eLearning App Development Company

How to Make a Learning App in 9 steps Let's describe eLearning application development as a step-by-step process. Note that most development stages run simultaneously making the process faster. Besides, you don't need to be a pro in all spheres or hire a team of business analysts, developers, QA engineers, marketing specialists, etc. Smart and rational business owners prefer finding a reliable company with large expertise in web and mobile application development services. Thus you get skilled specialists in your team that will guarantee a bug-free product, faster launch, a well-thought business plan with recommendations regarding a monetization method, and post-launch support. As you can see, your task roughly boils down to finding a reliable software services vendor and establishing transparent cooperation. In case your aim is to create a language learning app like Duolingo, the process is exactly the same. Now let's see the particular steps that will lead you to successful eLearning app development and launch. Step 1. Deciding on Your App Concept Determine what kind of a web or mobile eLearning app you want for your business. Shall it be a stand-alone product, or a part of a larger educational platform, only a mobile app or a web version as well? Choose the learning format - text, video, audio, games, and others. You can use either one format in your app or a combination of them. Which is best depends on your target audience. For example, game-based learning suits best for children, while the audio format would be great for working professionals. Types of eLearning Apps Web applications vs Mobile applications Web applications are built for PCs, usually with access via Internet browsers. They don't need to be downloaded or installed. Mobile apps are developed for a certain operating system or can be hybrid (built for different operating systems simultaneously). Mobile apps need to be downloaded and installed once, then updated regularly if there are any updates. This type of eLearning app is gaining high popularity as it has a wider functionality and offers the possibility to learn offline. Apps with Adaptive learning approach vs Fixed one The distinctive feature of fixed learning is pre-determined learning content and learning path. In other words, all learners receive the same learning material and use it to achieve their learning goals step by step. Adaptive eLearning offers a unique learning experience to each learner based on different learning goals, knowledge levels, and skills. It means that each learner can pass the course at their own pace. Such an approach is backed by Artificial Intelligence. AI can analyze a learner's progress. If a learner is stuck on a certain topic, they get more explanations and tests at this stage. If a lesson or topic is mastered quickly, a learner will pass to the next one without losing time. Individual eLearning apps vs Collaborative eLearning apps Individual online learning allows every learner to study independently to achieve their goals on their own. Collaborative online learning relies on communication between learners. They use video conferencing tools for video connection. Usually, learners work in groups and achieve learning goals together. Step 2. Conducting a Business Analysis In case you have hired a software development company, you'll be backed by a business analyst at this stage. This person will guide you through all the necessary actions. If you work with your in-house staff, here are the tips to take for conducting business analysis. Tip 1. Make sure that the idea you want to implement has a unique sales proposition and a market demand. Tip 2. Study your target audience, their needs, and objectives. You can use websites like Quora and Reddit to ask and see what people ask. This will give you a full picture of their goals and expectations. Tip 3. Make a competitor analysis in your niche. For that, not only check out what your competitors offer but also read reviews to see what their customers are satisfied and dissatisfied with. It'll give you an insight into competitors' apps gaps that you can fill in to provide users with a better experience. Tip 4. Before you start to create e learning app, you need to choose a monetization strategy. We'll talk about which ones exist and how to choose a bit later in the Monetization Opportunities section. Tip 5. You can also make a SWOT analysis. It's about analyzing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for your idea. Step 3. Making the requirement list for further development The requirement list is an inventory of application features that determines what your team will implement into your project. In case you work with an eLearning app development company, the Project Manager will do that for you based on your app concept, business analysis, and your other preferences. Consider MVP Product Instead of a Full-Fledged App A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product version that has just enough features to be presented to users. On the other hand, a full-fledged app is a completed product with full-scale powerful functionality. Starting with MVP software development can be a wise decision on many occasions as it saves money and minimizes time to market. You also get feedback from the first users that will give you valuable insights for building an eLearning app. Whichever option you choose, your next step is choosing the features to apply. Together with core features, think about using some advanced technologies that perfectly work to attract and engage users. For example, gamification, eLearning chatbots, AI-powered personal recommendations, speech recognition, implementation of IoT, and AR/VR. Must-Have eLearning App Features E-learning app development starts with defining a core feature set. Here are the must-have features both for web and mobile eLearning apps: Simple Signup and Login Every app user must have several options to sign up and enter the system. Except for a standard username and password, consider signup and login through social networks and Google authenticator. Both these methods have proven to work and facilitate the process. Gamification By gamification we mean achievement badges, levels unlocking after successful completion of previous levels, strakes, leaderboards, gems and crowns, or exploring new sites, planets, etc. Gamification makes boring assignments interesting and transforms difficult into simple. This will help your users achieve real learning goals faster. blackboard.com Easy-to-Use Interface and Profile The user profile contains all information about the learner. It can include avatar, name, date of birth, contact information, current subscriptions, available topics and courses, and so on. The user interface has helpful information about the learning process. For example, the information about all previous, current and bookmarked courses, learner's achievements, certificates, etc. It's important to make the interface and profile highly intuitive, not overcrowded with icons, and with well-thought navigation and filters. In-app Payments As with the signup and login, it's better to provide users with several payment options. After the payment is completed. Consider auto-enrollment after a user completes the payment. The most popular payment options are credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay. Designed by Belitsoft Progress tracking dashboard This feature lets tutors, employers, mentors, and learners track the learning progress in a convenient way. Besides, learners tend to perform better if they can regularly track their progress. So here, it's also important to make an intuitive and simple display of information about course progress, learner's performance, assignments, test results, etc. Push notifications Push notifications are majorly used for learners' retention. The app sends notifications and alerts to learners in case they miss a day or two, or to notify them about the availability of new material, new video, upcoming class, and other purposes. Quizzes and assessments Regular assessments are the best way to check learners' progress and allow them to keep track of their own performance. You can do this with the help of tests or quizzes. Actually, quizzes have proven to be quite exciting for learners. Online tests and quizzes usually go after every topic or section. If your application is powered by AI, such knowledge checks can be performed in an advanced way. Instead of a predefined series of questions, AI will ask a learner certain questions based on their performance and wrong-or-right answers to previous questions. Advanced eLearning App Features These features reveal growing trends in eLearning applications development. They will make your software stand out, gain and retain more users bringing your and your business higher profits. AI-powered Personalization One of the features that can attract and engage people to your app is the content or curriculum personalized for users' needs. You can achieve personalization by basic traditional methods. For example, let them customize their profile, pick an avatar, or let them connect the app with their social media accounts. However, deep advanced personalization is possible only with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Personalized learning using AI implies offering only highly relevant content for each learner based on their previous learning behavior, knowledge level, and goals. And that is what learners expect from modern applications and the teaching approach. But how to develop a learning app with high personalization? You can apply personalization in eLearning mobile app development by: delivering customizable virtual tutoring; using content based on learner's browsing habits and preferences; enabling users to set individual learning objectives and passing their own learning path; allowing learners to skip certain topics or parts of a course; The significance of AI-powered learning apps is that they remove teacher burnout and student anxiety by prioritizing excellent student and teacher experience. Designed by Belitsoft Microlearning This approach consists of breaking learning materials into small learning units or short-term learning activities. It means delivering learning content in a very short and easily digestible form where every chunk takes 5-10 minutes to accomplish. The reason for the popularity of microlearning is improved learners' focus and support of long-term retention by up to 80%. app.hubspot.com Chatbots Educational chatbots, especially the ones powered by AI, boost the eLearning business. They are also the key tool to providing a personalized learning experience to both students and corporate professionals. Chatbots can imitate teachers assisting a learner 24/7. No need to ask a tutor or admin directly, no need to wait for a response long. They also eliminate the fear of making a mistake. This is why chatbots increase learners' retention and favor a better use of knowledge and skills. CRM/CMS Integration By integrating your application with a Content Management System (CMS), you can easily manage the content of your app. CMS also keeps constant tabs on the learning content of the platform. Thanks to your app or LMS and CRM integration, you can create a database of learners and use them for marketing purposes, thus increasing your profit. hubspot.com Social communication This feature helps increase the interaction among app users. Using discussion forums, the app users can easily post questions, resolve their doubts, create new topics to discuss or add a comment under already existing topics. thrivelearning.com Offline mode Giving an option to pass tests and learn without access to the Internet is a nice-to-have feature. For that, consider adding an option of lesson download to pass it later whenever they have free time. duolingo.com Video streaming and content Video is one of the most popular content formats now. It increases learners' engagement and retention regardless of their age. Besides, consider adding video lesson streaming. This option allows learners to directly interact with a tutor, ask questions in the chat room or live even in the middle of the class. The teacher can stop explanations to resolve the learner's doubts and move on only after solving the learner's problem. Technologies like AR and VR More and more enterprises are starting to use AR and VR for training their employees. The reason is employees can quickly and easily immerse themselves in different scenarios, and be immediately tested in particular situations. How does it work? The camera of a user's phone or tablet captures an object. The AR/VR-powered software adds digital elements to this picture. It creates the illusion that this holographic content is a part of a real world. VR and AR-visualization allows showing complex objects in a simple and convenient way. It significantly increases both memorization of information and the depth of understanding. Step 4. Content Creation As soon as you elaborate a clear vision of the content format and structural blocks of your application, you can start gathering, creating, or digitizing content. This work goes simultaneously with the development and working on the design. The best practice for creating relevant and high-quality content without mistakes is to invite professional teachers. This tactic ensures creating an effective course and avoiding mistakes in learning materials. Step 5. Working on UI/UX Design The application design depends on your target audience. A learning application for kids usually has a more simple interface and bright colors. While an app for corporate use requires a strict interface and muted color scheme. Whatever your audience is, there is one common thing - the need for an easy-to-use and intuitive interface. Overloaded interfaces repel users. Skilled UX/UI designers have sufficient experience in e learning application development to help you make the right decision. Usually, their work starts from creating a prototype. Then designers make all the necessary changes based on the client's updates. If you cannot decide between two options, A/B testing can help decide which option will have a better impact on learners. Step 6. Choosing Tech Stack and Development Before developing an application, your in-house developers or a dedicated team choose a suitable tech stack. There are two approaches in eLearning app development: creating a native app or a cross-platform one. Native applications created only for iOS or Android have higher development costs, require higher developers' skills, and have higher performance. Cross-platform development costs lower but has limitations (for example, in animations and 3D objects). When deciding on the tech stack for your app, developers will take into account your project requirements that impact largely the choice. How to make e learning app and save money? The best practice is to make it cross-platform using React Native. React Native framework for cross-platform development is simple to use and highly adaptable. It comes with open-source pre-build libraries that can accelerate app development by reducing the codebase work by 95%. Also, React Native makes it simple to integrate third-party plugins and APIs (e.g., maps and payment modes). React Native is used by Facebook, Instagram, Tesla, Skype, Walmart, Bloomberg, etc. Tech stack needed for eLearning mobile app development Category Technologies and Tools Programming languages Java, Kotlin, Swift and Objective-C Backend/API Ruby, .NET, Postgre DB, Redis Frontend React.js, Vue.js, AngularJS SDK Android, iOS, React Native, Xamarin, Flutter Architecture MVC, MVP, MVVM and VIPER, Redux Streaming Media System Streaming Media System – Helix Universal Server, Nimble Streamer, Wowza streaming engine Database MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase, MailChimp Integration Real-time analytics Spark, Hadoop, Apache Flink, Cisco, IBM, BigData Also, we suggest you learn more about how to create a learning app with high user data protection (GDPR). Step 7. Application testing Software testing is an imperative stage of eLearning application development. It eliminates