What Hinders The User-Friendliness Of Your Online Training Course: 6 Elements To Consider
When it comes to eLearning, graphic designers are the visual experts while developers are the engineers. A good online training course blends its appearance with its functionality. The two teams collaborate to create ease and usability for the corporate learner. However, for a variety of reasons, graphic designers and programmers don’t always see eye to eye. And if the corporate eLearning project isn’t managed well, these disagreements extend to the end user. Unfortunately, if this lack of user-friendliness is dire enough, it can affect the whole online training course. It can discourage corporate learners from signing up or prompt them to drop the online training course. Here are 6 elements that hinder the user-friendliness of your online training course.
1. Inadequate LMS Onboarding
By nature, online training courses are self-driven. There might be live sessions in real time but, more often, online instructors offer pre-recorded lessons. In many cases, there are no online instructors at all. This means the online training course needs to be self-contained. Everything the corporate learner needs should be available at their fingertips, literally. Therefore, if the online training course introduction is incomplete or if the instructions are unclear, corporate learners will give up. You must also ensure that they understand the features and functions of the LMS. For example, create online training tutorials and demos to show them how to access vital online training resources or host a live launch event to address their questions and give them LMS pointers.
2. Difficult Navigation
The introduction is the first hurdle. It should be easy for corporate learners to see what is required of them. Within the first few minutes, it must be clear what their learning objectives and methods are. Now, they need to get around the online training course. They may know they need to start with module 3. But if this content is impossible to find, they won’t bother. The entire online training course needs to be easy to navigate. They should find whatever online training material they require without asking for help every few minutes. Even if there’s a chatbot, employees will feel inadequate if they have to ceaselessly consult it. Ensure that reference portions are clickable and that each module flows seamlessly to the next. Navigation icons must also be clearly labeled and familiar. For example, always include a home button so that corporate learners can quickly access the main page and eLearning course map.
3. Neglected Integration
Employees who are required to study online are probably familiar with the digital world. It’s likely that they have to use computers and tablets in their everyday work duties. This means there are other digital tools they are already familiar with. Instead of adding yet another online training program to their itinerary, they should try to integrate, that is, to fuse the eLearning software with the other tools they may already be using. Implementing a universal log-in for all their tasks and lessons eases their training and also eliminates the need for endless passwords they’ll never remember. It tightens data security because they’ll have one password that’s sufficiently complex. Otherwise, they’ll create multiple simple ones that are easy to remember and easier to crack.
4. Overemphasis On Text
We’ve all heard the statistic that internet use has influenced our ability to concentrate. It’s alleged to have limited our attention span to 140 characters or, more recently, 280. This carries over into online training courses. If you put big chunks of text, corporate learners will lose interest. Even if the material is interesting, the strain of reading can be tiresome.
This doesn’t mean you can’t use words at all; that would be foolish. But use shorter sentences, icons, graphs, charts, and bullet points. Integrate large fonts interspersed with visual elements. Offer substantial volumes of online training content in the form of videos, audio clips, and interactive gaming modules. All this lowers the emphasis on static text.
5. Lack Of Self-Assessment Opportunities
If you ask the average adult what they hated most about school, they’ll probably say exams. Therefore, the impulse is to eliminate tests from online training courses. Unfortunately, tests are the best way to gauge the effectiveness of online training. They also enhance the user-friendliness of your online training course by pointing corporate learners in the right direction, as they’re able to identify personal areas for improvement that will guide their future training efforts. For example, the assessment reveals that they lack a crucial work-related skill. Thus, the employee is able to access relevant microlearning online training resources to bridge the gap and concentrate on this personal pain point. There has to be some form of self-evaluation in your eLearning course design. Otherwise, corporate learners have no learning metrics. If you’re concerned, you could use simulations instead of straight question-and-answer sessions.
6. One-Size-Fits-All Resources
Some members of your team may be dealing with physical and psychological challenges that you need to consider. For example, employees with visual impairments are unable to read text, while those who speak a different language may not be able to comprehend the audio narration. This is why you must incorporate a good mix of online training activities and incorporate subtitles/captions. Corporate learners who don’t require translated texts can simply turn them off so that they don’t become a distraction.
Getting your team interested in online training is quite the task. Even if it’s mandatory, there will always be resistance. Now, once you have them logged on, some will be looking for any excuse to abandon the online training course. The user-friendliness of your online training course becomes a big deciding factor. If they can’t figure out how to use or navigate the online training course, they’ll lose interest. It should integrate with the online tools they already have to avoid making extra work for them. Functions should be automated where possible. Mix text with multimedia content and include adequate testing modules. Every relevant portion of the online training course should be clickable, for navigation and reference purposes.
Is your current LMS just right for every member of your team, or are there some who struggle with the features, functionality, and User Interface? Read the article 7 Tips To Select A User-Friendly LMS That Aligns With The Skills And Expertise Of Your Team to learn how to select a user-friendly LMS that aligns with their skills and expertise.
