Digital learning still has a ‘click’ problem. How can we get over it?
Most people would agree that you can’t make dull content engaging by adding interactions. It might just be that you can enhance it, or make navigating content a more conscious and calculated process. But engagement can’t be enforced. It’s pull rather than push, so quality, compelling, relatable and relevant content is vital. It doesn’t matter how many digital interactions we build in – if the content is weak, engagement will be weak and the learning experience will be poor.
“I never like seeing courses that lock learning down to a series of clicks. I think if learners are trying to get to the end as quickly as possible, we’ve probably already failed to provide them with an engaging learning experience. I don’t expect engagement to suddenly materialise just because we’ve asked them to click on something. It has to start much earlier than this.”
Laura Giles, creative learning designer
Creating ‘pull’ starts with understanding what motivates people to learn. The ARCS model of motivation is a good starting point. Developed by American educational psychologist John Keller, the model is based on a synthesis of motivational concepts and characteristics. It categorises motivation into four areas: attention (A), relevance (R), confidence (C), and satisfaction (S).
When we apply ARCS to our work, it defines what ‘engagement’ will mean in the context of our project. When L&D teams centre their thinking around this agenda, they’re exploring what will engage learners in terms of both content and means of delivery.
Attention – explore what design will work for your audience – what format would capture their interest? Novelty and variety helps, and that applies to content and the way it is shared. That first moment really counts, too – think about posing ‘big questions’ to spark the learner’s curiosity.
Relevance – ask what does the learner need to know and how will it benefit them? A common barrier to learning is the question ‘why do I need to know this?’. It helps to base the design on job tasks, not information. Yes, people need to know stuff – they need to get why it matters before it becomes compelling. Design first for what they need to do, not what you want them to know.
Confidence – ask how can we instil confidence in learners? By giving people frequent opportunities for practice and feedback, we don’t just engage them in interactions but in their own sense of progress and improvement.
Satisfaction – ask what pain point is this going to fix for them? What goal is it going to help them achieve? Can we link this to business goals, or opportunities and career progression? Then think about how you will show progress. People are more compelled to continue when they can see where they are on a learning journey and have a sense of how far they’ve come and how much is left to do.