bugs ensuring smooth work and high quality of the application. One of the best practices in software testing is using a combination of functional (regression, sanity, smoke, etc.) and non-functional testing (performance, security, etc). It's also wise to run focus group testing after launching the MVP or a beta version of an app. Thus you will see the weak points of your app and will make the necessary changes in the full-fledged version. Step 8. Launch and Maintenance of the App Application development doesn't end with a launch. And your team should be prepared for maintenance of the product. In case you cooperate with an eLearning app development company, you'll get corresponding support as well. It'll be more clear if we take Belitsoft as an example. Our cooperation with a client isn't limited to software development and delivery. Belitsoft goes beyond that by offering ongoing lifetime software support and maintenance service for solutions we develop. In case your product is for mass use, we can provide technical support for its users or your clients' support too. Step 9. Promoting and Tracking KPIs Having launched an app, your in-house or outsourcing team needs to promote it. Marketing support and advertising campaigns can be started even during the development stage not to lose time. Among best practices in promoting an educational app, there is the creation of a landing page, video intros, and teasers, posting on social media, etc. Tracking the performance of your product is also crucial. And it's not only about the number of users. It's about such KPIs as retention rate, churn rate, ROI, the average revenue per user. How can Belitsoft help you? As an eLearning app development company with 17 years of expertise, Belitsoft experts know how to creatу a learning app. We are ready to take your idea, develop an app under your control, and make it successful on the market. What will we do for you? Run thorough business analysis of the market and your competitors; Hold individual consultation on the app concept, monetization model, development details, etc. Choose the most suitable technologies and tools for your project. Offer the best cooperation model for your case that will save money and time. Set up a transparent communication and reporting process to give you timely updates. Build an MVP or full-fledged app within the agreed time. Deliver a bug-free smoothly working product. Let's talk! How Much Does It Cost to Develop an E-learning App? The cost of an eLearning application development depends on 3 factors: 1. The complexity of the application. Depending on whether your app is loaded with advanced features or has only basic ones, the cost will critically differ. In case you make an MVP, it will also cost less than a full-fledged product. 2. The number of platforms. An app developed only on iOS or Android will cost less in comparison to the app for two or multiple platforms. 3. The region of the eLearning app development company. The cost of eLearning app development differs from region to region. For example in the USA, the development cost per hour is $150-$250, in Eastern Europe this cost is in the range of $35-$50. What Does the Price Include? To create e learning app, you pass through the following stages: Business analytics (with discovery phase optionally when a client has no clear vision of the project scope or the overall concept and needs vendor's help) Project management UI/UX design services Development Quality Assurance So how much does it cost to develop an e-learning app? Here is the rough estimate of all work stages for a simple cross-platform app: Type of Work Rough Hours Estimation BA and PM 80 hours UI/UX design 120 hours Development 300 hours QA 80 hours Total 580 hours Depending on the hourly rate of the selected software development company, now you can calculate the estimated cost of your project. Or simply let professionals calculate it all for you. GET A FREE QUOTE Why should you invest in eLearning apps? [Statistics] Insightful Statistics for Businesses about eLearning Apps According to the IBM training research, each $1 a company invests in building an elearning app results in a $30 return thanks to the increase in employees' productivity. 71% of Millennials report that they prefer mobile learning for L&D activities to desktop or formal methods, according to Gallup. Educational apps take 3rd place in App Store with an 8,69% share, as per Statista. Gallup reported that 71% of the people have said that the concepts are clearer with eLearning apps than the traditional way of teaching in a classroom. Owing to the Covid-19 influence, education has shifted from traditional to online. Forbes states that the popularity of eLearning apps and platforms has increased substantially. And the expected market size by the end of 2025 will equal $325 billion. So in the upcoming years, businesses will have multiple profitable opportunities for e learning application development to skyrocket the revenues. Besides, the demand for online education is pretty unlikely to decrease, which is backed by statistics and analytical predictions. That's why mobile learning apps are a great investment with high profits. 4 Real-Life Examples of Profitable eLearning Apps Let's take 4 examples of commercially successful eLearning apps to see how they differ and what they offer. Mobile App for eLearning Startup Belitsoft was contacted by a founder of the US-based EdTech startup. The idea was to create a custom elearning app for studying on the go or standing in a traffic jam. Our team has developed both a mobile app (iOS, Android) and a web app. Among the core features of the apps, there are microlearning, gamification, offline mode, simple course management, and many others. As a result, the Client saved almost $8,000 working with Belitsoft thanks to reusing the code that we have in our large database. Mobile eLearning App for Boosting Customers' Loyalty To gain new customers and increase current customers' loyalty to their desktop LMS, our Client needed a mobile strategy. Belitsoft created custom mobile apps for this LMS - for Android, iOS, and Windows. And added 12 language versions to increase the audience. Among other features to mention, the apps have got a highly personalized learner account with performance tracking, reporting, certificates, etc. Also, we created a simple-to-use and responsive course management for teachers and admins. Up to date, our Client's eLearning solutions have expanded to new markets and gained 4+ million customers (enterprises and commercial universities) in 40+ countries. Coursera Massive Open Online Course for Certification Coursera MOOC has both web and mobile apps. Its peculiarity is the largest course database with over 4,000 training courses in total. The company offers online courses and certificate programs in exchange for tuition and access fees. The company partners with hundreds of training companies and universities to get high-quality content that they deliver to their learners. For 2020, Coursera earned $293.5 million in revenues, with 59% growth year over year. coursera.com EdX App for Upskilling & Reskilling EdX eLearning app brings online courses in 30+ subjects from the best universities and eLearning companies to learners' mobile devices. Learners all over the world can build job-relevant skills, test their knowledge level, and get certificates to become more competitive on the job market. As of 2020, more than 150 corporations, non-profit organizations, and schools use or plan to use edX courses, which skyrockets the company revenue up to the estimated $95M per year. edx.org These companies used to be startups or training providers once. Now they have achieved breathtaking heights thanks to their e-learning app development solutions. And you can do that too. For that, you don't even need tech or domain expertise in case you have a trusted eLearning app development company that will fulfill your idea. Let us show you how you can grow your eLearning business or effectively train your employees as our previous clients did. Let's talk! Monetization Options in eLearning Apps When you choose a monetization model, take into account your target audience. For example, if your app is for kids and you consider an in-app ad placement, don't forget about strict guidelines on what you can and can't promote to kids. In-app ads That's when eLearning app owners get paid for advertising a specific college, educational institute, their services, or other information. Advanced data and user tracking and analytics create a favorable in-app environment that permits reaching consumers with high accuracy. Subscription The most common monetization method is when learners pay for a subscription to get access to the content. For example, the Shaw Academy subscription ranges between $49.99 and $60.00. After payment, users get full access to the course library. Freemium Some eLearning apps offer basic courses for free while making in-depth materials available only in premium courses for which they charge learners. Or the apps may offer paid installs. For example, access to books and research, instructional videos, chatbots, further lessons, etc. Featured listing Applicablу only if your app consists of the courses created by educational institutions. In this case, eLearning apps receive commissions from educational institutions in return for the courses they provide to that app. But there is another monetization source - featured listings. How does it work? Some course providers pay an extra amount to app owners to make their courses appear at the top of the courses list. So when a student searches for courses on a particular subject, the paid courses appear at the top. Such an approach also increases the popularity of a particular institution, which is win-win cooperation for both parties. Certifications The process of earning starts when learners are offered certification in exchange for an enrollment fee. After paying the fees, a learner gets access to a certification course for a certain period of time. After completing this certification course, a learner gets a certificate that confirms their skills or is needed for confirming the license. For example, Udemy list prices range from $9 to $300 for each course. Often, users can find certain courses on sale and use coupons to save some money. In-app purchases Lately, eLearning apps have been experimenting with involving commercial setups in their business style. Multiple products related to education can be bought through such app or their websites. For example, pens, registers, files, folders, or books. Benefits of eLearning Apps for Business, Learners, and Course Providers The key idea of eLearning web and mobile applications is to make the learning curriculum available on personal smartphones and PCs to study whenever and wherever learners want. Who benefits from educational apps? online courses to make their content available for larger audiences; companies to upskill and reskill their employees; companies and educational providers to offer certification courses for specialists; specialists to maintain a high qualification level or to get new skills; adults to reskill and gain new knowledge; educational institutions to solve challenges of ineffective traditional learning; kids to learn in an engaging way and ease the learning process; students to prepare for exams. How to build elearning app is not the primary question of stakeholders. The primary question is what benefits can e-learning app development solutions give your business? Benefits for business Efficiency and advancement are major priorities for businesses today. That's why businesses opt for eLearning which saves their money, time, and energy. Saved Time and Money Shifting Learning and Development into employees' phones significantly reduces training costs on traveling, accommodation, paper materials, and payment to a coach. Learners get learning materials on their smartphones, tablets, or personal computers and study whenever and wherever they want. Boosted Performance & Increased Profits With mobile access and bite-sized lessons, people tend to feel more engaged and complete courses faster. It means that your employees will spend less time on learning and more time on their duties. Actualized certificates and knowledge, newly mastered skills, and higher engagement - all that leads to higher profit for your company. Effective Training of New Hires Usually, your new employees spend weeks if not months to adapt to new technologies or internal systems. Using mobile eLearning apps for onboarding accelerates and facilitates onboarding. Especially for Generation Z. Educational applications can also be beneficial for remote workers, telecommuters, gig workers, or off-site recruits to learn new methodology, tools, and tasks remotely. Reduced Employee Turnover By providing your in-house workers with the possibility to upskill and reskill, you build a culture of continuous learning and internal mobility. Investing in L&D through training apps helps business stakeholders retain talents while avoiding the costs of new hires' training. Streamlined Licensing & Compliance Training Employees can access compliance training through a learning app at any time permitting employees to learn at their own pace. Thanks to personalization, adaptive learning, and advanced analytical tools powered by AI, employees can also identify their weak areas and resolve the issue by pinpointing these weaknesses instead of passing a unified course. Benefits for training companies Increased Retention Rates among Users Web and mobile eLearning apps ensure better completion and retention rates than traditional learning methods. One of the reasons is the microlearning approach. The apps offer content in a bite-sized manner. In this way, learners can quickly learn one course and jump onto the next one. Besides, apps usually use interactive, audio, and video media materials that make learning more engaging. Performance Insights to Motivate Learners Educational apps provide insightful data on learners' current knowledge level and their progress. The report prepared by these apps can be examined by employers, tutors, and other responsible personas. It gives them insight into time spent studying, the best and the worst performers, etc. Holistic and Diverse Training for High Learners' SatisfactionIt's about offering multiple content formats, instructional information together with tests and quizzes. Holistic learning will directly influence learners' performance and increased satisfaction among learners. Benefits for learners Significant Money Saving A learner saves money by using an app instead of paying a tutor. Paying once for a subscription or a course, they get full access to all information and even certificates that prove the acquisition of new skills. Also, learners don't waste money to travel to conferences and courses that take place in other cities. It translates to huge savings on traveling, accommodation, and other collateral expenses. Flexibility and Accessibility Elearning applications have made education flexible and versatile by offering various learning options to the students in the form of podcasts, videos, AI tutoring, etc. One of the areas these apps intensely focus on is making the apps accessible anywhere and anytime. It's important for busy people, for those who live in remote areas, and even for people with disabilities. Learner-centric approach Modern eLearning apps are built with a focus on a learner. What does it look like? Now eLearning apps start to massively use AI to create highly relevant and personalized content that is specific to each learner's needs and aligns with their career pathways and goals. Also, thanks to AI chatbots learners get assistance and tutoring 24/7. Wide choice of materials People no longer need to choose only courses available in their city. Thanks to eLearning they are free to choose from multiple learning materials online. Are you a business stakeholder who understands the necessity of employee training? Or an EdTech company that wants to successfully sell their courses? Contact our eLearning expert to validate your idea and get a FREE consultation.

