Consider this blog post your guide, helping you understand what to look out for when choosing the right software for your company.
Are you're in the process of choosing your first digital learning technology or are you contemplating an upgrade?
As you might have noticed, there are lots of options out there with different focuses and features, so definitely do your due diligence and see which tool matches your unique business needs.
Why is this important?
Well, selecting the appropriate option for your business is an important decision that can significantly influence how effectively your workforce adapts to new challenges and enhances their skills.
Consider this blog post your guide, helping you understand what to look out for when choosing the right software for your company.
Authoring tools are specifically designed to facilitate the creation of digital educational content, allowing educators and instructional designers to produce interactive and engaging courses. These tools offer intuitive editors, pre-made templates, and the ability to incorporate various multimedia elements, all without the need for deep programming knowledge.
In contrast, a Learning Management System (LMS) provides a structured environment for managing all aspects of the learning process. It centralises the organisation of learning materials, streamlines the enrolment and course management processes, and generates detailed reports on learner progress and outcomes.
On the other hand, a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) enhances the traditional functionalities of an LMS by focusing on delivering a personalised and user-centric learning experience. Leveraging advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, LXPs offer tailored content recommendations, fostering a more agile and learner-driven approach to online education and thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of training programmes.
Of course, every business has their own specific and unique business needs.
But generally speaking, the following key features are important to take into account when selecting a LMS.
The product should offer an intuitive user interface, ensuring that both the learning designers and learners can navigate and utilise the system without extensive training, support or always having to refer back to a knowledge base.
Ask the vendor: “What is your approach to User Experience (UX) and accessibility. Do you follow any specific guidelines?”
This feature is crucial for monitoring the effectiveness of the company’s training programmes. An ideal platform provides detailed insights into individual progress and aggregated results, helping you pinpoint areas of strength and those requiring attention.
This feature is crucial as it allows your business to quickly identify employees and training that are performing well or poorly.
Ideally, the tracking goes beyond just monitoring completion rates and also offer clearer insight into employee performance, when applying their newly acquired skills into the workplace.
Ask the vendor: “What data insights does the tool give me? Does it track learning progress back into the workplace and does it include insights from other stakeholders?”
As your business expands, so will your training needs. Choose a platform that can scale seamlessly, accommodating more users, designers and content without compromising performance.
Make sure to check that there are "bulk" features available, such as adding multiple students to the platform or enrolling them in training sessions simultaneously. These capabilities are essential for efficiency, as doing these steps manually is time-consuming.
Ask the vendor: “How much of the administration is automated. How does it scale as we grow?”
Verify that the platform's learning methodology is backed by neuroscience, aiming for effective impact, measurable results, and a solid return on your investment (ROI).
A neuroscience-based approach means that learning and training are developed to work with, not against our natural processes of making new connections.
Ask the vendor: “What learning science or methodology underpins this product.” If they mention ‘appeals to different learning styles’ then run away - there’s no evidence for them.
AI capabilities can offer significant advantages by speeding up the creation process enabling you to rapidly produce high-quality, engaging learning activities.
Artificial intelligence can do the heavy lifting for you, so you don’t have to start from a blank page. You can leverage the AI-generated content as a foundation, tweaking it or adding to it as necessary, which can save you lots of time.
Appropriate AI also improves personalisation so your colleagues don’t waste time and energy on irrelevant content or activities.
Ask the vendor: “How does AI support administrators, designers and learners? What guidelines does it follow to create content? And what else does it do?”
Many learning system focus on access to knowledge and information, yet they often do not facilitate the transition from theoretical knowledge to practical skills.
That’s why learning technology should offer functionalities that go beyond content delivery and enable learners to implement what they've learned and test these concepts in real-world scenarios.
Such features are crucial for ensuring that content is not just available but is absorbed and actively applied, leading to genuine skill development and enhanced performance in the workplace.
Ask the vendor: “What does your product do to support people practising and getting feedback in the workplace? How does it help people to remember key information for the long term?”
The Stellar Labs platform embodies all the features mentioned, leveraging an evidence-based approach to learning design.
It is built on the GEAR model, guiding learners from the acquisition to the application of knowledge and skills.
The platform encourages experimentation and application, ensuring that learning translates into tangible workplace improvements. Plus, with AI-enhanced design features, you can craft compelling content and launch new learning journeys in minutes, not months.
Curious about how Stellar Labs can revolutionise workplace learning?
We invite you to experience our platform first-hand. Begin your free trial today and explore the features without any commitment.
Structure an outcome focused learning journey in minutes. Launch in days.
Social learning Stellar Labs
DATEV, Stellar Labs, Proof of concept, AI, Learning, Neuroscience, Tool adoption, Software
In this episode, our host Stella Collins, co-founder and CLO at Stellar Labs, is joined by Bob Mosher, Chief Evangelist and co-founder at Apply Synergies.