How to create an excellent e-learning product

First of all, e-learning is highly convenient and flexible because it allows learning anytime and from anywhere. It doesn’t depend on schedules, so learners can decide on their own when and where to learn. Also, it is compatible with the needs of the learners, which makes e-learning a valuable tool for achieving goals in a personalized way. In other words, e-learning presupposes an autonomic style of learning, which eliminates pressure and only motivates and improves students retention.

Another significant benefit of e-learning, especially for business owners, is its cost-effectiveness. That is because online learning can reach far more learners than traditional studies held in classes. That also eliminates expenditures on the stuff, manuals, etc. What is more, e-learning programs can be reused or updated, which means less price and time needed to do that. Ultimately, e-learning is relevant, and ignoring the fact we live in the digital era is not the best decision. And online learning proves to be an efficient alternative to a traditional form of study.

However, creating your e-learning program might be painful sometimes. You should consider not only the aesthetics but more of the platform’s functionality and practicality. And that can be difficult without knowing the pillars of custom e-learning design.

No one likes heavy interfaces stuffed with pop-ups and complex forms. Also, it’s critical to consider the usability of the design. For that reason, custom e-learning design uses a mostly responsive web design approach. That allows designers to create scalable and smart solutions with an excellent visual that doesn’t interfere with the platform’s usability.

Also, you need to ensure that your educational software is consistent in terms of all – usability, visuals, functionality, UI/UX, and even branding. Those are the staples of the success of your future platform. But how to streamline the design process so that to get an efficient result? These are the steps of custom e-learning design to follow to build excellent software:

Step 1: Define your target audience.

The content of your e-learning software will entirely depend on your target audience. If you design for employees, they will probably need specific information or a compliance certificate to prove their skills. Whether you aim to educate underage students, make sure your course is appealing enough to catch and retain their attention. For instance, provide much visual content and focus on design elements that can help you to engage with the viewers. One of these is animation. It provides an exceptional and engaging experience.

All in all, by collecting all the necessary information about your target audience, you can easily land your software with the audience’s needs. It ensures the learning process will be research-proven, thus, efficient. 

Step 2: Assemble the objectives in a business plan.

E-learning custom design is always a business decision, so you need a business plan with firm objectives to not get off the intended course. Also, it’s critical to define the end goal of a project because it defines the length, complexity, and other design decisions used when creating the course. At this stage, you will need to set the budget to know which professional you can address. If you have enough budget, you can refer to a professional custom e-learning design agency. Whether you lack finances, you can always hire competent freelance designers and developers to implement your ideas.

Step 3: Collect references and specify the content.

When you check for similar products, you can gather essential information and find some features you want to see in your project. That information significantly helps designers to create the right and clear vision of what the project should look like. In other words, discovering similar products within your industry generates an understanding of the direction you need to take. However, acting according to references doesn’t mean copying. And you need to remember it if you want an authentic and valuable product.

After you’ve collected references, you can address designers to specify your custom e-learning design. They will choose the best-suited options that are sure to be compatible with your business objectives and budget and with the needs of your target audience.

Step 4: Choose the e-learning software.

You can also decide on a learning software the hired professionals will work with. Learning a management system is essential if you want consistent results. Also, it allows you to enroll learners and track their performances. With a decent LMS, you can easily store all learning materials in one place and make them available at any time. Thus, the learning process becomes more streamlined and organized, improving the learner’s experience.

Step 5: Don’t forget about marketing.

Even if your course is excellent, you still need marketing so that the public can get to know about it. Promote your e-learning product, focusing on its beneficial sides. You can promote before your product goes live. For instance, you can employ social media channels and engage with the audience before they will become your customers. Such a practice increases credibility and urges the public to be more loyal to you after the launch.

Some may think the work stops here, but it doesn’t, at least, it shouldn’t. After the launch, you need to keep a close eye on your platform’s usability, functionality and trace your customer’s satisfaction. Often, some problems can evolve after the launch of the product, and the most critical point here is to eliminate them as quickly as possible. For instance, you’ve noticed that many customers leave your platform at the stage of registration. Your task is to analyze their behavior and find a problem they are fighting with at this very stage. It can be an incomprehensible and complex design form. Users can feel confused because it requires too much personal or irrelevant information. And that is what makes them leave. So, you will need to eliminate those obstacles and redesign your form so that it is easily accessible and user-friendly. Such an approach guarantees success and leverages the value of your e-learning product.