Common UX/UI Design Mistakes for E-Learning Mobile Apps Badly executed information architecture Building (and maintaining) the correct information architecture of an app is vital for its future (and current) success. Content and features that are most commonly used should be placed on the top. Prioritizing features by popularity is something all designers should pay attention to. How do you define which functions would be used more commonly? Well, it starts with using your intuition and researching the best practices of other apps. Then make adjustments according to feedback. The core of the problem: not putting enough effort on planning information architecture within the app. While this seems to be an important issue, lack of consistent analysis in planning is an often met thing. The designers should focus on a mobile platform and what is important to users. The navigation in the E-Learning app should remain as simple as it gets. Some designers might complain that every app is using a minimalistic approach now, but in most cases, this is just what is demanded. Learning online is hard enough already, no need to make things more complex. In short, smooth information architecture is no rocket science. However, being overlooked, it might cause plenty of troubles in usability. Consistency issues The core of the problem: using too many font types, different styles on the same page of an app. It is not just the same font types on a single screen, using different fonts across several screens also confuses users. It is not just about fonts, color scheme should remain consistent throughout all the pages on an E-Learning app. More on that in the next section. Aside from simple pieces of advice like “don’t use more than three fonts per page”, there is nothing to suggest an overall improvement of this component. Overall consistency eliminates users’ confusion and helps them save some time on navigation learning. Wrong colors The core of the problem: selecting “wrong” color combinations Choosing the correct scheme should not be an issue for the experienced designer and yet those cases are still met. Some people choose Viber messenger instead of WhatsApp just because they like purple more than green. This doesn’t make lots of sense, but, as Kahneman stated in his book “Think Fast, Think Slow” - human beings are not as rational as one might think. Focus on a nice contrast between the text and background colors. Using some software to select the needed colors might help UX designers get close to the perfect color combination. Cluttering elements Even if the course is fantastic and well-structured no one is going to dive in should it be presented in a cluttered way. The core of the problem: not making right alignments and overcrowding the information Certainly, badly-structured E-Learning course is an awful thing. Dealing with an unclear and cluttered UI is also quite bad and users won’t take it. Keep all the important information in user’s sight - that is the general guideline here. Lack of interaction feedback What brings good applications closer to perfection? Good timely adjustments based on the feedback from the users. The core of the problem: not gathering feedback on UX/UI The perfect example of working with the feedback is demonstrated by one of the leaders at E-Learning market - Duolingo. They have plenty of forums and react to users’ requests immediately, making their design responsive in all the senses possible. Source: duolingo.com For instance, users absolutely love the adorable owl. As an element of gamification, one is able to select a dress for him after completing a certain learning task. This is not really applicable to UX/UI functions, yet a very illustrative example of reacting on feedback. Feedback comes in many forms - community messages, visual clues to name a few. The main qualifying criteria for its competence that it has to be natural and come from the users who use this E-Learning app on the regular basis. Visual Design Mistakes that are Hurtful for E-Learning Courses User doesn’t know what to focus on The well-structured course is the one user completes in a manner its creators intended. Eye moving patterns aren’t something new and certainly aren’t something that could be ignored by the designers. People tend to scan the screen in a Z pattern. However, their patterns might be influenced by changing colors, font sizes, restructuring other elements of the course. This part is often overlooked. Oftentimes E-Learning courses focus solely on the info that comes the user’s way and don’t even try to display information in a representative way. What could be done about it? As our designer Kate claimed, at the beginning of her career she got acquainted with “The Non-Designer’s Design Book”. A must-have for designers. It contained the idea of CRAP - contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity principles. Should they all be intact, the user will follow the way the designer had prepared for them. All the things displayed on-screen should be there for a reason: it is called an intentional design. Poor images execution Bad images executions is an often-met design mistake that is easily solved. Sometimes inserted images get “managed” to make them fit, or being moved to another page or side. If it is done carelessly the images get scrunched, but not scaled. Course designers should keep a close look at the ratio of the images and keep it intact. The overall inconsistent visual style We’ve briefly touched this mistake in the previous article section. It makes sense to repeat some statements one more time. It would absolutely kill the mood of the user of each screen or slide will be made in a different manner. The slide-to-slide manner of completing the job might lead to this. This is just a single example of visual inconsistency in E-Learning courses that could be presented in LMS (Learning Management System) for instance. Other elements of visual inconsistency are: Using too many fonts and switching recklessly between them Overcrowding the free space on the page without leaving any white spaces Using decorative images instead of practical ones (just for sake of filling the gaps) Not applying any design mapping Alignment Looks Sloppy If you are not new to online courses, you perhaps have seen the ones with poor and sloppy alignment. These courses are lacking visual balance if you will. Online courses, like furniture in your apartments, also need feng shui in terms of alignment and keeping it throughout the whole length of it. One doesn’t need to be a feng shui master to figure out that a lonely chair in the center of the room is not the right furniture placement and bugs out the general impression of the coziness of such room. It just doesn’t look right. It might make an understanding of the course content more complex. To fix this issue, designers should have consistent margins and align objects in the same manner through the whole course. Any switch in justification (from left-justified to center) should be reasonable or avoided if it is not really needed. Grid systems are helpful to keep the objects aligned. The designers in Belitsoft usually use Bootstrap for these purposes. Consistencies, Functional and External You might be tired of hearing the word “consistency” across the article as we focus on it a lot. Goes without saying that having all elements of e-learning app work in a similar way is beneficial for the users. Leaving visual elements aside (we’ve got it covered in the previous two section with plenty of details), there is also functional and external consistency. Functional consistency means that every interactive element should work in a similar way within the e-learning app. After all, the design is not just for making the app look “cool”. What matters the most is users’ convenience. Feedback from the target audience might help with design as well. A/B testing comes handy for defining small elements of e-learning app design, If you are uncertain about which of the two options would make a better impact on the learning abilities of users - A/B test it till you get it close to perfection. As for external consistency, Design must be consistent across multiple products. It is especially important for e-learning products. One should be able to have access to the learning materials on mobile, laptop or tablet without getting to know each platform’s design individually. As online education should be available from all types of devices, and it’s vital for e-learning software to be cross-platform. As a practical step on the way to keeping this kind of consistency: Respect platform guidelines Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines and Google’s Material Design Guidelines could serve to give a general direction. Users get used to their interaction patterns of each OS (iOS and Android), and anything that contradicts general guidelines could push them away.

