Today I wantto challenge the Infinite Monkey Theorem (It’s long; the shortversion is in Figure 1) a bit by consideringthe performance support improvements made in the last couple of decades.
Figure 1:The Infinite Monkey Theorem (short version)
Auto-correctand other spelling and grammar tools are common software features designed toenhance performance. As such, productivity should have increased to an extentthat it no longer requires an infinite number of monkeys or time to reproduce agreat piece of literature.
As to training, challenging thistheorem is useful as it illustrates a problem that we’ve been facing withmobile. In this regard, we’ve been concentrating on training delivery ratherthan performance support— so we’ve been busy trying to train monkeys ratherthan using their tools to improve or support their banging. I want to stop thiscycle by introducing strategies that focus on using performance tools withmobile devices rather than delivering training through mobile devices.
Embed your materials into your environments
In truth, we already focus on performance with our traininginitiatives as we give our users takeaways that they can use on the job. Our manuals,reference materials, and job-aids are all examples of materials meant by designfor use onsite and at the time of need. Mostly though, these materials fail atthis as they are rarely on hand or easy to use.
All too often our students have to dig up the manual, printout a job-aid, or manually calculate or analyze their worksheet inputs. Assuch, making these tools more available and powerful makes sense if you areinterested in performance; and a good way to do this is to take advantage ofour student’s mobile devices. Publishing your materials as ePubs, apps, orother mobile-friendly formats is useful in this regard as our mobile devicesare usually on hand and usable at the time of need. An additional benefit ofthis type of solution is that, if our students don’t already have ourmaterials, designers can use several technologies to embed them into theirenvironments:
Location technologies
Several technologies allow you to interact with student mobiledevices based on their physical location or proximity to an object. Examples ofthese technologies include GPS, Beacon, and NFC.
Scanning technologies
Other technologies allow you to interact with student mobiledevices based on their interaction with an object. Software apps like Layar,Aurasma, Clickable Paper, and QR Code readers allow you to embed materials intoobjects that students can interact with.
In addition, using mobile-friendly materials will allow yourstudents to realize productivity gains as these materials have advantages over traditionalhardcopy files. Some of these features include the ability to initiate emailsand phone communications, perform calculations and data analysis, triggeralerts and notifications, and export data into other forms and devices. Theseactivities make your students more productive and may cut down error ratesassociated with some tasks. Table 1 shows some opportunities with theseapproaches.
Table 1: Traditional hardcopy materials and references vs.mobile options
Materials/Tools We Give Students | Advantages of a Mobile Option |
Training Manuals These materials contain the content covered in your class or course. They may also provide extra scaffolding or supplementary information that wasn’t part of the class or course. | Mobile devices connect to the internet and can have dynamic content. Use of movies, audio and interactive elements can add extra support and expand on your classroom content |
Phone Lists and Contact Information These materials contain factual content related to contact information. | Built-in mobile features can trigger phone calls, SMS and email functions. This information could be dynamic so that it adjusts to changes within the organization. Skype and Facetime options are available now to enable video conferencing. Other options include GPS and location information that could map directions. |
Other reference materials These materials contain blocks of data organized in a way to support searching and scanning activities. Here users need to access specific information quickly and easily. | GPS, scanning, and recognition features within these devices can push or pull information to your students based on their immediate environment. Networks, databases, and mobile computing power can greatly amplify your student’s search capabilities. |
Procedural or process guides These job-aids provide step-by-step directions on how to perform a procedure or task. | Video, AR, and interactive content could be included with your procedural guides to provide greater detail and guidance on these procedures. |
Checklists These job-aids support the need to document a list of items or tasks that they must complete for a complex process. These checklists ensure accuracy and completeness within a given task. | When checklists are completed, mobile devices could trigger emails, alerts or other notifications. |
Calculators These job-aids allow you to input data and then perform calculations. | You could automate calculations and cluster analysis. This then could create custom material handouts or send data to other sources. |
Decision tables and flowcharts These job-aids walk you through several conditions and or decisions points. Your inputs here will guide you to a set of recommendations to follow | Completing these job-aids will generate automatic recommendations. This activity may trigger prepopulated process flows or initiate other actions based on your inputs. |
Build mobile apps, not courses
Simply converting and embedding your manuals, job-aids, andother materials to mobile friendly formats is a powerful strategy that you canemploy today; however the biggest opportunities for performance will happenwhen you build the actual tools that your students use.
This mightbe a daunting proposition; however, it shouldn’t be a totally foreign concept.In this regard we’ve been developing and implementing technology solutions foryears with our regular eLearning courses and in our electronic performancesupport systems (EPSS). So you should have the teams and processes in place totransition into this world. If building applications is a concern though, youmay want to try other approaches.
Here arethree possible strategies for building mobile-performance applications.
Strategy: Build your own.
Your teamdefines, builds, and implements the mobile application.
Advantages: You have the ability toplan the tool to meet your needs. In addition, you have the source files tocontrol versioning and maintenance concerns.
Cons: Extensive resources (time,personnel, etc.) needed to develop and test these solutions.
Strategy: Use existing apps.
You identifyexisting mobile applications that meet your need and integrate them asmaterials and solutions.
Advantages: Mobile-app stores offer allkinds of free and cheap apps usable as performance tools. In addition, you canbroker a deal with app developers for discounted prices or customization oftheir applications.
Cons: Existing apps may not meet allyour needs or integrate well with your infrastructure. Maintenance andversioning control may be an issue as well.
Strategy: Use your providers.
You workwith your vendors and enterprise-solution providers to build and integrate yourmaterials into their solutions.
Advantages: You have the ability toplan the tool to meet your needs. In addition, you can work with your providersto control versioning and maintenance concerns.
Cons: Working through your providerscan be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor.
Apps don’t have to be all performance
Regardless of how you build your app, don’t forget to addressany initial training needs. With these apps you can embed video, augmentedreality, and other techniques to easily deliver content. In addition, thesetechnologies offer unique opportunities for practice and feedback.
To illustrate this, let’s consider a possible mobile performanceapp on difficult conversations. This subject matter is typically heavy onguides and job-aids that prepare you for up-coming difficult conversations. Aperformance application on it could use a wizard-like interface to walk youthrough defining and identifying key information to help you frame theconversation. While this application walks you through these guides, you couldembed training on nonverbal communications, listening strategies, positionsversus interests, and other keys to handling these situations.
A benefit of this walk-through approach is that it couldgenerate a script of inputs to use for your conversation and for practice. Inthis regard, an avatar could be part of an application that acts on the createdscript. Better yet, you could create a crowdsourcing opportunity by sending outthe scripting information to a community and allowing those users to role-playand practice the script by teleconferencing. Finally this app could providesuggestions and recommendations based off your inputs—so if, for instance, youindicated an upcoming conversation relates to time-management gaps, you mightget a list of resources to help fill that gap.
Quantifying performance
The benefits of using performance tools rather thandelivering training are significant and will lead to metrics that are moremeaningful than butts-in-seats and completions. For example, the difficultconversation application above could provide real-time data on the types ofissues people are encountering. Such data could be powerful in determining commonissues within a company and new initiatives for them to pursue.
As to quantifying the performance improvements ofthe now non-infinite monkey theorem—I’ll leave that to someone else. Maybe Caesar or Dr. Cornelius can tackle the subject.
