Fostering User Adoption in your Learning Program

Jan 27, 2017
Fostering User Adoption in your Learning Program

As you transition from your outdated Learning Management System (LMS) to your new GyrusAim v16.1.0.4 application it is important to keep in mind your users’

perception of the change. Successful implementations hinge on how well the user base accepts the new program and what is has to offer. Below I have compiled a list of change management strategies that can be used specifically in optimizing your experience in migrating your enterprise over to a newer and more robust application.

In order to properly prepare your workforce for the impending change, it is pertinent that you:

  1. Obtain User Input to Specify Requirements

One of the easiest and strongest components of User adoption is making your users feel as if they have a say in what is to be selected. By allowing users’ to specify their unique requirements you can build a pre-qualifications list which can go a long way towards fitting your organization with the optimal application for its needs. Pre-qualifications discussions can also help you identify topics that were not in your initial product scope.  If it turns out that the only reason your users’ dislike their current LMS is due to the lack of one particular feature, the work leading up to a new system could be lighter than you anticipate.

  1. Keep Users involved in the Selection Process

Don’t just stop at obtaining user requirements, invite users to participate in your selection committee. Allowing them to evaluate and discern features of the products which are available to them. This step can go a long way in explaining to other members of the organization why features are exhibited differently than initially scoped or envisioned by the user base during their requirements forming process. This can also help if your requirements are heavily regimented and require an extensive time commitment. By keeping the user group abreast of how the search is going, it will then be easier to explain any type of lull or required extension in the resources required to obtain the perfect application to suit your organization’s needs.

  1. Inform Users of the Changes they will experience in the new program

Encourage communication between the group members who sit on the selection board and members of the organization that will be most heavily impacted by this change. This will establish the groundwork to let them know how the process is going and what requirements may be tough to find specific compliance. Once the product is carefully chosen by the selection committee, it is vital to inform on the positives of the new system.

  1. Know the System Benefits

In order to properly inform the user base on the impending software change. It is best that you take proper notation on exactly what you are getting with this change. Know the gained functionalities and options which you will be offering like the back of your hand. By knowing the cool features you are getting (especially the ones that exceed the original scope of requirements), you can act as an internal sales figure for increased product adoption. In some cases, the manner in which a system approaches a particular challenge can be much better than you originally envision. If one of your students is disheartened by the prospect of losing a particular feature, it would be very beneficial to identify the specific feature that is replacing it. Imagine the ability to be able to say this line, to a troubled individual concerned with the new change: “Though that one specific method of course creation has changed, you now have the ability to further configure multiple aspects which we had never considered, which will not only improve our course offerings and user accessibility, but also our capability to measure impact on our organization.”

  1. Educate on the Interworkings of the New Program

Knowing that a component is achieved in a different manner in the new system can also go a long way in addressing hostility expressed towards a new system offering. Training can be specifically developed for your workforce once you have been educated on the ins and outs of the product you have implemented. Saying the following expression in how it relates to your old system, “In the old system, such and such was achieved by doing this and this, while in the new system this is a simple click, and completion of a form.” Extends the perception of a new application much further than, “This is how you do this now.”

  1. Immediately Utilize the New Application

If you yourself are not buying into the new functionalities of the new application, it will be hard to justify its adoption to the personnel you are administering the application towards. Typically, in organizations where a technological change is suggested, there is a bit of a push back as users have acclimated to the system currently in place. If there is an option to utilize the functionality of the environment of which they are comfortable with, there is a very small chance you will be able to migrate them over to the newly accepted platform. It is best to completely sever utilization of legacy products, in order to gain a complete product buy-in from all applicable professionals.

Using these steps will go a long way in expanding the reception of a new product and the process itself is applicable to many different facets of life. By getting people involved, keeping them involved, and informing yourself, you can close the gap between discontinuing usage and start a new application and recognize its full potential. Please continue to join me as I further investigate the learning industry and things that impact our industry from week to week.