What makes a good learning management system?
Creating a custom system can be a daunting task, and without proper planning, a simple project can turn into a major headache. Having helped a number of schools design and build custom systems, here are four things I recommend considering when designing or implementing a learning management system.
4 Tips for Designing a Learning Management System for Better Learning
1. Focus on data – for both instructors and students
We’re obsessed with data these days, and for good reason: It’s relatively easy to get if you know what you’re looking for. While you can’t identify everything that’s useful in advance, take a step back and assess what you hope to learn. Make a list of the information you need and a list of things you’d like to have. For example, do you need to know the average student test score on a date? What about attendance rates in December?
Knowing what you're looking for in advance will help you determine the specific information you need to capture from your users.
2. Design for usability – make it “pleasant” to use
Once you know what users are telling you to do, you need to make it easy for them to do it. Design each component of your LMS with usability in mind. Create a hierarchy of actions users need to take, rank them in order from essential to non-essential, and use prominent buttons, clear links, and clean copy to guide people to them.
Also, take advantage of what’s out there. Things like social login, video streaming, shared calendars, message boards, and forms are all common on the web, and users immediately know what to do with them. Take inspiration from Google, Facebook, Microsoft Word, and others to learn common themes of web interfaces and copy them. Your users will thank you.
I recommend Stephen Krug's book "Don't Make Me Think" for a great reference on designing easy user interfaces.
3. Plan for mobile from the start
As of 2020 , there are over 14 billion mobile devices in use worldwide, a number expected to reach almost 17 billion by 2023.
Additionally, over half of all web traffic is mobile – meaning that the likelihood of students, parents, faculty, and staff needing to use your LMS on a mobile device is fairly high. To optimize their experience, take a mobile-first design approach. Instead of building a full, standard website and then reducing features or scaling back the capabilities of the mobile version, start by focusing solely on how your LMS works on mobile.
Ask yourself what are the main tasks of teachers, students, parents, administrators? What information and tasks need to be accessible at all times? How does the information look on small screens? How do you interact with the information?
It's always easier to layer complexity for a desktop experience, but mobile-first design ensures a seamless experience for users – wherever they are.
4. Design curriculum and instruction based on the strengths of your specific LMS
Every platform is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating an LMS. Some work well as assessment software while others use video better. Some are either visual while others load quickly, are text-based and use frequent lesson and page reloads to move the student through the content.
Whatever your method, instead of designing digital lessons and units, design what and how students learn by working with the LMS's strengths and capabilities, and then engage them in everything the LMS is capable of doing.
While customization options can be exciting, taking the time to consider these four items will help you build a system that suits your needs so you can focus on what matters most – providing students with a great education.
