Since people’s attention spans are now shorter than a goldfish (yes, it’s true!), there are several things you can do that lead to success in eLearning course development and learner engagement. Let’s take a look at our top three suggestions on how to supercharge your eLearning site:

Simplicity

Keep it simple. While content is obviously key and needs to be presented in an engaging and digestible way, course design is equally important. The “Zen approach”, or achieving the most with minimal means, has been shown to enhance the user experience as well as achieve the best results from a course success standpoint. It makes sense because the more distractions a learner is faced with, the more overwhelming the entire process seems. As a result, the mind easily gets distracted and the effect of the training program is lost.

So, what does simplicity of design look like?

• Plenty of white space
• Buttons and other functions in the same place for each page, for the whole course
• Usage of a limited number of colors; 3 is optimal
• Consistency in the design of charts, graphs, tables
• Similar style of images used throughout the course

Gamification

Gamification is the concept of applying game design to non-game applications. Learners love gamification because it can be very fun and extremely engaging if done right. From an eLearning standpoint, the best way to succeed using gamification relies on creating a concept that:

• Captures and keeps learners’ attention
• Challenges them
• Engages, entertains and teaches them

Gamification comes with solid benefits, too. A good gamification strategy that engages learners will lead to an increase in recall and retention, essentially a better learning experience overall.  It also provides a better learning environment that enables learners to practice real-life situations in a safe, non-threatening environment.

Badging

The concept of physical badges as a sign of achievements or accomplishments has been around for hundreds of years and has been used by organizations like the United States military and the Boy Scouts of America.

So it’s no surprise that digital badging has made its way into eLearning. Awarding badges in your online course is a great way to acknowledge your learners’ accomplishments, and when executed properly, increases user engagement by motivating them to continue through the curriculum to the next badge level. Badging taps into a core human trait that many of us possess – competition. Not necessarily a need to compete against others, but a need that motivates learners to “level up” and earn the next badge, and the next after that.

As an added bonus, badging helps you as the curriculum provider stay on track in your content development, as it requires you to have clarity of purpose as you move through the content creation.

If you have questions about how to supercharge your eLearning site, please contact us! At BlueEarth Innovation, we love eLearning and would love to help you.

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Maybe you’re shocked by those statistics or have struggled with your IT projects completing on time and on budget. Don’t be discouraged, we have good news!

At BlueEarth Innovation, we tailor our process to help you avoid becoming a bad statistic. 

A lot of research has been done on why IT projects fail (and there are many, many reasons) but today we are going to talk about three common mistakes we see clients make during the software development project process.

1) Not including important stakeholders early enough

Stakeholders are the individuals who have a vested interest in your software project and usually are either actively involved in the project or have something to gain or lose from it. Stakeholders can be executive management, customers, the project team you have in place, and anyone who holds the resources you need to complete your project.

We have seen projects appear to meet the deadline and budget only to have an employee at our client’s company take a look at the site we’re ready to launch and say, “Hey, wait a minute guys, you didn’t do this right. Where is the abc feature? I won’t be able to xyz…”  Don’t worry, we swooped in and saved the day, but the launch did have to move and the budget was increased. Each time I have seen this happen, it has been so easy to avoid. 

The bottom line is this: Make sure you have identified all of the stakeholders in the project and allow their valuable input into the project early and often. We have all heard cautionary tales about “too many cooks in the kitchen”. There is no need to get everyone’s input on each feature. Just be sure that the folks who do the function that is being supplemented or replaced by the app gets to weigh in. Often they are the true experts in how to get things done.

2) Overbuilding the App

Another mistake we see clients make frequently is packing the app with all the features they can possibly think of that might get used. What typically happens in this scenario, is that about 20% of the features actually get used by the app’s customers, and the other 80% are rarely, if ever, used. It’s just a big waste of time and money.

Our advice is to start as small as possible with the project by deciding on the handful of features that will provide the most value to your customers. Get the app into people’s hands quickly, and get feedback from your targeted users. Once feedback is received, you can iterate rapidly to deliver valuable features to your users. In general, it’s a good idea to use about half of your budget on the first release, and use it as a starting point rather than a final produc

Now on to our third mistake we see clients make frequently:

3) Choosing a developer based on price

Just in case you skimmed over that, let us repeat: Do not choose a development company based on price. You need a great product, not a cheap one! We have seen too many companies choose the lowest cost option and run into so many issues that it’s necessary to restart the project (or redo the project) with a different developer because it didn’t turn out as expected. What started as the lowest cost option turns out to be a really expensive option when you have to redo the project!

The right development partner is one you can build a relationship with; one who can add value in more ways than just development. The right partner is interested in your business, not just the development piece. The right software development partner can help you meet and exceed your business objectives, and offer additional guidance in the future.

At BlueEarth Innovation, we pride ourselves on our relationships with our clients; we value the ongoing partnerships with our clients. It’s part of our core values and why we do what we do. If you are in need of some advice on a new software project, or just need to chat with someone about projects you are considering, give us a ring! We love meeting new people and taking on new challenges!

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