With an estimated 50% of employees requiring reskilling by 2025, businesses that offer training and upskilling opportunities own a significant competitive advantage.

In this environment, the digital transformation of employee training through eLearning is a game changer. From onboarding to reskilling, online learning saves companies time and money, and has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and learn.

Effective and scalable eLearning gives your workforce the skills and capacity to adapt, innovate, and drive business growth to meet the challenges and opportunities of evolving global trends. However, unlocking the transformational aspects of going digital requires a shift of mindset. It starts with understanding key aspects unique to the digital learning experience.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Effective eLearning incorporates principles of DEI by creating a sense of belonging for all course participants and helping them connect more deeply to the learning content. This not only improves the quality and effectiveness of employee training programs but can have a significant impact across your business.

Advantages of integrating DEI into your training program

• Increased profits. Companies without a DEI strategy or with an ineffective one are 27% less likely to be profitable compared to their peers. Bringing this practice to your training programs helps set the tone across your organization.
• Employee retention. Creating workplace environments that value the unique perspectives of employees reduces turnover. Demonstrating that you value your diverse employees through your training program content helps set this standard for every employee.
• Greater and more inspired innovation. Employees are more likely to innovate when they are empowered to bring their own ideas and worldviews to their work. Delivering improved, more inclusive training helps every employee grow their capacity and capability to innovate.

When inclusion flourishes, it permeates the whole work environment. It enables everyone to succeed, and it leaves no one out. It has a positive impact on people’s desire to work for an organization and how productive they are, the quality of decision making, customer relations, innovation, revenues, and reputations. ~ Rebekah Steele, INdivisible, 2020

How to leverage DEI to enrich your corporate learning programs

Championing DEI in learning involves engaging learners on a deeper level, for example, by:

• encouraging employees to bring their rich perspectives and realities to their learning experiences
• empowering employees to broaden their perspectives and innovate solutions for diverse markets
• exploring creative ways to promote DEI in organizational processes and practices

To achieve these objectives, digital learning programs can be made more accessible and inclusive through the following tactics.

Snapshot from an organizational training module on inclusive writing guidelines that we created for a client offering health support services for a diverse group of clients. We designed this custom writing guide to support their capacity to be inclusive in serving their market base. These kinds of writing considerations can be applied to any training program content and extend to any content developed by your organization.

• Ensure the stock images, videos, and illustrations used in a course reflect the diverse identities, backgrounds, and roles in your company.
• Use simple, clear, and inclusive language that everyone can easily understand and relate to. We recommend creating a company-wide inclusive writing framework that can be customized for each department.
• Incorporate video translations to serve a multilingual market. For Canadian organizations, consider French, American Sign Language (ASL), and Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ). US organizations may prioritize Spanish and ASL.
• Give learners agency by providing a balanced mix of audio, text, images, and videos.
• Evaluate content for bias and preconceived assumptions about the employees and any other course participants. Are there options for flexibility in the learning program? Do all employees have access to resources and requirements to take the course?

Put learners at the centre of your training programs and watch them flourish.

User experience (UX) and accessibility

Today’s employees have high expectations of their online experiences and interfaces, and that includes your eLearning offerings. Leveraging the convenience and flexibility of eLearning requires expertise in designing a user experience that helps ensure employees can retain and connect new knowledge to their work.

Complicated learning software features, unfamiliar navigation controls, and disorganized course interfaces and content structure on learning management systems (LMSs) can make content inaccessible and difficult to understand.

Drawbacks of poor UX design

• Low learning engagement. Learners disengage when navigating poorly designed interfaces.
• Poor knowledge retention. Employees can’t assess their knowledge and retain information if the course interface and structure are not accessible, organized, and responsive.

How to enhance UX and accessibility to maximize eLearning ROI

Screenshot from a case study demonstrating user experience-led features we developed for George Brown College. Read the case study here.

