What should I consider when developing eLearning for mobile devices?
For a long time eLearning was taken primarily on computers this might be a standard desktop PC or laptop that a learner wold use for day to day tasks. Recently however there has been an increasing demand for training that can be taken on devices with a smaller screen, for example smartphones or tablets. As a result how we develop eLearning and digital training needs to adjust to meet these requirements.
Below are some important things to consider when developing eLearning for mobile devices.
1. Buttons and navigation
Buttons and navigation elements are on the of the main things that are impacted as a result of a change in screen size. When adding navigation elements to a standard eLearning course you have plenty of room for the on screen content and navigation, however with a smaller screen this might not be the case. With devices such as smartphones and tablets always ensure that the navigation elements are big enough so that they can easily be tapped and so that it doesn’t cover any key pieces of information. Any activities you include in your eLearning course such as knowledge checks, click and reveals etc. also need to be altered to work on a mobile device.
2. Content
When creating content for your eLearning course it is important to consider how this content will be taken on a mobile device. For example if you have a lot of text that explains a specific subject you might find that when you look at it on a PC it is fine, but when you view the same content on a mobile device you find that it results in a lot of scrolling and makes for a not very good user experience. In some cases it might be difficult or not possible to split up content so that it caters to a mobile device, regardless of this the important thing to remember is during the design phase consider how the same content would look on a variety of devices and not just a PC or laptop.
3. Environment
When learners are taking eLearning and digital training on a mobile device there is a high probability that they are taking training while on the go. When taking training on the go it is important to consider how the technology and environment would impact a leaners engagement. For example if the learner is on the go they might have brief period they can take a course e.g. while waiting for a train, during this period they would only have a short amount of time so strategies such as microlearning might be effective in this case. Having a download option for your courses also allows learning to take eLearning without the constraints of a network connection.
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