Mobile app quality: why does it matter? According to the survey from Dimensional Research, users are highly intolerant of any software issues. As a result, they are quick to ditch mobile apps after just a couple of occurrences. The key areas were mistakes are unforgivable are: Speed: 61% of users expect apps to start in 4 seconds or less; 49% of users expect apps to respond in 2 seconds or less. Responsiveness: 80% of users only attempt to use a problematic app three times or less; 53% of users uninstall or remove a mobile app with severe issues like crashes, freezes or errors; 36% of users stop using a mobile app if it is not battery-efficient. Stability: 55% of users believe that the app itself is responsible for performance issues; 37% lose interest in a company’s brand because of crashes or errors. The app markets, such as Google Play and App Store encourage users to leave reviews of apps. Low-point reviews will naturally lead to decreased app’s attractiveness. ‘Anyone can read your app store rating. There’s no way to hide poor quality in the world of mobile.’ Michael Croghan, Mobile Solutions Architect ‘Therefore,“metrics defining the mobile app user experience must be measured from the customer’s perspective and ensure it meets or exceeds expectations at all times.’ Dimensional Research The findings reinforce the importance of delivering quality mobile apps. This, in turn, necessitates establishing proper mobile app testing procedures. QA and testing: fundamentals Quality assurance and testing are often treated as the same thing. The truth is, quality assurance is a much broader term than just testing. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) consists of a means of monitoring the software engineering processes and methods used to ensure quality. SQA encompasses the entire software development process. It includes procedures such as: requirements definition, software design, coding, source code control, code reviews, software configuration management, testing, release management, and product integration. Testing, in its turn, is the execution of a system conducted to provide information about the quality of the software product or service under test. The purpose is to detect software bugs (errors or other flaws) and confirm that the product is ready for mass usage. The quality management system usually complies with one or more standards, such as ISO 9000 or model such as CMMI. Belitsoft leverages ISO 9001 certificate to continuously provide solutions that meet customer and regulatory requirements. Learn more about our testing services! Mobile app testing: core specifics The mobile market is characterized by fierce competition and users expect app vendors to update their apps frequently. Developers and testers are pushed to release new functionality in a shorter time. It often results in a “fail fast” development approach, with quick fixes later on. Source:http://www.perfecto.io Mobile applications are targeted for a variety of gadgets that are manufactured by different companies (Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Sony, Nokia, etc.). Different devices run on different operating systems (Android, iOS, Windows). The more platforms and operating systems are supported, the more combinations one has to test. Moreover, OS vendors constantly push out updated software, which forces developers to respond to the changes. Mobile phones were once devised to receive and make calls, so an application should not block communication. Mobile devices are constantly searching for the network connection (2G, 3G, 4G, WiFi, etc.) and should work decently at different data rates. Modern smartphones enable input through multiple channels (voice, keyboard, gestures, etc.). Mobile apps should take advantage of these capabilities to increase the ease and comfort of use. Mobile apps can be developed as native, cross-platform, hybrid or web (progressive web apps). Understanding the application type can influence a set of features one would check when testing an app. For example, whether an app relies on internet connection and how its behavior changes when it is online and offline. Mobile app testing: automated or manual? The right answer is both manual and automated. Each type has its merits and shortcomings and is better suited for a certain set of tasks at the certain stages of an app’s lifecycle. As the name implies, automated mobile app testing is performed with the help of automation tools that run prescripted test cases. The purpose of test automation is to make the testing process more simple and efficient. According to the World Quality Report, around 30% of testing is automated. So where is automation an option? Regression testing. This type of testing is conducted to ensure that an application is fully functional after new changes were implemented. As regression tests can be repeated, automation enables to run them quickly. Writing test scripts will require some time initially. However, it will pay off with fast testing in the long run, as the testers will not have to start the test from scratch each time. Load and performance testing. Automated testing will do a good job when it is needed to simulate an app’s behavior strained with thousands of concurrent users. Unit testing. The aim of unit testing is to inspect the correctness of individual parts of code, typically with an automated test suite. ‘A good unit test suite augments the developer documentation for your app. This helps new developers come up to speed by describing the functionality of specific methods. When coupled with good code coverage, a unit test acts as a safeguard against regressions. Unit tests are important for anything that does not produce a UI.’ Adrian Hall, AWS blog contributor Repetitive tasks. Automation can save the need to perform tedious tests manually. It makes the testing time-efficient and free of human errors.       While the primary concern of automated testing is the functionality of an app, manual testing focuses on user experience. Manual mobile app testing implies that testers manually execute test cases without any assistant automation tools. They play the role of end-user by checking the correct response of the application features as quickly as possible. Manual testing is a more flexible approach and allows for a more natural simulation of user actions. As a result, it is a good fit for agile environments, where time is extremely limited. As the mobile app unfolds, some features and functionality codes are also changing. Hence, automated test scripts have to be constantly reworked, which takes time. When working on a smaller product like MVP, manual testing allows to quickly validate whether the code behaves as it is intended. Moreover, manual testing is a common practice in: Exploratory testing. During the exploratory testing, a tester follows the given script and identify issues found in the process. Usability testing. Personal experience is the best tool to assess if the app looks, feels and responds right. This facet is about aesthetics and needs a human eye.  ‘While automated tests can streamline most of the testing required to release software, manual testing is used by QA teams to fill in the gaps and ensure that the final product really works as intended by seeing how end users actually use an application.’ Brena Monteiro, Software Engineer at iMusics Mobile app testing: where? When testing a mobile app one typically has three options for the testing environment: real devices, emulators/simulators, a cloud platform. Testing on real devices is naturally the most reliable approach that provides the highest accuracy of results. Testing in natural conditions also provides an insight into how an app actually works with all the hardware and software specifics. 70% of failures occur because apps are incompatible with device OS versions, and customization of OS by many manufacturers. About 30% of Android app failures stem from the incompatibility of apps with the hardware (memory, display, chips, sensors, etc.) Such things as push-notifications, devices sensors, geolocation, battery consumption, network connectivity, incoming interruptions, random app closing are easier to test on physical gadgets. Perfect replication and bug fixing are also can be achieved only on real devices. However, the number of mobile devices on the market makes it highly unlikely to test the software on all of them directly. The variety of manufacturers, platforms, operating systems versions, hardware and screen densities results in market fragmentation.  Moreover, not only devices from different manufacturers can behave differently, but the devices from the same manufacturer too. Source: mybroadband.co.za Source:developer.android.com. The share of Android OS versions When selecting a device’s stack, it is important not only to include the most popular of them but also to test an app on different screen sizes and OSes. Consumer trends may also vary depending on the geographical location of the target audience. Source: https://www.kantar.com As the names imply, emulators and simulators refer to special tools designed to imitate the behavior of real devices and operating systems. An emulator is a full virtual machine version of a certain mobile device that runs on a PC. It duplicates the inner structure of a device and its original behavior. Google’s Android SDK provides an Android device emulator. On the contrary, a simulator is a tool that duplicates only certain functionality of a device that does not simulate a real device’s hardware. Apple’s simulator for Xcode is an example. ‘Emulators and simulators “have many options for using different configurations, operating systems, and screen resolutions. This makes them the perfect tool for quick testing checks during a development workflow.’ John Wargo, Principal Program Manager for Visual Studio App Center at Microsoft ‘While this speeds up the testing process, it comes with a critical drawback — emulators can’t fully replicate device hardware. This makes it difficult to test against real-world scenarios using an emulator. Issues related to the kernel code, the amount of memory on a device, the Wi-Fi chip, and other device-specific features can’t be replicated on an emulator.’ Clinton Sprauve, Sauce Labs blog contributor The advent of cloud-based testing made it possible to get web-based access to a large set of devices for testing mobile apps. It can help to get over the drawbacks of both real devices and emulators/simulators. ‘If you want to just focus on quality and releasing mobile apps to the market, and not deal with device management, let the cloud do it for you.’ Eran Kinsbruner, lead software evangelist at Perfecto Amazon’s Device Farm, Google’s Firebase Test Lab, Microsoft's Xamarin Test Cloud, Kobiton, Perfecto, Sauce Labs are just some of the most popular services for cloud tests execution. ‘Emulators are good for user interface testing and initial quality assurance, but real devices are essential for performance testing, while device cloud testing is a good way to scale up the number of devices and operating systems.’ Will Kelly, a freelance technology writer Mobile app testing: what to test? Performance Performance testing explores functional realm as well as the back-end services of an app. Most vital performance characteristics include energy consumption, the usage of GPS and other battery-killing features, network bandwidth usage, memory usage, as well as whether an app operates properly under excessive loads. ‘It is recommended to start every testing activity with a fully charged battery, and then note the battery state every 10 minutes in order to get an impression of battery drain. Also, test the mobile app with a remaining device battery charge of 10–15%, because most devices will enter a battery-safe mode, disabling some hardware features of the device. In this state, it is very likely to find bugs such as requiring a turned-off hardware feature (GPS, for example).’ Daniel Knott, a mobile expert During the testing process, it is essential to check the app’s behavior when transiting to lower bandwidth networks (like EDGE) or unstable WiFi connections. Functionality Functional testing is used to ensure that the app is performing in the way in its expected. The requirements are usually predefined in specifications. Mobile devices are shipped with specific hardware features like camera, storage, screen, microphone, etc., and sensors like geolocation, accelerometer, ambient light or touch sensors. All of them should be tried out in different settings and conditions. ‘For example, “every camera with a different lens and resolution will have an impact on picture dimension and size; it is important to test how the mobile app handles the different picture resolutions, sizes, and uploading photos to the server.’ Daniel Knott No device is also safe from interruption scenarios like incoming calls, messages or other notifications. The aim is to spot potential hazards and unwanted issues that may arise in the event of an interruption. One should not also forget that mobile apps are used by human beings who don’t always do the expected things. For example, what happens when a user randomly pokes at an application screen or inputs some illogical data? To test such scenarios, monkey testing tools are used. Usability The goal of usability testing is to ensure the experience users get meets their expectations. Users easily get frustrated with their apps, and the most typical culprits on the usability side are: Layout and Design. User-friendly layout and design help to complete tasks easily. Therefore, mobile app testers should understand the guidelines each OS provides for their apps. Interaction. An application should feel natural and intuitive. Any confusion will eventually lead to the abandonment of an app. However, the assessment of an app’s convenience by a dedicated group may be a bit subjective. To get a more well-grounded insight into how your users perceive your app, one can implement A/B testing. The idea is to ship two different versions of an app to the same segment of end-users. By analyzing the users’ behavior, one can adjust the elements and features to the way the target audience likes it more. The practice can also guide marketers when making some strategic decisions. Localization When an app is targeted at the international market, it is likely to need the support of different languages to which devices are configured. The most frequent challenges associated with localization mobile app testing are related to date, phone number formats, currency conversion, language direction, and text lengths, etc. What is more, the language may also influence a general layout of the screen. For example, the look of the word “logout” varies considerably in different languages. Source: http://www.informit.com Therefore, it is important to think about language peculiarities in advance to make sure UI is adapted to handle different languages. Final thoughts The success of a mobile app largely depends on its quality. ‘The tolerance of the users is way lower than in the desktop era. The end-users who adopt mobile applications have high expectations with regards to quality, usability and, most importantly, performance.’ Eran Kinsbruner Belitsoft is dedicated to providing effective and quality mobile app testing. We adhere to the best testing practices to make the process fast and cost-effective. Write to us to get a quote!