• Ensure consistency in content flow, navigation controls, and design elements. (Leading with people-centred design allowed us to build a flexible and accessible eLearning program for George Brown College that is now being used across Ontario higher education institutions.)
• Make the course more flexible by providing access via multiple screen sizes and devices. It’s helpful to adapt the course to fit the needs of employees who prefer to learn on their smartphones and mobile devices.
• Tailor the interactions and activities to give choice and agency to the learners. For instance, you may want to incorporate features such as resource aids, personalized reflection activities, and scenario-based assessments to enable course participants to put their learning into practice.
• Deliver similar content in multiple formats—from text to images, quotes, and videos—to improve accessibility and enable participants to engage with content in more than one way and support the diverse learning preferences of each of your learners.

Digital instructional design principles

Instructional design is different from UX design in eLearning, although they work hand in hand. Instructional design focuses on how people learn and how to transform subject matter content into a learning product. UX design then leverages instructional design to ensure the course material translates seamlessly on an LMS platform and is usable, scalable, effective, and accessible to all course participants.

Business impacts of incorporating instructional design principles into corporate training

Implementing instructional design principles in your training programs benefits your employees and organization, improving eLearning ROI in the following ways:

• Enhanced productivity and engagement. From onboarding to reskilling, effective learning programs empower people with the skills to become more effective at their jobs, which leads to increased efficiency and productivity.
• Improved retention. A 2023 Work Institute report analyzing employee retention complexities shows that professional development is a leading reason people resign. Learner-centred training programs help address this by opening up ways for employees to add value and impact to the business while pursuing self-improvement.
• Saved costs. It costs more to hire new employees than to train and reskill existing ones. Improving retention through people-focused professional development programs will save you time and money while adding to your bottom line.

Investing in learning helps establish a critical competitive advantage—and eLearning designed with a focus on DEI, UX, and instructional design will give your organization a chance to realize this advantage in terms of hiring, employee retention, and performance.

Start the discussion about eLearning ROI with your learning and training team by asking the following questions:

• Is there more we could be doing to make our eLearning programs inclusive, accessible, and effective for all employees?
• Are we creating opportunities for learners to apply new knowledge and skills in their work?
• How are we leveraging the latest eLearning practices to improve retention and productivity?

Interested in learning more about how to maximize the impacts of your digital learning and training programs?

We’d love to chat. Our multidisciplinary team at Say Yeah specializes in delivering holistic and customized corporate eLearning solutions that help organizations turn training into a competitive advantage.

Get in touch

The post How to Maximize Your Company’s Learning & Development ROI in 2024 appeared first on Say Yeah!.

This hybrid event will take place from June 9-10, 2022 in Brooklyn, NY and will also be streamed virtually. Featuring a full schedule of insightful design talks, the DesignConf will include discussions about how the Gov.UK design system was built, self-care for creatives, inclusive design practices, empowering up-and-coming designers, and the current state of design.

A few of the talks we’re excited about:

• Care for Creatives, with Nova Nicole
• Designers Hold Power in Creating Equitable Futures, with Jahan Mantin and Boyuan Gao
• Great Design Requires Great Humans, with Dean Broadley

Check out the full lineup and event schedule

Grab your tickets

Join the virtual event for free or enjoy the in-person experience. Save 90% with discount code JOINSHOPIFYUX and attend the in-person event for just $180. Limited spots are available!

Register now

Need help designing exceptional user experiences?

Learn about our approach to inclusive design and our user experience (UX) design services.

Ready to take the next step with your digital products?

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Whether you’re a researcher, research leader, a designer who conducts research, or just someone who is eager to learn more about user research, these two conferences you should take advantage of with opportunities to learn from research practitioners.

UXRConf 2022

The fifth annual UXRConf will be taking place from June 6-7, 2022. UXRConf is the world’s largest UX (user experience) Research event, and we are excited to be attending this year’s hybrid conference.

The discussions will cover topics from growth research to UX insights to behavioural science.

