Good UX and UI for your e-learning platform essentially comes down to following certain rules which are empirical and based on extensive user studies of interfaces.
There are some principles that you can follow to ensure your e-learning platform has acceptable to delightful experience.
Skimming behaviours, visual span, Gestalt, visual scanning and much more – these are established with eyeball tracking studies and user research. Below, I summarize top 4 practices that you can follow
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Why virtual learning is more relevant that ever before?
We all are going through a tough time because of the pandemic this year. Things have changed drastically. The learning process has now become online from offline mode. Millions of students are undertaking live virtual classes daily. Several e-learning platforms have helped the learner continue their course online.
The learning has now become much more interesting because of the change in teaching. Teachers and trainers are taking up new techniques to make virtual classes fun and fruitful. In this way, both the learner and the teacher share a healthy bond. For the e-learning platform also, it is a great responsibility to provide the best user experience to the learner. Learning management systems (LMS) is one of the widely used tools for virtual learning.
UX and UI are the two terms that are continuously trending as they play a significant role in successful virtual learning. Understanding these two terms is very important, so you may easily incorporate them into your eLearning platform. So let’s get started with UX and UI.
What are the UI and UX design?
Before going deeper into this, we need to first understand what these terms mean.
Let us begin with UI or the user interface design whose prime motive is to design a software or platform in such a way that it is preferred by all the users. It includes all the things related to easy navigation on the site. Things like the buttons present on the site, the style, or the layout of everything which helps the user easily work on your platform.
For better understanding, I’ll use an example of a gaming website. In this, the user interface will include the designing of all the pages of the website from the login portal to other pages and visual elements like the images, graphics, videos, audios, and many more like these.
We relate the UX design or the user experience to the overall development of the platform. It includes everything from the digital elements to the learning experience. The learning experience of both the learner and the teacher with the quality of the learning material used and the supporting team, all this comes under the user experience.
It concerns with the structure and functions of the interface. The UX designers organize the content properly so that the user doesn’t have any problem while navigation. In short, the UX designer makes sure of the smooth functioning of the interface.
The UX design also involves the keeping of accurate analysis of the data. We do this to avoid any problems in the future. We make a wireframe to receive the regular feedback and all the interactions done with the user. We do this to get the correct analysis about the user experience and to know what things can to change or improved in the future.
If we look at user experience in e-learning platforms, then the user interface or the UI plays a crucial role. If an e-learning platform has the best forms of course with the best quality of teachers or trainers but has a bad user interface, then the e-learning platform is likely to fail. There are certain elements that you can include for a good user interface. A good user interface will boost traffic and engagement to your e-learning platform.
Some universal elements of UI design for the e-learning platform
Videos are a must include
Why am I saying this, because according to many pieces of research we find it that a human is much more likely to watch a video than read a document to understand any topic? This is possible because a video creates a greater impact on the mind of the learner and he/she is more likely to remember things watched via video.
Including videos on a virtual platform is a must. Lectures given through live video calls or pre-recorded videos are much preferred by the learners over a written theory. Learners are more likely to open the video first and then may feel like reading the document. So this is an important UI element to include for a better user experience.
Allow for Interaction – Interaction is very important
I say a UI design which has simple navigation and allows the learners to easily express their views and connect with others to be a good UI design. It is quite necessary to include a separate portal or forum for the learners to provide feedback or communicate with the co-learners and the teachers. Schedule Live interactive classes so that the learner who has any problem can speak out their views.
Have “learning tracks” to impose recommended paths
An e-learning platform handles the better e-learning of the learner. The learner wants to have the syllabus organized in sequence. There are certain tools available which a trainer or the instructor can use to organize the study material in sequence so that the learner doesn’t face any problem if he/she misses or skips any topic in between.
Allows for personalization
A learner sticks to that eLearning platform which not only provides the best service but allows for cetain flexibility. This is litmus test for a better UX. This can be in form of personally meaningful dashboards, profile building, personal notes, bookmarking and much more.
Conclusion
Indeed, a simple and clear user interface is best suited to the learner. Where they are free to express and communicate with the team and feel empowered to learn more. A UI design which is complicated and full of information is unlikely to promote effective learning.
The visual elements like typography, white space, color contrast, and visual hierarchy should be well maintained. No overburdening of the platform is needed. For booming virtual learning keep the UI design simple and unique so that the learner has the best and a satisfying experience.
Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels.
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