How Belitsoft Can Help We have been working in the eLearning domain since the early 2000s. Here’s how we can use our experience to assist you: Content Development. We can create new eLearning content and package it with the format of your choosing. Custom eLearning software development. If you want to break into the eLearning market with a great new product, we can provide the technical know-how and capable professionals to help you. LXP Consulting & Development. We can share our knowledge of learning experience platforms to guide you along your path to success. LET'S CREATE YOUR SUCCESSFUL CASE TOGETHER! What Are eLearning Standards? Elearning standards are common guidelines for content, authoring tools, and learning software (LMS, LXP, eLearning applications) that specify how learning content should be created and delivered over various platforms or how those platforms should interoperate. The need for unified eLearning standards appeared as a reaction to the emergence of dozens of Learning Management Systems on the market. If they only accepted content tailored to their exact specification and couldn´t interact with other software, this would lead to vendor lock-in (dependence) with the corresponding risks and expenses. Why Do You Need to Apply eLearning Standards? Compatibility. Suppose you have a course that is hosted on a specific LMS. Eventually, you grow dissatisfied with that system and decide to migrate to another. As your course is SCORM-compliant, it can be transferred to the new LMS in a few clicks. It ensures that the investment in learning resources will pay off as you can move your intellectual capital from one system to the next. Tracking capabilities. Thanks to eLearning standards, especially xAPI, you can monitor completion rates and speed, and even user activity in learning games and on third-party websites. Which eLearning Standard Should You Use? SCENARIO 1: To gather structured data and effectively track the learning stats from your LMS or LXP, choose an xAPI standard. It can work in conjunction with either cmi5 profile (which is a common practice) or another one of your choice. SCENARIO 2: To make your learning content compatible with almost every LMS, LXP, or another learning app on the market, use a SCORM standard. In this case, even if you decide to move to another LMS, your content will be compatible with a new system. SCENARIO 3: To plug in new tools and software into your LMS, LXP, or an eLearning app (virtual classroom, live chat, etc), choose an LTI standard as a Consumer. It will act as a connecting tool between your software and external tools and systems. Or select an LTI standard as a Tool Provider to plug yourself into 3rd-party commercial platforms. As you see, each eLearning standard has its own purposes. They don’t exclude one another and can be applied together. Now, let’s dig deeper to examine what exactly each eLearning standard benefits your LMS and what pros and cons it has. SCORM What is SCORM? SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model. The goal of SCORM development was to standardize learning content formats. This eLearning standard was developed as a solution to the pain point of spending too much time and money on content customization and delivering learning materials across multiple platforms. Among several SCORM versions, there are two that are still relevant and popular to use: SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004. Both versions are massively supported by authoring tools and LMSs. However, they have some differences, and it might be useful for you to know them: Supported statuses. SCORM 1.2 supports simple lesson statuses “browsed”, “not attempted”, “passed”, “failed”, “incomplete”, and “completed”). SCORM 2004 has two-level statuses: a ‘completion_status’ (completed/incomplete) and ‘success_status’ (passed/failed). Reading and writing function. With SCORM 1.2, you have only write interaction, while with SCORM 2004, you can specify the “read” or “write” interaction. For example, a learner answers a question at the beginning (write interaction), so they don’t get one more chance to reply it again (read interaction). Sequencing. Compared to SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 has improved author’s control over content through sequencing. It provides certain rules defining the order in which learners can access learning content. For example, you can allow learners to save their results and resume learning later. What can you do with SCORM? SCORM is a set of technical standards for packaging learning courses into special files that can be read by any SCORM-compliant application. When you create a learning course and want it to work with a new LMS, you pack it into a SCORM package.  SCORM package is a .zip archive, which contains files in a specific hierarchy.  As a result, you get a cross-platform e-Learning course. Plenty of authoring tools have a SCORM conversion feature. Advantages of SCORM ✅ Simple content creation. SCORM enables content creation, publication, and playback across multiple platforms even for those users who have no coding skills and at a low cost. ✅ Unified standard of files. SCORM converts out-of-date content into a standard ZIP format.  ✅ Massive support by authoring tools and LMSs. SCORM compliance is a must for major tools and systems today, so migrating your learning materials between platforms becomes a no-brainer. ✅ Easy content blending from various sources. SCORM allows mixing content developed by diverse authoring tools or exported from different LMSs. ✅ Tracking and sequencing support. SCORM allows tracking course completion with the time spent. Moreover, it allows you to set rules for how much time learners can spend on a course, or how long learners should remain on a page before they are allowed to go further. Disadvantages of SCORM ❌ Limited tracking and reporting capabilities. SCORM lacks in-depth analysis of user activity, allowing only limited metrics for tracking (assessment scores, time spent on course, ) and fairly limited reporting on these tracking metrics, meanwhile it still forces that at least basic tracking will be there, while it may not with non-SCORM content. xAPI (Tin Can API) What is xAPI? Experience API (xAPI or Tin Can API) is a new specification for communicating data about learning activities among different systems (not only LMSs).  Most think of xAPI as a SCORM replacement. In reality, their roles and purposes differ. While SCORM serves for content creation and delivery, xAPI is developed to store learning data and transfer it among different learning systems. What can you do with xAPI? People interact with learning content and other learners everywhere - both offline and online.  All their actions and activities are recorded and then stored with the help of xAPI. For that, an application or LMS sends secure statements to a Learning Record Store (LRS), which is a part of an xAPI concept that can exist on its own or be a part of an LMS. An LRS stores all the statements and shares them with other Learning Record Stores. For example, an LRS of your affiliate can share data with your headquarter’s LRS. Learner experiences, accordingly, can be transferred from one LRS (or organization) to another. Advantages of xAPI ✅ Tracking outside an LMS. When we use xAPI and LRS, it doesn’t restrict tracking learning activities. The advantageous peculiarity of an LRS is that it can be anywhere else on the internet, not necessarily in the same domain as the content, and still capture learning statistics. It communicates data from different systems, allowing tracking a bigger number of e-Learning scenarios. ✅ Support of multiple devices. Tracking starts every time a learner begins learning, no matter which device. xAPI statements can be sent by mobile phones, electronic games, medical devices, hardware simulations, etc. ✅ Recording the majority of learning activities. The structure of xAPI statements supports nouns, verbs, and objects. Such a variety allows the recording of almost any learning activity. ✅ Secure storage of personal data. Learners can store their personal learning information inside specific “personal data lockers” that can be transferred between organizations if needed. Disadvantages of xAPI ❌ Elaborate metrics setup. As xAPI measures data across multiple learning activities, it requires time to set up the right performance analytics to benefit from the results. ❌ Measuring impact. Some reporting includes basic data that a learner did something. This doesn’t allow making qualitative or quantitative conclusions about the activity impact overall. Cmi5 What is cmi5? While xAPI is very powerful and robust, it is also not very specific and restrictive, which makes it very broad and applicable to a large number of eLearning environments with possibility of their own implementations. This is why a more unified and precise specification for xAPI was developed - cmi5 (computer-managed instruction, 5th attempt). Cmi5 is an xAPI profile that defines how an LMS will communicate with xAPI-powered learning activities, like playing a course in an LMS. What can you do with cmi5? With CMI5 you can implement xAPI and be sure that you can broadly incorporate other systems with no additional efforts. Which will help you benefit in terms of broader market possibilities. “Since the xAPI specification is highly generalized to support many different use cases, a set of “extra rules” (called a “profile”) is needed to ensure interoperability for a given use case. The cmi5 profile ensures plug-and-play interoperability between learning content and LMS systems. The use case that the cmi5 profile is specifically designed for is one where the learner launches the learning content/activity from the LMS user interface,” as the authors of the standard put it. Cmi5 provides a file with XML metadata that describes a Course Structure as a series of container blocks and Assignable Units (AUs, which are the launchable content of the package). This file is provided to a cmi5-compatible system (usually, an LMS) for import.  Advantages of cmi5 Well, you have all the advantages of xAPI as cmi5 profile is a specific implementation of xAPI. However, the specific benefit of cmi5 use for xAPI is: ✅ High precision of statements. Cmi5 features precise categories for the statements, usually captured by the Assignable Units. There’s a “cmi5 defined” statement that is specifically designed for capturing session details and core eLearning principles such as pass/fail, content completion, duration, and score. You can group these by the assignable units. Disadvantages of cmi5 ❌ Strict limitations. Compared to the general-purpose xAPI, cmi5 creates restrictions to sift massive amounts of data. AICC What is AICC? AICC stands for Aviation Industry Computer-based Training Committee. The organization created the AICC format to standardize the materials and technology for training airline workers. AICC file format kept evolving until the organization switched to xAPI. However, some of their xAPI-based work lives on as CMI-5. What can you do with AICC? Actually, you can’t do much with it, as most of the industry, and if you are reading this then probably everyone you would be engaging with, has already switched to xAPI+cmi5.  Advantages of AICC ✅ Deployment flexibility. AICC is able to host content on a separate server from your LMS server. ✅ Security. AICC supports highly secure HTTPS data transfers between learning content and an LMS.  Disadvantages of AICC ❌ [Killer] Not supported or updated anymore. It is mostly used in legacy applications, almost no new AICC content is being made. Before dissolving, the organization worked on making its content compliant with a new set of guidelines called Computer Managed Instruction (CMI5); ❌ Limited functionality. It lacks progress tracking capabilities and has limited functionality compared to its more modern counterparts. ❌ Limited compliance. There are still many AICC-compliant systems. However, they frequently lack the necessary features, which means that you need to spend time and money on manual coding to add them. LTI What is LTI? Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a specification that allows you to plug-and-play external learning content, software, tools, etc into your LMS or LXP or your tool/LMS/LXP into an external platform. With LTI, a learner enters an LMS and selects a resource link to play a learning course. Then, this external resource is seamlessly launched into a remote tool in an iframe (an HTML element that loads another HTML page within the document) or a new browser. What can you do with LTI? The LTI tool provider sends to the LMS administrator access data, such as a URL and key. The LMS admin uploads this data into the LMS.  After that, LMS learners can use a new tool through their LMS interfaces. Advantages of LTI ✅ Seamless integration. LTI enables seamless tool integration and fast navigation between all the connected tools. ✅ Fast and secure authentication. LTI supports SSO (single sign-on). ✅ Sales channels extension. Tool providers benefit from LTI, because by plugging other tools to your software, more users get acquainted with your product. ✅ New possibilities without budget spending. Consumers can easily enrich the platform with 3rd party tool and not spend hundreds of thousand on elearning development company. Disadvantages of LTI ❌ Not all LMSs support it. As an example, both Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams - both of which have over 100 million users - do not support LTI.  ❌ Mediocre User Experience. As an integrated tool is typically opened in an iframe, working in it restricts the UX of your LMS or app. ❌ No access to all relevant data. LTI integrations don’t cover some helpful LMS features. For example, the LTI standard doesn’t allow an LTI app to communicate with a learner's agenda in their LMS. For that, you need an xAPI.

