The impact of irresistible learning design
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’ – Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
To create irresistible learning, we want learners to use their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills, rather than just delivering information to them. People learn by doing and so, at Mindboost, we have no desire to create meaningless ‘click next’ experiences which keep learners in a passive state.
Our goal is about engaging people, whether through storytelling, microlearning, social learning or gamification to get stuck in and give it a go. And that means that what they learn will ultimately stick with them because they have been part of an active experience.
Top tips on how to implement effective elearning
Let’s take a look at how to create learning that doesn’t just provide information but gets learners to be involved on every step of the journey.
1. Scenario-based learning immerses a learner in a realistic narrative where their decisions have consequences, and they can see these play out.
| Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
| Difficult conversations
Follow Chiquita as she has a difficult conversation with her employee. You’ll need to help her make the right decisions to help it go smoothly and be prepared for some tricky responses from the employee. |
Process implementation
Walk through the steps of the new manufacturing process with Steven. You’ll need to make sure you complete the tasks in the right order otherwise chaos could ensue! |
Onboarding
We’ve created a virtual experience to simulate your first day in the shop. Interact with as many of your colleagues as possible to find out more about what they do. |
2. Scaffolding involves providing a series of temporary support for an inexperienced learner, then gradually removing them as the learner gains mastery.
| Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
| In a software training course, the learner might first take a guided tour, with pop-ups that explain the features. These tips are reduced until the learner can compete tasks independently.
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In a food safety course, a learner takes a quiz which contains various compliance questions, if they answer incorrectly (on cross-contamination for example) they are pushed out to the training on this topic. | For a communication course, learners join a simulated phone conversation with a customer. At the beginning, prompts and suggested phrases are provided but as they progress these lessen. |
3. Metacognition involves explicitly teaching learners to ‘think about their thinking’. It helps them develop self-awareness and strategies to improve their learning process.
| Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
| Pre-training confidence check – before starting a course a learner is asked to answer a few questions about the topic and rate their confidence in their answers. This helps students accurately assess what they already know and what they need to focus on, guiding their attention more effectively. | Post-training surveys – these prompt learners to explicitly reflect on their thought processes, strategies, and performance. The idea is to move beyond a simple satisfaction rating to a deeper self-assessment of how they learned and what they gained. | Digital reflection journals – after completing a topic a learner reflects on their learning process using their journal. Targeted questions encourage self-reflection related to their own experience and can be reviewed with a manger/mentor for further development. |
4. Gamification applies game design elements, like points, badges, and leaderboards, to learning activities. It increases motivation and reinforces key concepts through interactive, competitive experiences.
| Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
| Sales training and performance management
Sales teams use a real-time, gamified dashboard that tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) and drives friendly competition. A leaderboard displays rankings based on performance.
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Compliance training – cybersecurity
Instead of a dull, passive lecture, employees complete a gamified “escape room” challenge. Employees must correctly identify phishing attempts, follow security protocols, and make decisions in real-life risk scenarios to unlock clues.
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Product training for retail staff
Learners embark on a story-driven quest that takes them through the history, features, and benefits of a brand’s products. Players solve puzzles and answer quizzes to unlock new content. |
How to implement these strategies effectively
