7 Key Features to Look for in a Learning App for Employees

In an age of remote working, a growing number of companies are turning towards a learning app for employees for onboarding as well as skill acquisition and upgradation. After all, no matter where your employees are based, they need to know that you are investing in them. There are a number of apps available today so what makes one better than the others? What are the features you need to keep in mind when you choose a learning app for your company? Here are a few tips to help you out.

Scalability
Training is not a one-time exercise. All your employees need training from time to time. The mark of a company’s success is its growth in terms of both the market it serves as well as the number of people on the team. When a company starts up, you may decide to try and do everything on your own but as the company grows, you will need to bring on more people to your team. Thus, the app you choose needs to work with a team of 10 people as well as a team of 100 people. Scalability is an important feature the learning app must have. It must be structured such that when content is created once, it stays accessible to everyone who needs it. Choosing an app that grows with your company reduces the likelihood of one day having to invest in a replacement app.

Accessibility
The whole point of taking training online is to allow people to learn at a place and time convenient to them. So, accessibility is an important feature for the learning app to have. There is no point in creating really engaging learning content if your employees cannot access it. Ideally, you need to ensure that the content isn’t very heavy on bandwidth needs. If possible, some content should be available offline as well. It should also be structured such that a person can access it from his mobile phone, tablet and laptop and have the same experience.

Multimedia Content Support
When you’re designing content for a learning app for employees you’ll realize that the same medium doesn’t work equally well for all subjects. When it comes to theoretical topics such as orienting new hires with the company history, a written document or a presentation would work well. But, if you’re teaching technicians how to operate a piece of machinery, a video would be the best choice. Other common types of media that could be used includes infographics, flash cards, games and quizzes. Thus, you need to find an app that supports all the different types of media. This ensures that the learning platform has a higher engagement ratios and the material is retained for longer.

Push Notifications
Your employees probably get hundreds of emails every day. Another email about a training module could get lost in the mix. Push notifications are a much better choice. This helps maintain an open line of communication between the administration and the learners. These are non-intrusive and ensure that your employees get all your messages in an instant. They won’t even need to click on a notification to read it. Push notifications can be used to inform employees about new courses, send reminders about pauses in the training schedule and give them updates on their progress. Push notifications can also open up discussions for participation.

User-friendly Interface
If your employees have to struggle with finding out how to use the app, they could quickly get frustrated and may even leave the app. No one wants to have to constantly figure how to progress with their training. In one way, the engagement rate of your app is dependent on how easy it is to use. An intuitive user app enables employees to search through courses easily and find the ones most relevant to them in just a few clicks. The app should be ideally structured with interesting visuals and well-placed navigation buttons. The app should look clean, uncluttered and keep the learner’s attention focused on the learning material.

Gamification
Gamified content is sure to keep the learner’s attention focused on the material. Think about it, don’t you enjoy playing a game? Everybody does. Gamifying elements of your learning material makes the learning process more interesting and fun. It encourages learners to interact with the app rather than simply be a spectator. There are many different ways you can gamify content. The content can be divided and structured into levels. You could also use a point system and badges to reward enthusiasm and keep learners motivated. A ladder board that marks individual progress can push other learners to engage more with the app and improve their own ranking. In this way, gamification encourages a healthy competitive spirit.

In-app Communication
Mobile learning lets learners learn from anywhere. This has its advantages but it also means that the learners are all functioning in isolation. This can get dull after a while. You need to inspire the learners to persevere with their efforts. One way to do that is with in-app communication. Direct messaging between learners enables them to keep track of each other’s progress. It also enables them to talk about points they want clarifications on any subject and share reviews of learning modules. The app should also include discussion boards where employees can discuss training modules and share opinions. This type of communication also helps facilitate group assignments and boosts collaboration.

In conclusion
Mobile learning apps for employees are almost a must-have in today’s environment. It lets your employees learn at their own pace and in the way that they like most. In addition to the above, also make sure that the learning app allows you to integrate branding into the design. This lets you own your content and put a personal stamp on all employee training. Branding could range from strategic logo placement to choosing brand colours for the layout. You should ideally be able to sue the same learning app for years. So, take your time to choose the right app for your organization.