Learning Experience and Learning Experience Design

As a corporate trainer or learning professional, you’re always looking for innovative methods to make your training programs more effective and engaging. And you’ve probably heard that “learning experience” is a key part of any corporate training program.  But what exactly does learning experience mean, and how can Learning Experience Design (LXD) help you to build better learning environments? Which software solutions can assist with this process? In this blog post, we will explore these questions and delve into strategies and tools that can help you create engaging, effective learning experiences.

The term “learning experience” is borrowed from the better-known concept of “user experience” and is fairly self-explanatory. It refers to all the things that students experience during the learning process. This can encompass anything from the lessons, to the group chat, to the process of logging in to the learning environment. Even details such as mobile compatibility, the ability to test out of certain parts of a course, or their satisfaction with the e-learning software are part of the learning experience — they all affect the overall experience that the student has while learning.

At first, you might think that learning activities and learning experiences are the same thing. However, this isn’t entirely correct. Learning activities are part of a learning experience. A learning activity is a concrete lesson or module that transmits knowledge to your learners. This could include things like in-person lessons, webinars, or even a quiz within a learning path.

A learning experience, on the other hand, is the subjective experience that a learner has while completing the activity. This includes things like their emotional and physical experience during the activity — do they feel frustrated, or empowered? How does the user interface and structure of the course affect them? Are they sitting in an office chair using a laptop, or on their couch using a mobile device? Are the colors in the learning app soothing, or bright and stimulating? Is the course material too easy, or too difficult? Are they interested in what they’re learning?

Whether it is carefully crafted or accidental, the experience your learners have will impact their learning outcomes. Creating, structuring, and delivering your content effectively is a great start, but there are many other aspects of the overall experience that must be considered. How and where do your learners prefer to learn? Is the material appropriately challenging? How does the learning environment make the student feel? 

All of these factors will affect how successfully learners absorb the new material. When you think about it in this context, you can easily see why learning personas are so useful in improving learning outcomes.

In the world of Learning Experience Design (LXD), the term “learning experience” takes on a slightly different meaning. LXD pioneer Niels Floor defines it like this:

“A learning experience is a holistic experience that is intentionally designed and carefully crafted to help the learner achieve a meaningful learning outcome that is (mostly) predefined.”

In other words, the discipline of LXD recognizes that all aspects of the students’ experience affect how well they learn, and uses that fact to positively influence learning outcomes. Rather than focusing only on the content, it takes a more holistic approach to help students learn as effectively as possible. In addition, LXD uses many modern learning techniques such as microlearning, interactive simulations, and gamification to improve knowledge uptake and retention. All the different factors work together to create the best possible end result.

To create a successful learning experience, you’ll need the right software. Here is an overview of the different types of software you might use in your corporate e-learning program and what each of them is for: