Why Do UI and UX Matter When Selecting a Learning Management System?
As an interactive system, LMS or learning management system allows companies to provide training to their employees whenever and wherever they want.
There are many solutions available in the market with different user interfaces and offering varied user experiences. Hence, you should be careful while selecting an LMS and pay attention to its UI and UX. Here are a few reasons why:
Importance of UI and UX in LMS
User interface design is crucial, and it can make or break your customer base. According to a recent study, first impressions, when using any system are based on its design.
A good UI creates fewer problems for the user while using the system, perfects functionality, increases user involvement, and develops a strong link between the user and your company.
With the technological advancement in every field, organizations are ready to invest in the best technology for every business function, including employee training. Technology can make the learning process more efficient and straightforward.
The same expectation applies to a learning management system. Per a recent study, 88% of users are less likely to use an application or return to a website after a bad user experience. The study results also mention that 83% of people expect a seamless experience across all devices.
Diverse User Needs
An LMS has two types of users – instructors and learners. Though the LMS has two distinct users, each user needs a distinct user interface with different functionalities to make the learning effective. A solid LMS will be well-adapted to the diverse needs of both users.
Here is some information that shows why UI/UX is important for instructors and learners.
Why Is UI/UX Important for Learners?
Good UI and UX design play an essential role in reducing stress and increasing education effectiveness.
Stress Reduction
A poorly designed LMS can stress both instructors and learners. The system should be user-centric, meaning every element/function should be located intuitively and work as intended.
For example, most systems have a user profile link placed at the top of the application; you can slightly change its position but make sure users can find it easily.
Inappropriate color use in the interface, along with a poor design, can induce stress in users. For example, Red color causes frustration while overtly neutral shades make the learning boring for users.
Learning-related stress is also experienced in a corporate environment. If the UI/UX of the LMS triggers negative emotions in employees, the overall environment at the workplace will become worse.
Education Effectiveness
The main objective of using LMS is to impart education. A recent study has shown the design of the system is equally important as the content when it comes to educational effectiveness.
Responsive design and intuitive user interface influence learners a lot. When the LMS has a streamlined user interface, it offers a good user experience, and helps increase knowledge retention. If you force employees to use a poorly designed LMS, the learning results will be unsatisfactory.
Why Is UI/UX Important for Instructors?
The UI and UX are important for instructors as it enables effective teaching and helps in proper time allocation for different topics according to official regulations. Here are some ways in which a good design can help instructors.
Quick Adoption
Instructors are expected to set up courses and create content at a fast pace. The company expects to start the training as early as possible. If the LMS has poor design and usability, the instructors will face difficulty creating and managing courses. These things ultimately affect educational effectiveness.
The LMS should offer an onboarding process for instructors. Some of the onboarding problems instructors face are too little information about the system’s functionality, step inconsistency, and inconvenient layout.
Efficient Course Management
The instructors are required to make changes in the courses now and then to increase educational effectiveness. The LMS should offer easy-to-use tools to upload and edit the content on the fly and give feedback to the users.
The course management features should be available on all platforms, including web and mobile versions of the LMS.
Why Is UI/UX Important for Companies?
LMS is a significant investment for companies, and they expect a higher ROI from the system. A system with good UI/UX is expected to increase the employees’ knowledge retention rate. An LMS with a solid design will encourage employees to use this tool for learning, ultimately enhancing the company’s productivity.
To sum up, these are a few reasons why UI/UX matters in a learning management system. Choose a solution that offers a balanced mix of these elements.