The primary idea and goal of eLearning applications is to make education available on personal users' phones and PCs, which favors studying at any time and place learners want. There are several types of eLearning apps that differ by educational goals. If your intention is to make a language learning app, keep on reading to find the detailed guide. However, if you consider creating an eLearning app with wider possibilities and purposes, use this guide on How to Develop a Learning App. Example of a real-life eLearning app by Belitsoft 9-Step Guide on How to Make a Language Learning App The app development process can be described in 9 steps, some of which can run in parallel to speed up the launch time. And, of course, you don’t need to be a developer, designer, business analyst, and QA engineer rolled into one. A skilled team of a software development company can take your ideas and help materialize them. 1. Decide on the desired app's concept Before writing the code or working on the design details, make sure you have a clear definition and description of the app.  The concept defines and describes what the app does at the functional and appearance level. For example, the concept defines what the app will do and how it will respond to user interactions, and what elements and features it’s going to have. Start describing your concept with a brief statement that summarizes the app. For that, answer the basic questions like who, what, when, why, and how. 2. Make a Business Analysis Business analysis not only helps your own team or software vendor understand your vision and preferences. It also allows your vendor to assess your requirements and evaluate the possibility of their implementation. It can also include a discovery phase. In case you have no clear vision of the project scope or the overall concept, your outsourcing team will help you figure out the best solution. During this stage, your business analyst will do the following for you: check the relevance of your concept;  verify the feasibility of functional details; thoroughly analyze the market,  obtain data regarding possible competitors,  define business goals. 3. Define the feature set and make the requirement list Together with your development team make up a list of application features. Note that when deciding on the feature set for your app, you should be careful not to overwhelm users with a large number of features. It makes the app usage puzzling and may lead to user churn as a result.  Consider starting your project with an MVP, which is wise on many occasions.  It saves time and money and gives valuable feedback from the first users that give you a clear vision of whether you go in the right or wrong direction. If your team opts for an MVP, it’s essential to choose the core features to apply. How to do this? We have a detailed guide on MVP software development with best practices from successful entrepreneurs. Also, think about integrating the latest technologies. To attract more users, apps today are integrating conversational assistants (eLearning chatbots), AI-powered features (e.g., AI-based personalized learning path), speech recognition, and AR/VR.  Duolingo can be a benchmark here. Sticking to the idea of simplicity, Duolingo has quite a simple interface, not overloaded with features. It makes the use of the app easy for language learners.  Besides, the app uses innovative AI-powered features that make the app stand out on the market. And they all are described in detail in AI in language learning. After defining the feature set, create a requirement list for your development team.  Based on it, the technical team will evaluate which tools to choose to implement your idea, and how many resources will be needed. 4. Choose the technology stack corresponding to the platform (web, iOS, Android) Having in mind that 80% of online learners use smartphones to learn, and 57% use multiple devices, it’s vital for custom eLearning software to be cross-platform. Actually, that’s what the key market players do. To attract a larger audience, Duolingo and other popular platforms are available in Google Play, Apple Store, and on the web. How to code a language learning app? Let your developers choose the right technology stack, which will depend on the chosen platform.  iOS native development Category Technologies and Tools Programming languages Objective-C, Swift Tools Xcode SDK iOS SDK Architecture MVC, MVP, MVVM and VIPER Users get used to the interaction patterns of each OS (iOS and Android), and anything that contradicts general guidelines could push them away. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines could serve to give a general direction. Android native development Category Technologies and Tools Programming languages Java, Kotlin Tools Android Studio SDK Android SDK Architecture MVVM with Android Architecture Components The guide from Android can help understand the basic principles and requirements for building an Android-based app. Hybrid app development Category Examples Frameworks and technologies React Native, Xamarin, Flutter, Cordova Architecture Redux architecture It’s advisable to opt for hybrid development in the case of tight deadlines and a limited budget. Or if your priority is to build your app for both Android and iOS simultaneously. Web app development Category Technologies Front-end React.js, Vue.js, AngularJS Back-end Java, Python, Ruby, C#, Node.js Database (SQL) MySQL, PostgreSQL Database (NoSQL) MongoDB, Amazon DynamoDB, Apache Cassandra To develop a well-thought web application, think in advance about its architecture that must be scalable and modular. This is necessary to expand and change the functionality and allow the whole system to function under the high load efficiently. The third-party API integration should be made carefully because this choice impacts your app performance. Also, it’s recommended to store the content in cloud storage for scalable performance and almost unlimited storage capacity. Duolingo Tech Stack AI and Machine Learning As a learning experience platform, Duolingo uses AI to personalize the language learning experience. This personalization is achieved through the use of custom machine learning models. Training these models requires a high volume of data points, ranging from 100,000 to 30 million, depending on the problem. Duolingo makes more than 300 million predictions daily, which requires significant computational speed and scalability. PyTorch, a deep learning framework, is utilized for developing these models. AWS (Amazon Web Services) provides the computing platform for training and deploying these models. AWS's EC2 P3 high-performance GPU instances facilitate the deployment of the models. Duolingo's database development and data management strategies involve using Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon EMR with Amazon EBS as temporary storage, Amazon S3 for permanent storage, and Spark for computation of periodic batch predictions. Microservices and Infrastructure Duolingo initially built a monolithic application architecture using Amazon EC2 and Amazon RDS. As they scaled and their needs evolved, they started using AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Facing scaling issues and new feature releases, Duolingo transitioned from a monolithic architecture to a Docker-based microservices architecture using various cloud migration solutions. They migrated to Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), which provided the ability to run and manage Docker containers. Duolingo found costs rising with this new approach, as different workloads required different types of compute resources within the same ECS cluster. To optimize costs and resource utilization, Duolingo employed Spotinst's Elastigroup service, a cluster orchestration and scaling service. This service helped them reduce compute costs by 60% and total AWS costs by 25%. Today, Duolingo manages over 100 microservices on AWS. And to ensure the high quality of their services, Duolingo also implements automation testing for all of its features. The application of gamification in eLearning is evident in Duolingo's approach to making language learning more engaging and effective. Duolingo source code is unavailable to the disappointment of many people, so creating your own is an obligatory step.  5. Develop the design of the application Having all elements of an eLearning app work in a similar way makes the use of an app convenient for users.  For that, your in-house designers or specialists of the chosen software development company must consider functional and external consistency. Functional consistency means that every interactive element should work in a similar way within the e-learning app. One should be able to have access to the learning materials on mobile, laptop, or tablet without getting used to each platform’s design individually. This is ensured with the help of external consistency of design and functionality across multiple platforms. If you are uncertain about which of the two options would make a better impact on the learning abilities of users - A/B testing comes handy for defining small elements. Common UX/UI Design Mistakes for E-Learning Mobile Apps We at Belitsoft have worked on multiple eLearning projects and gained vast expertise.  We’ve interviewed one of our UX designers who specializes in eLearning apps and courses to list the most common design mistakes that can ruin any app. Badly executed information architecture Prioritizing features by popularity is something all designers should pay attention to. Content and features that are most commonly used should be placed on the top. How do you define which functions would be used more commonly?  Well, it starts with using your intuition and researching the best practices of other apps. Then make adjustments according to feedback. As our designer Kate claimed, at the beginning of her career she got acquainted with “The Non-Designer’s Design Book”. A must-have for designers. It contained the idea of CRAP - contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity principles. Should they all be intact, the user will follow the way the designer had prepared for them. All the things displayed on-screen should be there for a reason: it is called an intentional design. Consistency issues The core of the problem is using too many font types, different styles, or selecting “wrong” color combinations on the same page of an app. Overall consistency eliminates users’ confusion and helps them save some time on navigation learning. Focus on a nice contrast between the text and background colors. Using some software to select the needed colors might help UX designers get close to the perfect color combination. Other elements of inconsistency to avoid are: Overcrowding the free space on the page without leaving any white spaces Using decorative images instead of practical ones (just for sake of filling the gaps) Not applying any design mapping Cluttering elements and inconsistent alignment The core of the problem is not making the right alignments and overcrowding the information. The navigation in the eLearning app should remain as simple as it gets. Keep all the important information in the user's sight - that is the general guideline here. Don’t discard the well-thought and consistent alignment throughout the whole course and all the platforms. Otherwise, you’ll make an understanding of the course content more complex. To fix this issue, designers should have consistent margins and align objects in the same manner throughout the whole course. Any switch in justification (from left-justified to center) should be reasonable or avoided if it is not really needed. Grid systems are helpful to keep the objects aligned. The designers in Belitsoft usually use Bootstrap for these purposes. Poor images execution Sometimes inserted images get “managed” to make them fit, or are moved to another page or side. If it is done carelessly the images get scrunched, but not scaled. Course designers should keep a close look at the ratio of the images and keep it intact. 6. Create Content Having a clear vision of all technical details and structural blocks of your language app, you can fill it with actual content. This is usually performed in parallel with working on the design. Content is the most valuable part of the app. It should be 100% correct, up-to-date, relevant, and engaging. The number one advice is to invite professional teachers. It’ll allow creating an effective curriculum and avoiding mistakes in study materials. That’s what Duolingo did. The company created its content in collaboration with language teaching experts from the linguistic communities. Another useful tip concerns the one-stop-shop approach. It means covering all 4 language skills (listening, speaking, writing, and reading). If not, your potential users will have to download another app to meet certain needs.  Let’s take Babbel as a sample. Their curriculum is divided into 10-15 minute lessons with a variety of tasks to practice all 4 language skills. 7. Develop the app (full version or MVP by your choice) After agreeing on the abovementioned design details, it’s time to pass the design layout created by the graphic and web designer to your in-house developers or a dedicated team. Develop the Front-End where the user inputs are sent for processing and giving back the answers. The common tech stack of front-end developers is HTML+CSS and JavaScript. Develop the Back-End where all the processes go. For example, a user types the request in a browser. The request is sent to the back-end where the algorithms (traditional or based on Artificial Intelligence) process the data and figure out what to do next.  To create a backend, a variety of technologies are used. Their choice depends on the complexity of the project and the platform. One more important tip, based on our experience and analysis of Duolingo and similar language learning apps. Consider building the modular architecture of your application.  In case you need to expand and advance the existing set of courses, you should be able to do this without spending an exhaustive budget every time. That’s what a modular application is needed for. 8. QA and Testing Consider applying Quality Assurance from the very beginning of the product creation to identify weaknesses and eliminate bugs ensuring the improved quality of the product.  You can create a bug-free stable-working app by using the right software testing approach, which usually implies a combination of both functional (smoke, sanity, regression, etc.) and non-functional testing (performance, security, UAT).  After creating the MVP or a beta-version of the product, conduct focus group testing so that you could see the weak points of the app before the release of the full-fledged version. To use available QA resources in the most efficient way to reduce costs and the delivery time of software without compromising on quality, follow the software testing best practices. 9. Start Marketing and Advertising Campaigns Definitely, it's not enough to make a language learning application. One of the tasks of your in-house or outsourcing team is to promote it. So be sure to take care of timely marketing support and advertising campaigns. Your team can start performing it when the development process is still in progress so as not to lose time. Here are some best practices for promoting a new application: create a landing page; start a blog or use guest posting; use social media; create a video intro and teasers; establish users’ community; work on app store optimization; consider promos, coupons, discounts, etc; ask for app reviews; apply for app awards. Having your idea backed by a professional team guarantees a fast start, predictable cost, high-level quality of the product, and support at every stage. Let’s Make Your Idea Work Together! Must-Have Features to Make a Language App that Will Succeed The creators of the top language learning applications have already invented the perfect feature set. Let’s overview how to make a language app successful with thу right features. Gamification Zan Gilani, associate product manager at Duolingo admits that well-built gamification definitely contributed big time to the international success of the company. In-app currency, pretty achievement badges, strakes and levels, leaderboard, gems and crowns, or exploring new planets are all gamification traits already used by market winners Duolingo and Memrise. Two major reasons for applying gamification are to increase encouragement and to bring on the competition. For example, you can create a league board, where users are ranked according to the amount of XP they gather by finishing lessons. Or hold a contest where users compete for a chance to win something of value like a week of the free Premium version. Microlearning Microlearning implies breaking down the learning course into small chunks.  