile learning trends that are on the rise in 2016. People are using their tablets and phones now more than ever to access information on-the-go and stay up to date with the latest news. Responsive design in mobile learning gives you the power to reach out to mobile learners rather than excluding them. The simple truth is that learners are looking for online courses that cater to their personal needs and preferences, and a mobile-friendly online course often fits the bill. Responsive design in mobile learning also helps your SEO efforts, due to the fact that you can focus on optimizing only one eLearning site or online course instead of having to drive traffic to different versions of it.  There are a countless sites out there today, and search engine optimization gives you the chance to stand out from the crowd.
  3. Reduces development costs.
    Since we’re on the subject of having just one site or online course rather than a separate version for every eLearning platform, it’s also worth mentioning that this can significantly lower your development costs. Creating a single online course can be quite costly, especially if you have a wide range of interactive activities and multimedia elements. However, if you develop your online course with a responsive design LMS, you gain the ability to produce just one deliverable without having to devote resources to other versions. In addition, you won’t have to worry about creating icons, images, and other online content that is specifically for mobile devices, because the responsive design will take care of all that for you. Simply develop a master online course or site, take a look at using the LMS platform previewer to make sure everything is on-point, and then launch it.
  4. Improves accessibility.
    It’s true that learners are looking for interactive, emotionally-compelling, and entertaining online courses, but there’s something else that should take top priority: accessibility. If your learners aren’t able to even login to the online training course on their device of choice, then they cannot enjoy all of the online exercises and activities that you’ve worked so hard to develop. In most cases, you can even create responsive design mobile learning courses that can be viewed offline. Thus, if a learner wants to access the online training course during the long commute or work break, they can do so without having to worry about a Wi-Fi connection. They download the materials and view them whenever and wherever they like, which makes them more likely to actually participate.
  5. Easy to maintain.
    Mobile learning course development may be costly, but there are times when maintaining it turns out to be even more expensive. This is particularly the case for compliance or product knowledge online training courses that must be constantly updated to reflect changes in the goods or services you offer and to stay current with rules and regulations. If you have multiple versions of your online training course, then you will have to update each one of them individually to ensure cohesiveness. On the other hand, if you create your online course using responsive design you just have to modify your master online course and deploy it to every device. The same principle applies to online course glitches or errors. Rather than having to correct a myriad of different modules, you have the ability to fix a single module and then relaunch it quickly.

Responsive design in mobile learning can offer your online training course a wide range of benefits, especially if you choose a LMS that has all of the mobile learning features you are looking for. Take full advantage of free trials to see which Learning Management System is best for your mobile learning needs, and to determine if their responsive design is in-line with your objectives.

Want to learn more about how to successfully design mobile learning courses? Read the article How To Create A Successful Mobile Learning Strategy: 6 Secrets For eLearning Professionals to discover the top tips you can use to create a successful mobile learning strategy for your online learners.