How can you optimize e-learning courses for touch screens?

1 Choose a responsive design

A responsive design is one that adapts to different screen sizes and orientations, without compromising the content quality or usability. Responsive design ensures that your e-learning courses are accessible and readable on any device, whether it is a laptop, a tablet, or a phone. To choose a responsive design, you need to use an e-learning authoring tool that supports this feature, such as Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, or Lectora. You also need to test your courses on different devices and browsers, and adjust the layout, fonts, images, and navigation accordingly.

2 Simplify the interface

Touch screens have less space and precision than mouse-based interfaces, so it's important to simplify the interface of your e-learning courses to avoid clutter and confusion. To do this, use large and clear buttons, icons, and links that are easy to tap and recognize. Also, minimize the number of menus, sidebars, pop-ups, and tooltips that may obscure content or interfere with touch gestures. Furthermore, reduce the number of clicks or taps required to access information or complete tasks. Lastly, provide clear and consistent feedback such as sounds, colors, or animations to indicate the actions and outcomes of the touch interactions.

3 Design for touch gestures

Touch gestures are the natural and intuitive way to interact with touch screens, so you need to design your e-learning courses accordingly. Common touch gestures include tapping, swiping, pinching, zooming, rotating, and dragging. To design for touch gestures, you should use those that are familiar and common to your target audience. Avoid complex or ambiguous gestures that may cause errors or frustration. Additionally, provide clear and consistent instructions such as icons, labels, or hints to guide the learners on how to use the touch gestures. Alternative modes of input such as keyboard, voice, or stylus should also be enabled for learners who prefer or need them.

4 Optimize the media

Media elements, such as images, videos, audio, and animations, can be powerful tools for engaging and effective e-learning courses. However, they can pose some challenges when it comes to touch screens. To optimize media for touch screens, you should choose high-quality and relevant media that support the learning objectives and outcomes. Additionally, it is important to compress and resize the media to reduce loading time and bandwidth consumption. Captions, transcripts, or subtitles for audio and video elements should also be provided to ensure accessibility and comprehension. Furthermore, autoplaying or looping the media elements should be avoided to give learners control over their media consumption.

5 Test and evaluate

The final and most important step to optimize your e-learning courses for touch screens is to test and evaluate them. This will enable you to identify and fix any issues or errors that may affect the user experience and learning outcomes. To do this, you should use different devices and browsers to check the functionality, usability, and compatibility of your courses. Additionally, you should conduct user testing with real or representative learners to observe their behavior, preferences, and satisfaction. It is also vital to analyze the data and metrics such as completion rates, quiz scores, and engagement levels to measure the effectiveness and impact of your courses. Lastly, it is essential to implement the improvements and changes based on the findings and recommendations of the testing and evaluation process.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?