The role of the learning developer is expanding in scope and responsibility. Today’s learning professionals need to understand how to use mobile devices to deliver useful content at the time of need. They have to consider the complete user experience, including user context, device capabilities, mobile interface design, and audience personas. And they have to understand how all of these variables translate into a memorable experience for their audience.

As companies support using more devices to access training content, the balance between standardizing the training experience and supporting learning on the go becomes more challenging. There are distinct differences when accessing content on a computer versus a tablet or smartphone, including screen size, ways to interact with the content, and sometimes even people’s expectations of the experience. Is one experience better than the other? And is it possible to support both well?

Video is trending in L&D for good reasons. When video-based learning projects go right, they can resonate well with their audience and make a huge impact. However, when they go wrong, they can go very, very wrong. Why? Because there’s a substantial amount of financial, legal, branding, security, and relationship risk introduced when incorporating video into your learning strategy. So how can you safely create a more video-centric culture? And what processes and protocols need to be in place before you move forward?

Increasingly more participants in live online virtual training classes are joining by mobile device—which means they connect via the platform app instead of using the full desktop program. While this gives people substantially more flexibility in where and when they can access virtual training, it has a big drawback as well. Most virtual training designs assume that all tools and features will be available for learning activities, but most virtual classroom apps only have limited features. Given this challenge, it can be tricky to know how best to design virtual training content that’s engaging but that every member of your audience can fully experience.

In a world of short attention spans and the need to “break through the clutter,” how can you ensure your learning videos leave your audience remembering your message? Maybe it’s time to look outside L&D for inspiration and toward a field that already does this well: advertising. If advertisements can influence people to purchase items they don’t need, are there ways to use this field’s secrets to influence learners (and do this without their feeling manipulated)?

With an ever-increasing number of people spending more time watching online video than they do watching TV, it’s no surprise that the demand for video content is higher than ever. As you might expect, this trend is also leading to a higher expectation for video communication and training in the workplace. Fortunately, as it continues to grow in popularity, video is also becoming easier and more cost-effective for anyone to produce as long as they have the right tools to help.

Videos in learning isn't new, but the video medium is seeing rapid expansion in use, from microlearning to interactivity. Before you can move forward, you need buy-in, and that can be challenging. Barriers to approval can range from bandwidth and hosting to skill sets and equipment costs.

Learning videos can range from astoundingly effective to painfully bad. And while most people can at least create content that avoids the latter category, it’s not always easy to know what makes the difference between video content that truly resonates with your audience and content that is fine but forgettable. Thankfully, one of the best solutions is to take a closer look at examples that work well.

Deconstructing Games is a new series of hands-on sessions where you’ll have the opportunity to play a game and then discuss how the mechanics in play can be applied in your own learning context.

Deconstructing Games is a new series of hands-on sessions where you’ll have the opportunity to play a game and then discuss how the mechanics in play can be applied in your own learning context.

New for FocusOn this year! This is a popular session being offered twice. It's also available as session 506.