How To Choose A Cloud-Based LMS That Provides The Best UX: An Overview
There are plenty of memes about UX vs. UI. The premise behind them is that developers and coders might be more driven by the functional side of things. So, what makes sense to them may not translate into user ease. At the other extreme, visual designers want your LMS to be aesthetically pleasing, but they may not factor in the user’s point of view. But if your staff doesn’t enjoy using the LMS – or worse, they can’t figure out how – they may just ignore it. How can you avoid this? Let’s look at some insider secrets to choosing a cloud-based LMS solution that doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the overall user experience.
5 Secrets To Select The Right Cloud-Based LMS
1. Take A Test Drive
These days, virtually every product offers a dry run. You can try out digital products for a week or even a month. Some mobile apps will even give you a three-month trial. Take full advantage of it. As the purchasing manager, you may be sold on the product after two days, but you should still let other members of staff test it out. Give each department its own testing criteria, from ROI to asset tracking. Have your least tech-savvy members assess user experience. If they enjoy and can make sense of the user journey, everyone else can too. You should also have clear criteria that guide your vetting efforts. For example, which functions are you looking for and does the system allow you to complete those tasks with ease?
2. Identify In-House Skill Sets
What exactly do you need your cloud LMS to do? Possibilities include everything from monitoring external partner activities to assessing employee skills development. And – of course – you want it to develop and deploy training materials. Each of these tasks will be performed by different members of staff, so check in with them. Does it have automated report generation for HR? Does the content creation module require techies to code from scratch, and can they?
3. Research Online Reviews
For virtually every product or service sold on earth, someone somewhere has written a review, especially if it’s a digital product that’s been around for a while. Not all testimonials are equal, though. In fact, some are written for pure entertainment value, so while it could give you a good laugh, you may not get much information. Look for reviews that specifically mention user experience. You want to know what the learning curve is and how fast users get conversant. Is it compatible with the phone/computer brands prevalent in your office? Is it optimized for mobile? Does it work in areas with low internet connectivity? Does it have a native app built in? You should also verify that the reviewer has a similar use case so that you can gauge the UX more effectively. For instance, they’re in the same industry and have the same level of experience.
4. Consider Your Training Strategy
As much as training isn’t the sole function of your cloud-based LMS, it’s definitely a factor. Think about the type of training you intend to perform. Is it driven by how-to videos and audio? Do you prefer a blended approach? Are your modules instructor-led or self-driven? How hands-on is the training process itself? Your chosen cloud learning management system needs the functionality to support all these segments. And it needs to be easy to use at each stage. For example, trainees need the ability to close or open captions and to pause and replay as needed. Without this, their user experience will be compromised. On the other hand, your training might be text-heavy. Then your content library has to be keyword optimized so trainees (and trainers) can quickly find relevant topics.
5. Think Of The Future
Any healthy organization has some form of a long-term strategy. You can’t plan for everything, but at least know your expansion plans. What’s your vision for the next two months or even the next few years? Do you plan to double your staff? Will anyone be relocating, or does it look like you might cut down? If you currently have five staff members and you know you hope for 50, invest in the right cloud-based LMS. It should have the scope to accommodate the extra keyboards. Similarly, switching to the cloud may be part of a downsizing game plan. Don’t pay for LMS with a minimum user cap of 50. Another consideration is overage fees. Some cloud LMS vendors charge for additional users outside your chosen package. As such, you may want to overestimate to save in the long run.
Conclusion
User experience is usually a simple thing to test. That might be why it’s so frequently overlooked. LMS developers will focus on whether the software works, not how consumers use it. Yet if these consumers have a hard time with your project, they’ll abandon it and move on. As a buyer, how do you keep this from happening with your staff? Do a trial run and find out if your staff is equipped to use the LMS. Peruse online reviews and verify your training plan works with the cloud-based LMS. Plan ahead two to five years and confirm tech support is adequate. After all, giving your staff a pleasant experience is the best path to consistent training and usage.
Which cloud-based LMS will deliver the best UX and ROI? Use our online directory to research the latest reviews and filter your results by features and pricing model. You can also see which platforms offer a free trial or demo that allows you to test drive the system yourself.
