Learning Solution Analysis

When starting on the journey of creating a learning solution, one of the first key steps is to understand what you are trying to achieve and to know your learner as much as possible.

There are various ways to gather this information either via surveys or even speaking directly to the learners to gain more of an emotional story. In fact, you may know a lot about your learner via HR records (if you are developing for internal organisation purposes ).

The thing we have to remember is that we are creating an experience for our learners and experiences evoke emotions. We want our learners to have a positive experience, not a frustrating or negative experience.

With the points below, we wanted to ensure we were able to consider the different types of learning experiences, from single eLearning modules focusing on a specific bit of information, to larger website style implementations like a learning experience platform (LXP) or learning management system (LMS).

You could include the following discussion points in your analysis as you learn more about your end user (elaborate where necessary).

• What does your company do?
• What is your role in the company?
  (The vendor needs to understand this so they appreciate where you sit in the chain of command so to speak.)
• Does the company have an existing logo or brand?
  (Branding guidelines to help drive the visual design)
• What is your goal in developing the learning solution?
  (What are the overall goals and objectives from a company perspective and a learner perspective?)
• Who comprises your target audience?
  (Do its members share any common demographics, like age, sex, or a physical location?)
• What information do you wish to deliver online?
  (How is the information going to be structured/ Start small and expand as required)
• Do you have any competitors who offer a similar experience?
  (This is important in knowing how your solution can be different or unique)
• Do you have examples of online solutions or websites you like or dislike?
  (This can help guide design and ideas)
• Are there any accessibility requirements to consider as part of the solution? There may not be now, but depending on your HR hiring policy, there may be a need to future proof content.

If you are designing a larger learning solution like a platform or ecosystem

• What will your users be looking for when they come to your learning site?
• Are their any existing problems with existing experiences that you currently manage?
• What do you hope to achieve with this learning solution?
  (This is closely related to goals and objectives)
• Are there any elements of existing solutions that you want to keep?
  (This helps drive design and experience, especially with regards to brand loyalty)
• What devices does the solution need to work on (desktop, PC, tablet, Mobile)
  DO NOT GUESS this, and derive your findings from your user analysis
• What kind of timeline do you have for the project and what is the budget?

The following article from our blog may provide further guidance and inspiration;

See: Working with a vendor – checklist

We will also ask you what work has already been undertaken as part of this journey. Are you talking to us because some ideas have been floated around where you work, or are you absolutely ready to engage a vendor. How do you know you are ready to talk to a vendor and at what stage of the project cycle do you reach out to a vendor.