Do you have a recommendation for a good iOS calendar app?I’ve been trying to find a new one since Microsoft sunset Sunrise(RIP). I’ve tried six or seven apps over the past six months and just haven’tfound the right fit for how I prefer to manage my time, especially as I usedifferent calendars for Axonify, LearnGeek, and personal activities.Given that a search for the word “calendar” in the App Store yields eleventy-billionresults, I need some help finding the right technology.
My odyssey to find the right calendar app feels very likenavigating the enterprise learning technology landscape nowadays. When I firststarted in L&D (you know—way backin the days when Facebook required a .edu email address), you just picked fromthe big LMS vendors and cobbled together a SharePoint site as your corelearning tech. Actually, HR and IT usually made it even easier by “gifting” youthe “learning part” of the talent management suite they decided to buy withoutyour input. There weren’t that many options anyway, so we just did what wecould with what we were given. Our focus wasn’t so much on the user-facing techas it was on the authoring tools in those days.
Now I can’t go a week without hearing about a new platformfrom a vendor that cleverly removed a vowel in its name to make sure you know it’shigh-tech. Depending on how you define “learning technology,” there arehundreds to thousands of platforms from which to choose. Video portals.Microlearning platforms. Coaching software. LMSs. LRSs. CMSs. Enterprise socialnetworks. Employee knowledge platforms. Even within each alternative category,vendors offer varying features, packaging, and price points. Options are almostalways a great thing, and this learning technology explosion is clearly basedon the realization that legacy systems haven’t provided the value companiesdemand. But, in real life, how can L&D pros be expected to make the rightdecision for the long-term benefit of their organization, given the breakneckpace of modern technology?
Yes, there are a few people who work in this space and selltheir reporting and services to L&D teams to help them overcome the noise.However, even if you hire professional help, it’s still your responsibility tomake the best possible decisions for your organization. Consultants may do agreat job, but they don’t know your business. They aren’t part of your culture.And your employees won’t go looking for the consultants when the selectedtechnology fails to help them do their jobs better. So, rather than justacquiescing to an external opinion, L&D pros must be capable of navigatingthe learning alt-tech landscape.
Plug into the network
You can’t keep up on your own. It’s just not possible. Justas I need help to find the right calendar app (seriously, suggestionswelcomed), L&D pros must leverage the strength of the professionalcommunity to find right-fit solutions. Otherwise, you’ll be at the mercy of thevendors with the biggest marketing budgets and shiniest customer logos.Professional organizations, including The eLearning Guild, are a great place to start. Events like Learning Solutions Conference & Expo and DevLearn provide you with the opportunity toget more hands-on familiarity with the latest learning technology.
For even more regular updates, get out of your bubble andbuild a global personal learning network (PLN) via social tools like Twitterand LinkedIn. Remember when I mentioned how often I hear about new learningplatforms? Most of that intel comes my way via my curated Twitter feed. Withoutthese trusted sources, I’d get lost in the sea of marketing and buzzwords too.When I have a question about a particular tech, I can blast it out to a groupof like-minded pros who collectively have a lot more practical experience than Ido. If you’re new to the L&D online network, start with Jane Hartand add new connections from there.
Design the experience first
I read a number of RFPs as part of my role, and they almostalways confuse me. Companies submit spreadsheets with row after row of featurerequirements, but they almost never add up to a cohesive, modern learningexperience for the end users. Maintaining awareness of the latest and greatestin learning tech can certainly make you more informed when it comes time to goshopping, but it shouldn’t dictate how you support your people.
Rather than lead with features, work with your stakeholdersand employees to understand the learning experience(s) that would best drivemeasurable business results within your organization. Design an experience thataligns with the right-fit learning principles, such as the 70:20:10 framework,and can grow with your employees as organizational priorities shift and thework changes. Then, look for technologies that can bring this experience tolife and/or inform it to make it even better. Don’t just ask vendors to tellyou what they do. Explain your desired experience, and challenge them to showhow they can make it work.
Don’t get stuck on integration
I often hear L&D and IT pros harping on platformintegration. If the tech won’t plug directly into the organization’s existingtoys, then it won’t make the cut. In a perfect world, every app would integratewith every other app. However, that’s just not the case, given the array oftechnologies available and limited standards for nuanced functionality. Keep inmind that people function in their own multi-technology ecosystems every day.For example, I have 200-plus apps on my iPhone—30 that I use on a daily basis.Yet, I somehow manage to get by without heavy integration or single sign-on.
