In our last article, we talked about the differences between a Learning Management System (LMS) and a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) - and why a platform which is a blend of both is the secret to business success.
But with the Learning Experience Platform (LXP) market rapidly expanding... there's an overwhelming number of Learning Experience Platform (LXP) to sift through.
How can you determine which ones are of a high quality? Which one will be an invaluable business asset? How can you decide the LXP that will be right for your company?
In this article we'll talk you through some of the must-have features for any LXP.
But first, a quick recap...
What is a Learning Experience Platform (LXP)?
An LXP is a learning platform designed to provide a personalised, social, in-workflow learning experience that goes beyond the traditional Learning Management System (LMS).
LXPs allow and encourage users to have more autonomy over their learning (in contrast to the rigid and directed Learning Management System (LMS)).
Here are some of the features of an LXP:
- Create online learning content, such as courses, training, documents, elearning content, etc.
- Manage this content, by organising it how you like (editing, assigning, downloading, etc)
- Assessment of users’ performance.
- Users are able to create and upload content to share with one another.
- Gamification - such as leaderboards, badges, certificates, and so on.
- Actionable learning and development recommendations - each user will have a pathway that will fill up with recommended content (not assigned to them).
So, now that we’ve taken a look at what an LXP is and the basic features that each LXP should have…
What are the key, must-have features of an
Learning Experience Platform?
1. A visually appealing, intuitive design
- Tech giants such as Netflix and Spotify paved the way for simple, clean UX designs.
- LXPs should be no different. In fact, if you want your learners to enjoy using an LXP, clean and intuitive design is a must.
- Intuitive, simple, aesthetically-pleasing UX will make your learners’ experience of the LXP a lot more enjoyable.
2. Access to world-class content
- Access to world-class content is a guaranteed way to keep your learners engaged.
- Even better if your content library is expertly curated and covers content for all business areas - from finance training to leadership courses, from data analytics to workplace wellbeing, and beyond.
- AI-driven content recommendations can help drive the right content into the direction of each learner, so that each user is given a personalised content experience.
- LXPs with content partners (e.g. Anders Pink, Knowbly, etc) will guarantee fresh, up to date content to help inspire and inform your learners.
3. Social learning & gamification
- By design, LXPs are meant to be employee driven. Users can - and should - direct their own learning.
- A good LXP should facilitate social learning and development. These days, we’re used to social media as a form of content sharing - so why should LXPs be any different?
- Being able to share content, see what’s trending, what’s highly rated, will foster the sense of a communal, collaborative atmosphere online - especially helpful if your company is split across different locations, or even continents.
- Add gamification into the mix (certificates, leaderboards, and more) and you’ll have a dynamic atmosphere within your online community. Don't forget inherent gamification too - if your system shows tasks as '70% completed', your learners are much more likely to want to complete them.
4. Powerful insights & analytics
- This one is for the managers!
- Data on content consumption - visual dashboards and charts showing content consumption, user performance and more will allow you crucial insights at a glance.
- Creating reports on assessment performance, employee happiness surveys, and everything in between, will allow you crucial insights into your company.
5. Mobile friendly
- In our current day and age, more users than ever are choosing to learn on-the-go.
- No one wants to have to be glued to their laptop in order to learn.
- Make sure your LXP is mobile friendly, so that your learners can access content and assessments wherever they are.
Now, the fun part.... How should you choose your Learning Experience Platform (LXP)?
Hopefully we’ve provided you with a useful guide by which to measure any LXPs that you look at. A system with a combination of these features is a sure-fire way to drive business success, instil enjoyment of learning amongst your employees, and keep your learners engaged while training them.
Check out reviews of LXPs here to see which ones might work for you.
If you’re curious to see how our platform creates a perfect blend of the features above, why not check out our website or even book a free demo so that you can check out our system for yourself.
We hope to give you a tour of our system soon!