Our learners are on the go more and more. They’re on their mobile devices all time of day and always connected, ready to share the next Instagram story or send out the latest tweet. So it’s not far-fetched that L&D professionals want to offer training on mobile as well. Despite the rise of learning experience platforms, which are mostly responsive, the actual training content often isn’t, resulting in a clunky experience with no real thought about the user experience.
Following are some trends in mobile app development. L&D professionals should look at them to pave the way for outstanding mobile learning.
Seamless interface: When learners open a piece of training content on their mobile apps, all content should be accessible from the first page. They need to be engaged from the get-go.
Custom illustrations: While they are often a cost factor, outstanding custom illustrations can make or break the mobile experience. Gone are the days of boring banners and stock photos. Be creative and create the experience your user is expecting.
Storytelling with character design: This trend ties in custom illustrations. Storytelling has long been known to engage learners. Think about the story you tell with your mobile training content. You can use original characters to tell an overarching story and draw the learner in. Just make sure you have a solid composition in place.
Full-screen background images: Use visually appealing images that span the entire background. They will help trigger positive emotions when learners land on the first page of your mobile content. Full-background images are engaging and motivating, and learners usually spend more time on these pages.
Experimental palettes and layouts: Experiment with color combinations for increased learner engagement. You will need a basic understanding of color theory, but there are plenty of online tutorials out there to give you a head start.
Hero images: The hero image is the image on the top of your page. It’s usually very large, and it is an effective tool in mobile design. The hero image can carry the message for your entire course, and it helps manage expectations.
When you are planning to put your training online, keep in mind that it needs to be easy to use. Think about why you enjoy using your favorite apps, and compare them to your mobile training content. From there, it’s easy to understand what will engage learners. Leverage color schemes to appeal to your learners’ emotions, and build those colors into your mobile content. Depending on how you set up the learner experience, you might want to think about what would make a learner would come back a second, third or fourth time. Don’t force them to come back because they have to. Think about how to create a delightful experience instead.
