Digital Job Aids: Mobile Learning Made Simple
Did you know that in 2018, less than two years from now, 2 billion people will use smartphones and 1.4 billion will own mobile tablets? Device proliferation is on the rise as technology continues to advance and global access to digital tools increases. Additionally, did you know that by the year 2020, more than 50 percent of the workforce will be Millennials? Members of this demographic, born from the early 1980s through the late 1990s, were the first to grow up with computers in their homes and have a great familiarity with and dependence on technology in both their personal and professional lives.
The Mobile Learning Landscape
Have you been in the workplace learning profession for at least a decade? If so, you have most likely seen a shift from widespread use of formal, face-to-face learning methods to a greater focus on blended, e-learning, and mobile approaches. Organizations aiming to revamp their existing learning and development strategies to better serve today’s workforce are adopting mobile learning programs that reach employees where and how they learn best.
Are your learning initiatives meeting the needs of today’s diverse, multi-generational, and tech-savvy workers?
Despite such high use of mobile devices and a growing demand for digital learning, only 34 percent of organizations have mobile learning programs according to recent research by the Association for Talent Development (ATD). And a mere 31 percent of organizations with mobile learning programs characterized their efforts as highly effective. Budget constraints, poor IT infrastructure, and lack of internal learning function skills to support mobile learning are the top reasons cited for low adoption and program ineffectiveness.
The Value of Digital Job Aids
The good news is that mobile learning doesn’t have to be difficult. You can begin to take small steps today to incorporate simple and powerful digital tools within your training repertoire. One such method is the mobile job aid. Mobile job aids to the rescue!
Digital job aids provide the following benefits:
Fully capture the processes, policies, and tools involved in a training program or initiative
Include many visual elements, such as flowcharts, swim lanes, and process map
Can be accessed via a mobile app, providing on-demand support
Digital Job Aids in Practice
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing new training on inventory management processes, policies, and tools and considering the use of digital job aids to supplement this training. Such mobile tools would provide the following solutions to FAA’s challenges:
Merge many existing documents to create an interactive tool that contains all information related to FAA’s management of physical inventory
Highlight touchpoints and distinct responsibilities during complex processes
Provide employees just-in-time assistance during the inventory process without the need to shuffle through papers
Many public and private sector agencies have already adopted mobile job aids to streamline complex processes and increase training efficiency. For example, one smart device app provides a series of checklists to guide employees in the implementation of standard processes on the job, ensuring compliance and accuracy. Another digital job aid is essentially a mobile version of one organization’s procedure manual, which employees can download and use in the field while conducting inspections. As seen in these examples and confirmed by ATD research, digital tools are most widely used by sales and operations functions, both of which require just-in-time information while working outside of the office or with highly regulated procedures.
Your Time for Mobile Learning is Now
The learning landscape in today’s workplace is ripe for mobile solutions, and many organizations are beginning to get on board. Don’t be left behind. Your learners are calling for simple, practical, and accessible tools. We would love to hear your experiences with digital job aids, so please leave us a comment. Also, if you want to dive deeper into this topic, send a message to info@cynuriaconsulting.com, we’ll be happy to guide you in this process.