Such a learning approach makes it easier to study because bite-sized lessons are short and more focused. Learners don’t clutter their memories with irrelevant information. RPS research states that microlearning improves focus and supports long-term retention by up to 80%. Scaffolded Support The idea of the scaffolded support is to provide users with timely relevant tips in the course of learning directly throughout the interface.  The scaffolded support is usually presented by integrated tips and word translations or dictionary articles that appear by tapping on a word or in case of a mistake.  As an app creator, make sure that the app tutorials aren’t intrusive in the learning experience. Variety of Content and Activities When Duolingo started their way, most of their users dropped out after less than 2 hours of study! According to the early research made by the company, the primary reason was the monotony of doing the same exercises. After that Duolingo diversified and enriched the content, and won. So you now have a chance to learn from their mistakes and meet all users’ needs with highly diversified content formats, including video, audio, text, pictures, etc. Here is the list of exercises used in Duolingo to stimulate the users’ interest: Arrange all the words into a grammatically correct sentence. Complete the translation of a sentence with a missing word. Select the correct translation of a sentence. Match a picture to a word. Read and choose a response. Insert missing words into blank spaces. Rearrange the words in the shuffled sentence. Speak the word or sentence into the microphone Match the word to its translation. Type the translation of a sentence. Type what you hear in the audio Answer a chatbot to continue the dialog. User-friendly design and interface The user’s interaction with your product must be simple and seamless. It means that the interface design should be user-friendly, intuitively understandable, and not overloaded with details. It’s important to use a consistent design language so that all menus, structural blocks, and buttons are created in a unified manner.  Let’s take Duolingo as an example. You can notice a vivid, appealing, and minimalistic design that attracts millions of users. The interface and navigation of the app are extremely user-friendly and don't require much time to figure out their functionality. Community and social networks After creating the app, Duolingo has also made a platform for the communication of users. It’d be wise to follow the example. Give your users a platform where they can communicate with one another. It can be a forum with customized features like choosing the emblem. You can go further than Duolingo does and link the app with social networks so that your users could brag about their success in studying languages. Simple sign-in There are many ways of authorization into an application: through an email-based login, social networks, and Google authenticator are the most popular ones. When a user launches the app for the first time, normally they answer questions about age, sex, email, name, and enter the password. But the process can be significantly simplified. For that, Duolingo integrated the app with social networks.  The feature simplifies the registration process and enables you to integrate user data from a social network. Regular assessments At the end of every section or topic within the course, offer your learners a checkpoint quiz as Duolingo does.  Such a freeform writing test asks to answer questions, challenging users and enabling the team to check the progress. Progress tracking dashboard Integrate a progress tracking dashboard to provide users with all the necessary analytical tools, such as statistics, diagrams, percentage of completed lessons, etc. If learners can constantly monitor their performance, they get a motivation to keep on.  For example, Duolingo tracks users’ progress and keeps them updated and motivated by reminding them how many skills and words they have mastered and how many lessons they have passed. In-app shop Again, let’s take Duolingo as a benchmark. A language learning app can use many ways to make money. And the in-app Shop is a perfect way to monetize the app.  The integrated Shop feature offers turning gems that a learner collects while training into real purchases. Or the gems can be bought. Push notifications Many learners give up before achieving their goals. To retain users, try push notifications. If a learner abandons the app for a day or two, push notifications are here to remind them that there is a course to complete. Chatbot tutor As helpful as a training course can be, it’ll only benefit from adding a personal tutor.  You may consider to inbuild a tool enabling users to speak and consult with their language instructor when they are in confusion.  Or use a chatbot. It will imitate a person and will serve as a tutor being online 24/7.  Chatbots are mostly used to practice speaking and pronunciation. But can also perform as tutors providing help in case a learner struggles with any exercise. Offline mode If an app doesn’t require a stable Internet connection all the time, users can complete their courses even in zero signal zones if the set of exercises is pre-downloaded.  The function is very handy for those who spend many hours in the Wi-Fi-less subway or elsewhere without an Internet connection and with a smartphone in their hands. Online payments The in-built online payment module gives you the possibility to monetize your product directly through the app. When the payment is completed, a learner enrolls automatically. Consider adding the support of credit cards by Visa and MasterCard and the most popular sales platforms like PayPal, Magento, Drupal, and others. In-built feedback form This is a useful feature for those who are planning to gather feedback and reports. Duolingo developers react to the feedback from their more than 200 million user audience rapidly.  They have a form within the app for people to leave their reports and comments. However, mind that learning tendencies are changing and the needs of online language learners are constantly increasing. It means that your product shouldn’t be limited only to the traditional functionality used by the majority. Moreover, the unique approach is highly appreciated by language learners. To win this battle, consider AI in Language Learning: 6 Key Tools Already Applied by Key Market Players. How Belitsoft Can Help You To make your language learning application user-friendly and smoothly working, to launch it in short terms and at an affordable cost, our team will take care of your app development on all the stages. You will get a detailed personalized consultation on the monetization model, an assessment of the idea, etc. You will get a clear vision of your perspectives based on business analysis and marketing research performed by us. You will understand what technologies and tools are needed to frame your idea. You will realize which cooperation model to choose best to save your time and money.  You will get your MVP or full-fledged app in the agreed time and will get a guarantee of its bug-free design. Let's Discuss Your Idea! How Do Language Learning Apps Make Money? Few apps are paid, nevertheless, they successfully make money.  For example, Duolingo generated $161 million in revenue in 2020 (106% increase YoY) being a free app. How? Language learning apps use several ways to monetize. Duolingo uses a subscription model. But less than 2% of paid subscription users make only a part of the revenue. Other parts come from ads, investors, and paid English Tests (analog of TOEFL). Check out all the available monetization ways, the pros, and cons of each of them. Then you’ll be able to select the one that agrees with your vision. 1. Freemium model The freemium model is perfect for all eLearning products (LMS, LXP, TMS, and learning apps) since in order to unlock the next lessons and learn new material, users need to pay for them. How does it work? Basically, learners access the app and the course without charge. They can explore its functionality, enjoy the content and core features.  However, some features or content are available within a paid subscription. For example, access to instructional videos, books, chatbots, further lessons, etc. Disadvantages: If the learning process isn’t engaging enough, navigation or interface is confusing, a user will likely abandon the app without paying anything. 2. In-app advertising  The idea is to allow users to access the app free of charge and obtain revenue by showing them third-party ads.  The in-app ads are usually displayed as rewarded video ads, pop-up windows, full-screen interstitials.  Rewarded video ads are especially interesting. By watching them, learners gain points, in-app coins or health, achievements, and feel far less irritated by the appearing ads. In case a learner wants to remove the ads, they have to pay a fee. Disadvantages:Users often feel distracted and annoyed by in-app ads that they are made to watch. It may lead to user churn. Thus, it’s recommended to reward your users for watching ads to keep them motivated. 3. Subscription This monetization strategy implies offering a free trial period to allow users to test the app first. It helps see all the benefits of your offer and assess its functionality. Then you suggest several subscription options.  There are three main subscription models that differ by validity period: monthly, annual, and lifetime.  The subscription model also has non-renewing and auto-renewing subscription approaches. Auto-renewing may seem beneficial in terms of simplified revenue predictions. But if a user forgets to cancel the subscription and gets charged, your product and brand will lose loyalty, get one-star reviews, and possibly the increased churn.Disadvantages: You’ll always need to keep subscribers engaged and motivate them to prolong the subscription, carefully listen to their feedback and react in short terms with effective solutions. 4. In-app shop You can use an in-app shop to sell virtual or physical goods.  Virtual products refer to coins, gems, extra lives or health, special items or equipment, characters or avatars, additional levels or playtime. Physical goods include retail merchandise with the game logo, tickets to thematic events, and so on. Best practices for setting your initial monetization strategy Research your competitors.  See how other apps in your target category charge for their content. Think it over if there are benefits of offering users other ways to pay. Study your audience.  Different segments of the audience are loyal to different payment methods. For example, if your users are more likely to pay for an ad-free, kid-friendly app, choose premium (paid) apps. Consider the target market.  When setting prices and choosing the monetization strategy in specific markets, consider local pricing patterns, pricing of competitive apps, and other market factors. Also, it’s ok to experiment. Duolingo, for example, changed its monetization strategy gradually shifting from crowdsourcing to freemium model and in-app ads. In the end, the platform found the business model that is perfect for them and their users. How Long Does It Take to Make an App Like Duolingo? We have asked our developers with rich eLearning app development expertise to assess how much of their time it would take to build a custom solution like Duolingo.  The numbers that will come up below are very rough, but they should give you an idea.  For the sake of simplification, the estimations are made for an iOS platform. Android app development takes about the same time, give or take. We can conditionally divide the app development into three stages: The kick-off of the project: architecture creation, SDK, and libraries integration Major functions development QA testing and debugging of an app Stage 1: The kick-off of the project Approximate time: 72 to 108 hours This stage includes the following: Project creation. Splash screen, app icon, architecture (8-12 hours) Integration of network interaction (16-24 hours) API research and integration (40-56 hours) Main menu. App navigation realization (8-16 hours) UI implementation (40-56 hours) At the completion of this stage, the app will be structured, designed, and ready for implementing the main functions (more on that in Stage 2 sections). As you can see, it only takes a couple of work weeks to get the app to this stage of development. Main functions implementation takes significantly more time. Stage 2: Major functions development Approximate time: 374 to 504 hours There are plenty of aspects. That is why the minimal and the maximal estimations have a 130-hours-differential. Lessons/Exercises (Including multiple-choice exercises, speaking (voice recognition), listening exercises, learning paths, other types of training) - takes 102 to 144 production hours Gamification (internal currency, experience levels, series for consecutive days, motivation with the help of cheering from the mascot or different sounds etc., leaderboards, progress bars, shop for buying extra lessons) - takes 104 to 136 hours Duolingo-like clubs creation (40-50 hours) Push notifications (24-30 hours) Offline mode (8-10 hours) Feedback form (8-10 hours) Monetization (adSense integration, ads integration) (16-22 hours) Personal cabinet setup (40-52 hours) Once again, those numbers are approximate. However, you can see the proportions of time-consuming operations. Stage 3: testing and debugging Approximate time: 125 to 165 hours Software testing usually takes 25-30% from all development stages for each of the mobile platforms. An MVP will take approximately 100 hours.  In case you decide to develop a learning app for both mobile platforms (Android and iOS), it may result in at least 770 hours for an MVP and about 1 540 — 1 750 hours for the full version. How Much Does It Cost to Build a Language App Like Duolingo? What Affects the Cost of Elearning Development? The feature set and complexity. A simple eLearning course using the standard “video - quiz” format would be much cheaper than a game-based eLearning platform integrated with social networks. Supported platforms. An iOS-only app would be cheaper than the one which would run on both iOS and Android. However, there is a caveat: using hybrid development technologies (e.g. React Native or Xamarin) would dramatically lower costs for cross-platform apps. Cooperation model. Among the options, there are fixed-priced, time and material, or dedicated team models. The choice of the most suitable model depends on your understanding of the project, budget, and time limits. If the scope of your project is likely to change or you still consider which features to add, the best option is to hire dedicated developers. Developer expertise. Companies specializing in eLearning have organizational experience allowing them to be more cost-effective. Moreover, they might have pre-made code snippets for specific features, which helps their customers get more bang for their buck. Developer location. Dedicated developers based in Eastern Europe, for example, can afford to charge less for the same level of quality, as the average cost of living is lower in these countries. Moreover, some governments offer IT businesses preferential tax regimes, allowing them to decrease costs even further. See how our Israeli client managed to reduce testing and development costs by 40% thanks to cooperating with an offshore QA team and developers. How to develop an educational app and save? If we take into consideration the price-quality ratio, one of the most affordable rates is offered by IT specialists in Eastern Europe.  Of course, you can choose companies from the USA or West Europe, but be ready to pay 2-3 times more. Here is the rough estimation of the cost to develop a language learning app like Duolingo for iOS and a website: Country Rough Estimation for MVP ~1045—1375 Rough Estimation for full feature set ~1980—2450 Eastern Europe (Poland) $36 575—48 125 $69 300—88 200 Western Europe (Germany) $67 925—89 375 $128 700—159 250 USA $83 600—110 000 $158 400—196 000 A lower or higher hourly rate doesn’t necessarily influence the quality of the development. People with a hard-working mentality and a great education. This region is famous for its World of Tanks, MSQRD, Maps.me, Viber, Apalon, PandaDoc. Developers from Eastern Europe are among the best in software development (1st in Google Hash Code 2018). Let’s turn your idea into an engaging and user-friendly language learning app at an affordable cost! Our eLearning experts are here to help!

