The user experience

UX design

"User experience (UX) design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and personally relevant experiences."
Interaction Design Foundation

User experience is a term that is very popular out in the graphic and web design world. Very few people really understand what is meant by UX design or the impact it can have on what they do, but it is an essential component of any effective online learning. I would even argue that it is the essential component.
The secret to any good design, including online courses, is usability. By understanding your audience, how they will access and use the information you provide, you will be able to create a more meaningful and effective online course.

There are 4 key elements to good UX design:
· Accessibility
Courses should be available to all students and accessible on all devices
· Consistency
Consistent look and feel helps students navigate the course and access the information
· Simplicity
Don't fall into the trap of information overload. Start with the essentials and build from there
· Free-form delivery
Give students every opportunity to find what they are after. Provide bookmarks & meaningful titles Never forget who will be using your course. Interactivity and a great look mean nothing if it does not achieve the goals of the user and make learning accessible and relevant to them.

Student engagement

The holy grail of online learning! Student engagement is the key to effective learning. No matter how well designed your course is, without engaging the user in the information, then nothing is learnt.
The way you deliver your content goes a long way to helping encourage student engagement and following the fundamentals of user experience design is the best first step, but there are other things you can be doing to help students feel engaged and the course feel relevant.

There is no one solution to student engagement, it is a matter of trial and error. Seeing what works and adjusting what doesn't.

Here are some great ways to improve student engagement:
· Speak directly to the user
Whether it is by addressing the user by their name throughout the course, or making personal contact before the course begins, making direct contact with students help create a connection between the people delivering the course and the students themselves.
· Provide a consistent voice
Providing learners with a face of the course, a single voice that provides all information helps the user feel a connection with the course and the people delivering it. A single expert guiding the student throughout the course.
· Create & encourage discussion groups
Not always logistically possible, but by creating discussion groups within an online course you are able to help foster a sense of community for the students as well as additional support to students throughout the course.

· Include introductory activities
These are a great ice-breaker and a fun way to introduce students to this style of learning. It helps set the tone for the course and can also function to gauge a students existing understanding of a subject.
· Encourage sharing
Whether it is through social media, online discussion groups or collaboration sessions, encouraging students to share their experiences throughout the course is essential to build student engagement.
Create a hashtag for your course or a shared space for all students to post their ideas and impressions. Give them the tools and set them to work, they will end up doing all the work for you!
We will never be able to get all students engaged with online content, but by incorporating some or all of these ideas we can go a long way to improve engagement.