E-learning has taken a huge leap in the aftermath of the pandemic as schools and colleges closed their doors for the lockdown period. Even though the amount of time varied from country to country, almost every educational institute found the need to switch to some form of online solution. The upward trend in virtual education brought corporate organizations into the equation and e-learning apps and solutions broke records as they started generating billions of dollars. People realized that it’s possible to learn from wherever they are. In this article, we will help you learn how to create your educational app. But first, let us discuss some factors that you need to keep in mind while you design and develop your e-learning solution.
What You Need to Keep in Mind When You Create Your Educational App
There are some factors that can make or break an e-learning solution and before you create your educational app, you need to take care of these factors to ensure that you end up with a solution that is dynamic, flexible, scalable, and user-friendly.
1. Intuitive Interface
The e-learning app should be easy to understand as well as operate. This means you need to concentrate on the design, and more importantly, the user interface and user experience. All functions and features should be clear as well as accessible with the flow of the functions being logical, making it a user-friendly application.
2. Scalable
Your app needs to be reliable, but it should also be scalable depending on the requirements of your users. Whether or not you plan to expand in the future, your app should definitely have the infrastructure needed to handle substantial traffic seamlessly if and when it is required. Scalability is not necessarily limited to handling traffic and the number of users. It can also cater to functionality and ensure that your product stays relevant as time goes on.
3. SCORM Compliant
The e-learning application needs to be SCORM compliant because the industry technical standard regulatory standard ensures efficiency as well as standardization within the ecosystem. It is also important because you would want to ensure competitiveness by being known for compliance with internationally accepted regulatory standards.
4. Easy Information Upload & Dissemination
The application should be able to offer easy uploads as well as easy dissemination of information to the users. They should not find it difficult to upload different formats like word, jpg, and pdf, along with audio and video files. The e-learning app should also offer selective viewership and accessibility of information to the users so that they can enjoy a smoother and seamless experience.
5. Automation
Your e-learning app should automate monotonous tasks for the users that otherwise consume significant time and effort. It should have automated reminders and the users should be able to send themselves and others information as well as reminders for certain tasks all at a single tap. Automation streamlines the learning process so that the learners can focus on learning and the instructors can devote their valuable time to teaching.
6. Documentation & Integration
In most cases, e-learning solutions are sold along with an integrated CRM system, which ensures that there is seamless data transfer between systems. Your application also needs to have good documentation capabilities so that the daily functions, learner progress and grades, and subject information can be documented properly to help identify and track the performance of individual learners.
How to Create Your Educational App in 4 Easy Steps
Now we come to the million-dollar question. Perhaps we should say billion because recent reports say that by the year 2026, the e-learning industry is expected to reach $457 billion by 2026:
How do you create your educational app? Fortunately for you, we have broken it down for you and are telling you how to create it in four simple steps.
1. Develop Your Idea & Factor in Considerations
The most important step is always the first one. This is where you have to factor in all your requirements, challenges, and considerations. This step requires the most brainstorming and planning on your end and if done right, all the other steps can follow smoothly. You have to first devise a team and clarify your educational app idea. Then you have to try and find the answers to certain questions to be able to move on to the next step.
- Who is your target market? Is it school students? University students? Employees at a corporation? Architects? Doctors? Who are your learners?
- What is the scope of your educational app? Is it limited to a particular region or economic area? Is your scope likely to expand in the future?
- Are you planning on making your app publically available or is it only going to be accessible to a selected audience?
- Is your app going to be interactive or will it only have one-way communication such as presentations and lectures? What does your target market require? What kind of interaction do you want if you want an interactive app?
- Are you going to allow customizability and flexibility to your users?
- Will your educational app be generating revenue? What is your pricing model going to be if yes? Will it be subscription-based pricing, module-based, or a fixed payment?
Your answers to all these questions will determine how your e-learning application will turn out to be and whether it will become successful.
2. Conduct a Feasibility Study
Research is integral to developing an educational application and no research is complete without a comprehensive feasibility analysis. This not only requires in-depth research on all the possible competitors in the industry and geographical scope but also needs extensive research on the latest industry standards and developments. A proper feasibility study comprises operational feasibility, technical feasibility, financial feasibility as well as market feasibility.
3. Select Your E-Learning App Development Partner
Some would argue that this is the most important step when you create your educational app, and rightly so. Your development partner can turn your idea into an exceptional version of reality or even make it entirely different from what you envisioned and hope for. Therefore, choosing the right development partner is critical to the successful and timely development of your e-learning application. You will have to consider certain factors when you are looking for the perfect app development partner.
- Do they have experience in the e-learning industry?
- What do their previous clients say about them?
- What does their portfolio look like?
- Do they understand your idea, your requirements, and your challenges?
Only select your e-learning app development company once you are completely sure of your decision and have understood the capabilities of your development partner.
4. Marketing
Technically, you’ve already made the product to have reached this stage. However, this step is still too important to skip because it determines how well your app will do in the market because however well you make your product, it can’t survive without proper marketing and promotions. You have to engage with your potential target market via promotional platforms that are relevant to them. A good promotional campaign is critical if you want to maximize your ROI and help your e-learning app succeed.
What Are The Next Steps?
There you have it. You have learned how to create your educational app and we hope you will put all this knowledge to good use. It is one thing to create the perfect app, and another to have your app understand your users and grow along with them to achieve greater things. The next steps include continuous research so that you are always on top of the game and always updating the application so it can stay relevant in these fast-paced times. All you need is an experienced e-learning app development partner who can stay by your side while your app scales and grows. Folio3 has over 15 years of design and development experience in the e-learning space and is known for developing innovative digital solutions that don’t break your bank.
If you need to discuss an e-learning idea and any challenges you may be facing around it, contact us and our e-learning experts will reach out to you!