Integration should be prioritized based on the desire tosimplify the user and administrator experiences (in that order). However, withthe exception of low-hanging fruit like account management and userauthentication, formal integration can often be more trouble than it’s worthand should therefore not become the deciding factor. Your experiencearchitecture should take considerations such as user access and data collectioninto account and find ways to make it work, even if there is a little moreadministrative effort necessary. Don’t underestimate your employees when itcomes to their ability to balance various tools with their purposes. They do itevery day on their own devices.
Use consumer tech criteria
How do you decide which apps to keep on your phone? Ifyou’re like me, you look for simple design, meaningful features, consistentupdates, and a little bit of “wow” factor. In addition, you probably recognizethat you get what you pay for. You can only expect so much from a free app, soyou look for clear ROI if you have to spend any money. Why don’t we apply thesame criteria to our learning technology decisions? Yes, the stakes are a lothigher than a $4.99 app download, but the overall technology experienceshouldn’t be that far off.
We’re talking about enterprise learning and performancetechnology, not 3-D rendering software. All of your employees—regardless oftech savviness—will be expected to use these tools on the job. Simplicityshould drive your selection process. And that’s simplicity to the average enduser, not the L&D team. Rather than buying the kitchen sink of learningtech, identify differentiating features that will enable your learningexperience design. Ask vendors how often they release updates. If they aren’ton at least a monthly schedule, I’d be concerned about their ability to keeppace with the industry. And these update processes should mirror consumertechnology. They shouldn’t require considerable time and effort to execute. Thedays of months-long update projects and test scripts are over thanks to thecloud. Finally, don’t assume that “cheaper with enough features” is better.Rather than focus on up-front expense, look at the potential ongoing ROI onyour technology purchase. This shift will help you reposition L&D from costcenter to bottom-line profit generator in the minds of your stakeholders.
Talk to current and past customers
Marketers and salespeople are great at what they do. Well,some of them are great. They know they have a great product, and they believeit can help you solve your problems. Unfortunately, they’re sometimes wrong (onboth counts). It’s easy to get distracted by flashy promo materials andbig-name logos. But it’s what’s behind the marketing that really matters toyour employees and their development.
If you’re considering a vendor, talk to their current and past customers. Don’t limit yourexploration to the one or two approved customer names the vendor provides. Digdeep to find organizations with similar use cases and experience designs. If acustomer decided to leave the vendor, what drove the decision? Was it them orthe vendor? Do the factors that led to this decision relate to your experiencedesign? In my experience, technology providers that can make a real impactaren’t shy about sharing their customer lists (minus the handful oforganizations that don’t allow their affiliation to be known for legalreasons).
Hire partners, not products
I can put all of the technology providers I’ve worked withover the years into two groups. There were the ones that required a supportticket and a fee before I could talk to them after the purchasing process wascomplete. Then there were the ones that just wouldn’t go away because theyacted like they were just as invested in my success with their technology as Iwas. Guess which group I prefer.
The role technology plays in our lives is a constantly shiftingproposition. This is just as true at work. With all of the demands on ourL&D capacity, we need to find the right partners who can help us navigatethe always-changing learning technology landscape. Therefore, in addition to aplatform’s capabilities and packaging, research their ongoing support andsuccess processes. Will they be there when you need a strategic thoughtpartner? Can they help you understand how their platform fits into your largerlearning and performance ecosystem? Even the simplest technology can prove invaluablewhen it’s elevated by knowledgeable and experienced partners who invest in yourlong-term success.
The rate of change is as fast as ever—maybe faster
The evolution of learning technology shows no signs ofslowing down. As concepts like machine learning, augmented intelligence, datainteroperability, and mixed realities redefine the consumer space, theirworkplace applications—and plenty of new vendors—won’t be far behind. L&Dpros must improve their understanding of the learning-technology landscape sothey can make the best ongoing decisions for their organizations. Otherwise, werisk repeating our past mistakes and getting stuck with enterprise tools thatemployees do their best to avoid. Technology-enabled learning is a reality ofthe modern workplace, and we must therefore empower our people with the righttools as part of a well-designed learning and performance support experience.
From the editor: Want more?
JD Dillon will present three sessions at the Guild’s Learning Solutions and Ecosystemconferences co-located in Orlando next month:
- People First! Building an Employee-Centered Learning Ecosystem at 2:30 PM onWednesday, March 22.
- It’s Time for the Family Feud: L&D Edition at 5:15 PM on Wednesday, March 22.JD will co-host this learning stage session with Carol Leaman.
- Panel: What’s Wrong with Evaluation? at 4:00 PM on Thursday, March 23. JD willhost the panel, which also includes Will Thalheimer, Julie Dirksen, SteveForeman, and Megan Torrance.
