8 Tips To Create Α User-Friendly eLearning Course

8 Tips To Create Α User-Friendly eLearning Course
Summary: Your learners don't have to time to muddle through maze-like eLearning courses or click aimlessly on links that lead them nowhere. An eLearning course should be intuitive, well organized, and easy to navigate if you want to achieve the desired results. In this article, I'll share 8 tips that can help you create a user-friendly eLearning course for your online learners.

8 Tips Towards Α User-Friendly eLearning Course

The goal of ANY eLearning course is to deliver need-to-know information. Learners must get all of the knowledge and skills they require to achieve the key learning objectives, and confusing eLearning course designs can make this next to impossible. You spend a great deal of time crafting your eLearning content and perfecting your layout, which is why it's crucial to focus on usability before the big launch. Here are 8 tips that can help you make your eLearning course more user-friendly and accessible for your audience.

1. Provide Detailed Instructions

Some learners may not be familiar with eLearning courses and may need some extra help accessing or navigating the eLearning course or the Learning Management System. However, even those who have taken countless eLearning courses in the past may still require some level of guidance or support. This is why it's essential to provide detailed instructions on what they are expected to do, how they should utilize the eLearning course platform, and what steps they need to take in order to complete the eLearning module or activity. You can also offer optional directions via a hyperlink or pop-up so that more experienced learners can skip over them.

2. Keep Text Short And Succinct

Text is, of course, a necessary component of your eLearning course. However, too much text tends to complicate matters. Keep your text blocks short and succinct, and make sure that you only offer the need-to-know information. If you do have to include a significant amount of text, then use bullet points, bolded fonts, and sub-headers to draw their attention to the key ideas or terms. Including lengthy paragraphs or jumbled text may confuse learners and contribute to cognitive overload, which diminishes the value of your eLearning course.

3. Test Out Your eLearning Course Navigation

Ideally, you should review the navigation of your eLearning course on a regular basis, such as after you add a page or an eLearning activity. Waiting until the need could lead to time-consuming revisions, as you will have to go back into every section of your eLearning course to remedy the problem. Testing the navigation includes trying out the hyperlinks to verify that they redirect to the right site or page, as well as making sure that all buttons are in proper working order. Every navigation icon should also be clearly visible, instead of hidden among images or text.

4. Opt For Brief Bursts Of Information

Learners are able to retain more information when it comes in brief bursts, such as bite-size eLearning modules that focus on a specific idea or task. This also gives them the ability to access information whenever it's most convenient, instead of having to wait until they have the time to complete the entire eLearning course. They can concentrate on the subject matter and absorb all of the key takeaways before moving onto the next eLearning activity or module.

5. Include Optional Tips And Tricks

Offer your learners additional tips, advice, or tricks that can help them complete the eLearning course. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by creating a text bubble on the side of the page or a hyperlink that redirects to a pop-up window. For example, you can provide them with tips for navigating a branching scenario if they aren't tech-savvy. To take it a step further, integrate an eLearning course wizard into your instructional design to offer more extensive help to struggling learners. Just be careful of how much support you provide, as you still want them to receive all of the benefits from your user-friendly eLearning course.

6. Create An Effective eLearning Course Menu

Learners need to be able to pause the eLearning course and then pick up right where they left off, especially if they are going to be completing their eLearning course over time. They must also have the opportunity to skip ahead if they've already made progress. As such, it's always wise to create a detailed course menu or progress bar that highlights every element of the eLearning course. Indicate which sections they've completed with a check mark or another font color, and make each link clickable so that they can quickly access various online modules.

7. Integrate Supplemental Links

Certain learners may need more information about the subject matter or would like to explore sub-topics on their own time. Therefore, you might want to consider adding links to supplemental online resources, such as eLearning articles or videos they might find beneficial. This gives you the opportunity to give them additional information without having to put it directly into your eLearning course design, fact which might overwhelm learners who don't want to conduct further research.

8. Use A Responsive Design Tool

responsive design tool gives you the opportunity to offer your eLearning course on virtually any device. The system automatically adjusts the layout of the page based on the device or browser that is being used. Thus, every member of your audience receives the same eLearning experience, even those who are using a smartphone or tablet. One of the most significant benefits of using a responsive authoring tool is that it improves the navigability of your eLearning course. For example, learners don't have to worry about swiping the screen numerous times in order to view a complete image.

Even the most informative and enlightening eLearning courses can lose their value if usability isn't a top priority. Before you deploy your eLearning course ensure that it meets all of these user-friendly criteria in order to avoid learner frustration and confusion. In fact, you may want to use these tips as a pre-launch checklist for every eLearning course you develop.

Are you looking for alternative navigation styles for your next eLearning course? Read the article The Top 6 eLearning Course Navigation Styles to discover the top 6 eLearning navigation types that you may want to consider.

Originally published on May 5, 2016