8/18/2019 The Top 3 E-Learning Trends From IDesignX 2016 - Learning Seat

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Last week Learning Seat’s Senior Instruc onal Designer, John Sla喞ery 

(h喞p://www.learningseat.com.au/blog/author/john‐sla喞erylearningseat‐com/) , and I were lucky 

enough to a喞end the iDesignX conference in Sydney. We le懋 the conference armed with strategies to

enhance our learning solu ons, be喞er meet the business needs of our clients and bring about posi  ve

change for learners.

1. MOBILE IS WHERE IT’S AT

It was obvious from iDesignX’s first session that the e‐learning industry has picked up on increasing

smartphone usage and its implica ons for bite‐sized learning. In fact, research by Google’s Consumer

Barometer shows that in Australia, 77% of people use a smartphone to access the internet

(h喞ps://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/graph‐builder/?ques on=M1&filter=country:australia) and

26% of people access the internet through their smartphone more than their computer or tablet

(h喞ps://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/graph‐builder/?ques on=W4&filter=country:australia).

The only ques on is how to deliver mobile learning (or m‐learning) that delivers learning outcomes.

A懋er all, imagine endlessly clicking ‘next’ on a smartphone to see slide a懋er slide of image and text –

quelle horreur! For most conference a喞endees the answer is mobile‐first design. It’s about designing

experiences that take into account the limita ons and opportuni es of mobile technology – in other

words, mobile learning that’s fit for purpose. Learners want mobile learning that:

 – is short, to the point and relevant

 – leverages typical user interac ons (e.g. scrolling and pinching)

 – can be accessed on the go, and when they want it

 – offers targeted video and audio.

2. VIDEO RULES

Video was another hot topic at the conference. Some conference award winners saw video as such a

cornerstone of their elearning solu ons (h喞p://www.learningseat.com.au/learning‐management‐

system/) that they recruited permanent videographers for their learning teams.

As with mobile, video’s increasing popularity in e‐learning reflects current user behaviour on the web.

Google’s Consumer Barometer shows that 27% of people watch videos on their smartphone daily

(h喞ps://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/graph‐builder/?ques on=V2&filter=country:australia), and

30% do so weekly (h喞ps://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/graph‐builder/?

ques on=V2&filter=country:australia).

There’s a reason cat videos have had over 25 billion views  (h喞p://www.reelseo.com/2‐million‐cat‐

videos‐youtube/) on the internet. Videos are short, engaging and fun – making them perfect forlearning. And video – whether deployed through a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone – offers

experien al learning that cannot be matched by text and images on screen. Plus, with HTML5 and data

bandwidths constantly improving, it’s no longer necessary to invest heavily in cung‐edge na ve apps.

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3. LEARNERS ARE CENTRAL

Learner‐centred design was another talking point at the conference. In instruc onal design circles, it’s

always meant crea ng e‐learning that engages learners and results in behavioural change. This year,

elements of user experience (or UX) design have crept into the discussion.

User experience designers study how users feel when they interact with a system and how well it helps

them meet their goals. The first step in doing that is understanding and empathising with the user. One

of the tools for achieving this is personas (h喞p://uxmastery.com/create‐ux‐personas/), which prompt

the designer to ask, ‘Who am I designing for?’

The teams behind some of the most remarkable elearning solu ons we saw raved about the

importance of using personas. It helps them keep the needs of the learning audience firmly in mind

throughout the design process and build. At Learning Seat (h喞p://www.learningseat.com.au/) we’ve

always understood that designing the best solu on comes down to understanding our learners. And

personas give us another useful tool to understand their needs, and, ul 

mately, deliver theperformance outcomes our clients want to see.

* * *

If you’d like to know more about how Learning Seat can help your organisa on fulfil its training needs in

a mul ‐device world, contact us. (h喞p://www.learningseat.com.au/contact‐learning‐seat/)