Talks we’re looking forward to hearing:

• Insights to Equity: Applying User Research to Spotify’s Dib Strategy, with Alexandra Hornsby, User Research Manager, Spotify and Ashley Graham, User Research Manager, Spotify
• The Next Step in Accessibility, with Joel Isaac, Accessibility Manager, Novaelis and Pia Zaragoza, UX Mentor and Innovation Fellow at Springboard and General Services Administration

Check out the full lineup and conference schedule

Get your tickets today

The virtual tickets are free. The in-person tickets cost $1800 USD and limited spots are available.

Grab your tickets here

ReOpsConf 2022

The ResearchOps Community will be holding its first annual ReOpsConf on June 8, 2022.

This full-day hybrid event will allow you to gain insight into the field of Research Operations (ReOps) and learn about topics such as research repositories, scaling ReOps, and knowledge management.

Talks we’d like to highlight:

• Building and Scaling ReOps at the UK Dept of Education, with Alice Kiernan, Research Operations Lead at Department for Education, England, UK and Lucy Sutton, User Research Operations Lead at Department for Education, England, UK
• Building a Research Toolbox, with Andy Garber-Browne, DesignOps Program Manager, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Carolyn Morgan, UX Researcher, Cisco
• Repositories in Practice: Using Knowledge Management to Create Research Stories, with Emily DiLeo, Sr. Design Research Specialist, SAP

Check out the full lineup and conference schedule

Get your tickets today

Remote tickets are free. In-person tickets cost $900 USD and have limited spots available.

Grab your tickets here

Our user research methodologies can help you reach organizational objectives

Learn about our approach to user research and explore our inclusive research toolkit.

Ready to evolve your research practices?

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The post UXRConf + ReOpsConf, June 6-8, 2022 appeared first on Say Yeah!.

This online event will consist of three panel discussions, each speaking to a different component of ethics across research and product design. Several experts in the user experience (UX), design, and equity industries will be part of the conversation to share their opinions, experiences, and challenges. Their insights will enable us to be more mindful of our work.

This year’s panels are:

1. Hoarding Power with Justin Threlkeld, Dr. Alina I’vette Fernandez, and Dr. Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon
2. Biased Identities with Calvin Liang, Dr. Diana Albarrán González, and Jennifer Rittner
3. Weaponizing Care with Dr. Chelsea Johnson and Iris Xie

For more information and panel schedules take a look at the event’s website.

See the details

Get your tickets or sign up to receive the recordings

Tune in live on March 4th, or watch the recordings for each panel when it’s convenient for you. No matter which you choose you’ll have the chance to explore how we can “lift the curtain on ethical theatre”. Registration closes on March 1st at 5 pm CST.

Register here

Not sure how to get started with an inclusive design process?

From our inclusive public sector work to our insurance, banking, and other private sector work, we continue to develop our inclusive design practice and bring impactful service design and product strategy outcomes to the organizations and communities we work with.

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The post Critical UX: Lifting the curtain on ethical theatre, March 4, 2022 appeared first on Say Yeah!.

Learners, the new platform for all things product, design, and research, from the team behind the UX Research Conference, is hosting a free, one-day design conference on September 17th from 11-4 pm EST.

The conference will feature talks on everything from landing your first UX gig to inclusive design to design leadership.

Some of the talks we’re looking forward to

• Reframing Design Leadership in the Context of Community, with Nikole Arguedas, UX Researcher at Banco General
• Inclusive Design: Going Outside of Ourselves and Creating Collectively, with Lauren Celenza, Design Lead at Google
• Leading UX Teams Like A Champ with Celeste Ridlen, Head of Research (Hosting) at Airbnb

Check out the full lineup

Get your ticket before they sell out!

The Design Conf is free to attend; however, spots are limited, so sign up today to secure your spot.

Grab a ticket

We’re excited to check out this jam-packed event!

~ The Say Yeah Team

Experience design as a foundational skill

If you’re looking to bring fundamental product strategy and experience design practices to your team, we’re here to help.

