6-5 Designing for Mobile Learning

A Few Tips on Designing for Mobile Learning

Tip 1 Consider screen size

• Avoid long documents and slides or images with small text
• For each screen, try to design so the user doesn’t need to scroll to see all of the content
• Use video and audio liberally; use media that doesn’t require the user to pinch zoom or scroll

Tip 2 Chunk content into short units

• Learners can view mini-modules during downtime in between other activities
• Some e-learning professionals recommend 5- to 10-minute chunks, with a maximum of 20 minutes required to complete the segment.

Tip 3 Design for ease of navigation

• Put all of the navigational options in one consistent location on the screen, i.e. all on the bottom or all on the top
• Consider using accordion-style menus to conserve screen real-estate. See also: Details Tag
• Avoid putting touch interactions like buttons or text fields too close to the edge of the screen

Tip 4 Consider technical restrictions and requirements

• Test on various mobile devices, considering both screen size and device manufacturer/operating system (iPhone, Android, Surface, etc.)
• Your mobile users may have a mediocre Internet connection, so make sure that your course elements and files load smoothly with limited bandwidth

Content Elements That Work Well for Mobile

• Social media tie-ins for learners to share experiences and expertise
• Searchable web-based references that are already optimized for mobile, like wikipedia
• Job aids and step-by-step guides
• Checklist apps, like any.do or TickTick
• Podcasts, audiobooks, or downloadable .mp3s for ‘drive time’ learning
• Video
• E-textbooks
• Having learners use their mobile device’s camera to record and demonstrate tasks
• Video chat with Skype or FaceTime for communication and group/team work
• QR codes – these could be used for a scavenger hunt activity, placed on equipment and linked back to a manual or guide for industrial or office training, or used in environments like museums or laboratories to link individual items to the appropriate associated content.