We have briefly compared it with other standards of the industry in one of our earlier publications. The most recent version of SCORM - one of the most used specifications (to this day as well) - was released back in 2004. No wonder, some of the businesses could benefit from new ways of receiving and analyzing data about methods and ways of learning for their employees. In this article, as you have already figured out, we write about the real xAPI use and how it simplifies learning and training across different industries. For this article, we’ve made a couple of interviews with xAPI experts. We were lucky enough to get the response from many companies, including Watershed, H2Labs and Veracity Learning whose consultations were of a great value. The mentioned companies all produce the so-called LRS - Learning Record Stores - the storage where performance data is moved for future analysis. We have received the expertise and a plethora of links to real-life case studies that resulted in us finding 6 case studies that demonstrate how embracing xAPI can bring you lots of good. With lots of good, we mean improving employees training speed and efficiency, which led to saving production hours, generating more revenue and… even saving more people’s lives. Let’s progress by looking at all the cases separately. Case #1: AT&T and 670k production hours saved This is perhaps the most quotable and well-known xAPI adoption case. AT&T doesn't need much introduction. It is a huge telecommunication corporation with a quarter million employees (by the time of xAPI adoption the number was around 243,000 and according to data from 2017, it is over 254,000 people now). Source: flickr.com They were trying to find a solution for the effective training for this “army” of personnel across almost four thousand jobs. The basic reporting system was limited to a certain content type. Pre-xAPI compliance records and training materials were stored separately and even had data structured if different formats. Manual analysis of performance data took ages and xAPI standard adoption came to rescue. With the help of xAPI, the data was transmitted to the Learning Record Store. All these immense streams of data from the simulation, different training paths were stored and available for an immediate analysis. The course was adjusted accordingly. We’ve contacted Tim Dickinson, director of strategy at Watershed (LRS provider for this case) to describe this and some other case studies. He admitted that this one is not the most recent but gladly shed the light on what was happening there: ‘In that particular case study, they used xAPI to get very detailed information about the course that would have otherwise could have been developed in many ways. But they were able to create a dynamic course and used xAPI to report on how people progress through it. At&T only created one adaptive course instead of creating many. That saved them time and therefore, money.’ AT&T released the data on how xAPI adoption and course adjustments optimized the time spend for employees training. Updates to the Employee Code Course saved over 670,000 production hours and 160,380 hours of education/training time length. Source: pixabay.com Besides, follow-up surveys after the course adjustments had fewer mistakes, and engagement on the new content was 25% larger than in the case with the old content. AT&T representatives also highlighted the fact their employees did better in interactive simulations with the new improvements implemented on the dynamic course. Quick summary: This case proves that one is able to get good quantifiable results (that can be assessed and put into the open internet to brag about) with xAPI adoption. It is hard to overvalue saving production/training hours within (total number of over 830,000 working hours saved). This is directly connected to the company getting more revenue as their employees get more free time to work on other tasks AND they are better trained for this work. Now let us head to the case that has huge money figures in the title. Case #2: Villeroy & Boch and extra €2.5 million ($2.92 million) in revenue Villeroy & Boch is a big company as well. It specializes in making designer bathrooms and premium tableware. Being a world’s leading ceramics producer, they employ over 8,000 people around the world. Source: wikipedia.org According to the materials of the case study, the management of the company decided to capitalize on the data of a curious research. Turns out, 85% of the time premium products are purchased thanks to an emotional purchase motivation. The new training program of Villeroy & Boch brand was focused on identification of how good their salespersons are in it as well as on the improvement of sales conversation overall. They needed to get as many brand ambassadors (promoters among the customers) as possible The company used a blended learning approach, utilizing a learning platform and an LRS. Brand Ambassador programme was delivering to face-to-face workshops via the platform. The data about this blended learning experience was gathered, transmitted and tracked with the help of xAPI. However, there were some logistical difficulties, and some of the stores haven’t received the full programme. This gave Villeroy & Boch an opportunity to run an A/B testing campaign to compare the results of training in the future. ‘A’ stores are the ones that got only the online component of the programme, and ‘B’ stores are the ones that had full blended approach access. LRS with the help of xAPI got data about learning activities and stores performance. The measured metrics were obviously, conversions, and Average Transaction Value (ATV). The comparison was made with the previous year’s result. The improvements don’t seem too big in percentage. ‘B’ stores performed better than ‘A’ stores by 5.41% on ATV. And in comparison with the last years ‘B’ stores converted 1.17% more customers, while ‘A’ stores had an increase of 0.62% over their previous year’s results. If you think that such an increase might be random, or insignificant, you are mistaken. With the volume of production this retail has, they had the €2.5m ($2.92 m) return on training investment. While this is not a direct proof that the company benefited solely from using xAPI standard, it’s a real case when the conversion rate of a big retail company improved after starting to use this technology. As Erik Walter, International Retail Director at Villeroy & Boch claimed: ‘The results prove that the Brand Ambassador Programme is leading our stores in the right way to higher customer conversion and sales success.’ Quick summary: The big retail company claims that they managed to get themselves €2.5m in revenue after adopting the xAPI standard. Source: pixabay.com Case #3: Behr - Training Via a Phone App This is the company you might’ve heard of if you’ve done some painting recently. They produce paint and sell their products in hardware stores. Source: homedepot.com BEHR have made an HTML mobile app for training their employees. This is what makes this use case so special - the company didn’t use LMS to keep all their data. According to Brian Floyd from BEHR, all the content within the company “lives” on the app server, web server, or is linking to the Behr.com and a DAM (Digital Asset Manager) that the company has. BEHR used xAPI to track what their employees are doing with the app, but they also did some curious stuff with it as well. For example, the data was transmitted back to the app, for a leaderboard. It kept employees motivated to show the best possible results within their training and incentivized those people to interact with the app more to get recognition. Source: techworld.com BEHR has also managed to create a performance support tool to understand how effective the training is. Analysts are able to see the completion level of the course for every individual/region and see how it corresponds with sales figures for the same regions. However, none of the specific figures were released for the general public to see how exactly it helped the company. BEHR are ready to admit that they benefited from xAPI use, but didn’t share how much. Here are the comments of Tim Dickinson, director of strategy at Watershed: ‘One thing that has been tricky for us as we see the greater adoption of xAPI as we see people improving some of their business metrics, is in that we see some unwillingness to share exactly how it impacted outcomes. They don’t want to share that level of details. We’ve run into some challenges where we had some really great case studies from clients where we’ve been able to demonstrate defined specific improvements, but those companies don’t want that info shared publicly’ Quick summary: BEHR case study shows that it is fairly easy to feed data into other applications that power sales training and performance support with the help of xAPI, debunking the myth that xAPI is bad for reporting outside LRS. Case #4: MedStar Health - xAPI contributes to more lives saved? This is the most inspiring case study there is. Saving production hours, getting more revenue and a better-trained sales personnel is all good. But if some technology is able to help save more human lives - that’s what really could make an impression. This is literally the case with MedStar Health, a health care provider in Washington DC and Maryland region. They specialize in emergency situations - and do a lot of training of them, including “Code Blues” - cardiac arrests. Source: lapostexaminer.com As you can guess, training is extremely important for resuscitation medics. The speed of reaction, the frequency of chest compression and medicating the patient timely and on the right dosage were the metrics to watch. The company decided to work at improving those KPIs for better understanding the major flaws of doctors during the resuscitation to get to near-perfect Code Blue simulation. They also needed to understand, whether the current simulation system - including mobile the defibrillator training app (Zoll) and their LMS courses are effective in the first place. MedStar Health hired an LRS provider to work with the data. The data from all the xAPI apps, Zoll and LMS was sent to the LRS. Perhaps in future, the data from the real accidents will be available for the analysis as well. We produce all kinds of E-Learning software in Belitsoft. Contact us here. Or take a look at our e-learning development portfolio first. However, even now with simulations (not real cases), MedStar got plenty of visualized information for further analysis. Quick summary: With the help of xAPI, MedStar Health managed to get all the data on clinicians training in one place. They couldn’t do it without xAPI as SCORM, for instance, is far too ancient to transmit in-field observation results. Source: medstarhealth.org That allows medical company improvement of their training, which, in turn, leads to more saved lives. That would be an oversimplification to say that xAPI saves lives, but it definitely contributes here. Case #5: R.E.A.P.E.R. - xAPI study case of soldier training improvement Rob Chadwick, who is currently the software engineer and co-founder at Veracity was a part of an ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) Initiative program at the time. We contacted Rob to describe to us the details of this case study. REAPER is actually an abbreviation that stands for Range Experience Acquisition Portal for Evaluation & Reporting. This was a government project. As you might guess from the name of it, xAPI, in this case, was used to get shooting training results to help gauge and improve future training. Source: pixabay.com Instructors used devices to fill in forms that generated xAPI statements. Instead of looking at the bunch of targets on paper marked with pencils, students, coaches, and instructors got detailed heat maps for the analysis. Data analysis gave immediate results. “After they generated a heat map of the target, the instructors saw a white spot where no rounds go. They started to wonder, what was going on there. Instructors came back to the shooting range and figured that a tree branch had grown to the line of sight. From the most left position on the shooting range, one couldn’t see the corner of the target. Nobody could discover it. The students were hesitant to say anything. That was discovered by analysis the data that was in xAPI. That was just one of the many findings from the data. Perhaps the most curious one,” Chadwick said. Source: army.mil Quick summary: With the help of this case study, we can see that learning adjustments thanks to xAPI can be made at almost any industry. Military training is not an exception here. However, Chadwick stated that xAPI is first and foremost an e-Learning specification and is not really a good fit for tracking data that is not directly connected with training, education etc. Case #6: PwC - accounting firm that distributed its course throughout many territories PwC is a leading consulting company in the world. it is actually a network of firms in 158 countries, 743 locations, with more than 236,000 people. Source: wikipedia.org This is a remarkable case study of xAPI use. It is able to illustrate that the xAPI standard is able to help with course distribution across many territories. The company needed a way to host and deliver up-to-date relevant content to their employees wherever they are at any time. In order to do that, they required a keen understanding of where the gaps are in people’s knowledge and how people are consuming the learning information. xAPI and LRS-stored data allowed them to do it perfectly. There is a misconception that the big amount of data can’t be distributed and assessed well enough and quickly enough across many territories. PwC does all that and deals well with all the privacy concerns about data on US and EU citizens. It was a great fit for dealing with GDPR requirements. This is especially important as they don’t have a physical product. Their product is their people and the knowledge they possess. Quick summary: This case study proves that xAPI is able to transmit high volumes of data across the international company without any privacy breaches and violations. Source: pixabay.com Conclusion These are six case studies that should demonstrate how widely xAPI may be used and how many benefits it could bring. Among the improved results of training are saved production hours, better training results for the staff, increased revenue for retailers and so much more. Employees education is a must for modern companies, and xAPI alongside with other technologies significantly simplifies E-Learning knowledge delivery.