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Taking place February 24th to February 26th, we’re looking forward to exploring a range of cutting-edge research methods and connecting with other design and research professionals.

Some talks we’re excited about at UXRConf 2021

• Dear Designers…We Need to Talk About Race: How Colorblind User Research Produces Racist Design, with Alba Villamil
• Into the Wild! Surviving Research Where Few Go, with Evelina Deleanu
• Inclusive Research: with people who are deaf and hard of hearing, with Antoine Garcia-Suarez
• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to UX Research That Lasts, with Vidhika Bansal

If you’re a UX researcher or designer yourself, don’t miss out on this exceptional knowledge-building and networking opportunity at UXRConf 2021. These are just a few of the many talks that are sure to be beneficial to you and your team’s user research and customer experience practice. Get your ticket and check out the schedule for all the latest information.

Full schedule of talks

Grab your ticket today

Tickets start at $99 USD, and talks are available to rewatch through March.

From conference knowledge to ongoing research

If you need support to accelerate your team’s research practices, get in touch. We can help.

Contact us

The post UXRConf Anywhere, February 24th-26th, 2021 appeared first on Say Yeah!.

With a range of industry speakers and talks, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn and network with this group of user research and CX professionals.

There’s something for everyone, from business-focused streams, to talks about research fundamentals.

Talks we’re looking forward to:

• Don’t guess, just test—even if your product sucks with Christian Idiodi
• Guiding principles for ethical research, and why you should care
  with Devin Harold
• Reimagining usability: finally making data accessible to all
  with Dave Fowler and Kevin Minnick
• How to learn about your customer when everything you know about them has changed with Tricia Wang

Check out the full talk schedule

Upgrading your user testing and research practices is critical to better understanding your users and customers, gaining valuable insights into behaviour and user goals, and building more effective products and services.

Grab your event pass today for free to expand your knowledge of best practices for user-centred research.

Register now

Need additional guidance on your team’s user testing strategy?

We can help with our comprehensive approach to user testing and usability testing.

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Traditionally an in-person event, bringing together a group of passionate designers in one spot, this year, the conference will be taking place online on July 9th, from 1 PM to 5:30 PM EST.

The online conference will feature the same quality of great UX content we know and love from previous FITC Spotlight UX events.

There’s something for every UX professional in this lineup.

We’re excited to hear from the great speakers who will be giving talks at the event, including:

Jared Spool, Center Center
Scott Jenson, Google
Catt Small, Asana
Kate Moran, Nielsen Norman Group
Jessica Moon, Adobe

Spotlight UX is sure to be jam-packed with insights for product and UX designers to expand their skill set, all from some of the best-known designers in the field.

We encourage you to take this excellent opportunity to learn from these designers and grab a ticket to the event!

View the full conference schedule here.

Save 50% with discount code mediatemple and catch this event for just $20.

Get tickets

Experience design as a foundational skill

If you’re looking to level up your product strategy and experience design methodologies and execution, we’re here to help.

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The post FITC Spotlight UX: July 9th, 2020 appeared first on Say Yeah!.

Hosted by our colleagues at The Strategy Institute and Digital Marketing for Financial Services, this webinar will help you and your team extend your knowledge of how to adjust your customer experience and marketing strategies during COVID-19.

From the United Nations COVID-19 Response series. This “positive propaganda” is meant to foster a sense of hopefulness in times of uncertainty. The future is still bright. Image created by Heads Up (Madwell).

With a great roster of speakers, from Simon Wyse, Borrowell’s VP of Revenue, to Bank of Montreal’s Vice President and Sr. Digital Product Owner Jerry Breef, and more, it’s sure to be a timely and informative session.

You’ll learn how to use experience design and product strategy to ensure customers reach your products and services in a way that meets their goals. All of this learning is industry-specific, with a lens on financial brands in particular.

Register now

The post Understanding your consumer needs in uncertain times. A financial services webinar, May 27th, 2020 appeared first on Say Yeah!.