User Adoption Strategies to Close the Login Gap

You’ve followed all the Learning Management System guidelines. The content library is stocked and the LMS is fully branded. But user adoption is low. What gives?

There are any number of reasons users might not adopt a new LMS. Maybe it requires them to adjust to a new piece of technology. Breaking old habits and beginning new ones is hard. Or maybe learners are using the system to complete required content but not returning to the system after they’re finished.

Whatever the reason, there are plenty of methods to work through using a human-centered problem-solving approach. Think about the learners and how they’re using the system. Consider whether everyone in management and leadership has bought into the usefulness of the LMS. Then, it’s time to start working through ideas and potential fixes.

Here are a few things to try:

Getting leadership buy-in

People in your organization’s leadership can help make sure the LMS is incorporated into people’s everyday schedule. Try to get them to end each meeting by providing recaps and follow-ups to the LMS.

Offer people the opportunity to contribute to the LMS in concrete ways. Maybe someone’s an expert on a particular subject and can help update and curate a course. Or maybe they’re great on camera and can help create quick, engaging videos.

When leadership understands the value, it helps in all sorts of ways. They’ll mention the system as a place to find reference material or to get good, updated information.

Try coming up with a catch phrase for using your organization’s LMS.

Accessible content

Your system should be easy and intuitive for learners. Because if they can log on and find the material that’s immediately relevant to their job and responsibilities, they’re going to return to it again and again.

You can setup the LMS so it’s segmented for each learner. For instance, if your organization is a restaurant, chefs can see recipes and food safety content on their main page.

It helps when videos are 90 seconds or less, too. Learners usually look up information right when they need it, and those pieces of micro-content are easily digestible. Put subtitles on the videos as well, so learners don’t need headphones or a quiet environment to get all the information contained. And it helps retention if you put a one-question assessment at the end.

Social features and gamification

The most effective LMSs have more than just training material. They include social features like dialog boards. For instance, each store or location can have its own dialog board so everyone can stay up-to-date with goings on, or high achievers can be publicly recognized. Create a board just for managers, so they can share management challenges and help each other succeed.

The social features of an LMS are essential for making sure people continue to log into the LMS over time.

Learners should be able to access those social features outside of work. For instance, a user upload contest is a great way to drive engagement and build up a library of homegrown content. Make sure they can work on and upload their submissions outside of work.

Monitoring effectiveness

Keep an eye on the reporting and analytics. An essential part to human-centered problem solving is constant iterations. Keep an eye on the number of people who login or work through specific content in the days and weeks after you make a given change.

Work through the feedback users provide. Seemingly small things like giving a shout-out to users whose feedback spurs change within the LMS can make a big difference. It lets the users know that you’re both paying attention and trying their ideas out.

And that might be the most important part of all this: making the effort so users know that you’re paying attention and that you care.