We’re at a point where practically everything around us is going digital. And quite frankly, the e-Learning sector is no exception. According to Reportlinker.com’s report ‘Global E-Learning Industry’, ‘the global market for e-Learning has recorded a historic annual growth spike in the year 2020, as the majority of schools migrate to e-learning’. The adoption of this technology has been so widespread – in fact – that it has created what they’re calling an ‘unprecedented surge’ in the adoption of online and remote classes.
So why is this market on the rise?
There are a number of factors attributing to this growth. Though there is one in particular that has really thrusted e-Learning forward. Yep – you guessed it, the pandemic. With almost all companies shut down, no more on site courses for fun learning and with over 1.5 billion students out of the classroom worldwide due to shutdowns, something had to be done about offline education and many schools and companies ended up resorting to the platforms. This gave everyone the opportunity to continue their studies remotely.
Keep in mind, however, that prior to the pandemic there was already a tremendous amount of growth happening in the e-Learning industry. According to the World Economic Forum,
Global edtech investments reached US$18.66 billion in 2019 and the overall market for online education is projected to reach $350 Billion by 2025.
Reasons for growth in the e-Learning market include:
- Increase in Use of Mobile Apps and Social Media
- Growth of Blended Learning in Education Technology
- Increasing AR & VR Applications in E-learning
- More Internet-Enabled Devices
- Growth in Global Workforce
Interestingly, this shift towards eLearning platforms has also brought on a decent amount of competition in the market. Major players in the market include Udemy, SkillShare, and Coursera, but there are many more (niche) software entering the market as we speak.
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So what do e-learning software providers need to do if they want to ‘play the long game’ in this newly thriving market?
The Rise of User Feedback
Interestingly enough, the rise in popularity of these e-Learning platforms (a growth spike of 36.3% to be exact) has also raised the demand for user feedback.
And here’s why…
User feedback is capable of improving a lot of aspects of your e-learning platform including:
- Improving the learning curve with better content
- Helping create a better, more engaging user experience
- Enhancing overall design of the platform
- Boosting mobile performance
Let’s take a closer look at each of these individually.
Improving the learning curve with better content
Nothing is worse than reading content that is long, monotonous and worst of all – boring. It should be quite the opposite in fact. Content within an eLearning platform should be snappy and engaging, so this is actually a critical aspect of online course creation. Instantaneous (or real-time) user feedback from users regarding the content on your e-Learning platform can give you a great boost in the quality of the content you’re providing and in turn, improve the learning curve of your users.
Source: XLpro eLearning
Is your content clear? Is content written in a language that is understood by your users (think of, for example, age or geographic location)? Are the tabs and links you have included relevant to the particular page or section of the course? Is there content that may be distracting to the user in any way? Is the sequencing of information correct?
These are all insights you can gather from the right user feedback software.
Create a more engaging user experience
While making sure your content is up to par with the needs of your users (and forms a critical part of your platform’s success), it certainly isn’t the only factor you should be focusing on. The user experience of your user interface (UI) is just as critical. Users are looking for platforms that offer an intuitive UI that is not only easy to navigate but also easy to access. It would be a shame to lose users because of – for example – the navigation alone…
User feedback provides a perfect platform for your users to share their struggles (and joys!) with using your eLearning platform. Gathering insights into the flow between navigation and interface, the multimedia elements built into your software, and even the graphic design will help facilitate and stimulate learning for your users in ways you couldn’t have imagined.
Enhancing overall design
As we mention above, the design also plays a very crucial role in the quality of your e-Learning platform. When students come across poorly designed or even outdated-looking eLearning courses, odds are they’ll drop out because they can’t find what they are looking for OR it simply takes them too long to find the content they need. So bag the clip-art, poor quality sound and shaky videos and get your design skills back on track.
Source: eLearning Heroes
Visual feedback is a great way to get started. This is especially true for eLearning software as they are heavily reliant on the online interactions with users. This type of feedback enables your online users to pinpoint design faults or ambiguities using screenshots, i.e. certain page elements such as forms, images, buttons or paragraphs. Being able to identify these issues right away allows you to make instant improvements to the design and usability of your platform and thus increase satisfaction among your learners.
Boosting mobile performance
Lastly, the mobile channel is undeniably important in the eLearning industry. In fact, you’ll now see mobile learning as a feature of many otherwise basic eLearning platforms and learning management systems. It gives learners information right when they need it, on the go. Unfortunately however, not all mobile apps or mobile-optimised websites are where they should be in terms of performance, which as you’ll quickly discover will put off your learners from using your tool. And with an ever-changing market, you’re up against a lot of competition and that means your mobile app needs to maintain a competitive edge.
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Mobile feedback is therefore an ideal solution for both maintaining and enhancing mobile performance in your eLearning app or mobile-optimised eLearning website. This feedback will provide you with insights into content, usability and design – all from a mobile perspective. Additionally, by coupling your in-app feedback with metadata such as device type, app version, user info, etc you can also pinpoint the technical issues your users are experiencing and resolve them quickly.
Get your e-Learning software on the right track!
The e-Learning industry is on the rise, with more and more software sprouting up on the market, so it’s time to take advantage of your head start. Afterall, if you want to provide your learners with better content, an engaging user experience and design, and an improved mobile performance, you’ll need user feedback in your toolkit to show you the way.
Ready to see Mopinion in action?
Want to learn more about Mopinion’s all-in-1 user feedback platform? Don’t be shy and take our software for a spin! Do you prefer it a bit more personal? Just book a demo. One of our feedback pro’s will guide you through the software and answer any questions you may have.
