Learners are no longer tied to desktops or physical classrooms. They’re on the move and want learning to fit into their busy lives. Mobile video e-learning allows them to improve their knowledge at any time or in any location. To stay relevant as an online education provider, you must use a mobile education strategy.
Video content that doesn’t work well on mobile phones could exclude thousands of learners. Mobile users don’t want to experience tiny text, overlapping images, and constant zooming. This is why mobile-responsive design has become critical today.
If you want to reach learners who are digital natives, you need to design learning experiences with mobile in mind right from the start. Mobile video has the potential to reshape learning and one of its most exciting aspects is its just-in-time nature. Learners have access to relevant information exactly when they need to solve a problem or perform a task. Immediate application helps to reinforce retention.
The growing dominance of mobile learning platforms
Mobile devices have become the main gateway to digital learning. Studies show that more than 74% of learners access training materials via a smartphone or tablet rather than a desktop computer.
Platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and Coursera report that most engagement comes from mobile users. In the corporate sector, companies realize that their employees expect to be able to learn on their mobile devices at their own convenience.
As a corporate trainer or online course creator, you have to deliver the type of content that works best on mobile devices. The shorter and more interactive it is, the more engagement you create.
The Deloitte Leadership Academy decided to use short, interactive mobile video when rolling out a global leadership program. Employees could access the content during travel or in between client meetings, which encouraged ongoing learning.
As mobile learning platforms evolve, they incorporate some advanced features. This includes the use of AI to offer more personalization, push notifications, and much more. Video fits seamlessly into such an ecosystem so you can offer learners content where they spend plenty of time – on their mobile phones.
Cincopa video hosting platform supports mobile-first learning with its responsive video players. They automatically adjust layouts and sizes to fit different screen sizes and devices. Learners don’t have to turn the phone sideways or zoom in to see the video. Despite the small screens, viewing quality is high.
Benefits of mobile video
By incorporating mobile video, you immediately expand your reach and the impact of your content. Here are some of the benefits your learners will experience.
Accessibility
Video helps to level the playing field by removing certain barriers. Whether learners are in the office, at home, or traveling, they are able to engage with mobile video. Subtitles, translations, and screen readers increase video accessibility for diverse audiences. For global teams, accessibility means that everyone has an equal opportunity to learn, regardless of their time zone or the language they speak. With more accessibility there’s a higher chance that learners will watch, engage with, and retain the content you share.
Flexibility
The use of mobile video means you learners have more control of their learning journey. Employees don’t have to block off an hour or two for training – they can tackle one module of a course that may only take five to 10 minutes to watch. This reduces resistance to training and improves completion rates.
Convenience
Your learners already use their mobile phones for communication, entertainment, and shopping. Embedding video-based learning into an ecosystem they already use makes it easy to include in their daily habits.
Being able to tap, watch, interact, and learn encourages them to keep learning. For you this translates into higher engagement metrics and more consistent progress. By offering video messaging, you are able to provide learners with personalized feedback or quick updates.
When Starbucks started using short mobile video for barista training, it improved onboarding and consistency across its stores. Employees could quickly access videos when they needed to refresh their minds about customer service or drink-making procedures.
Key considerations
Mobile video has great potential as long as you keep the following considerations in mind.
1. Length
Mobile viewers consume information in a different way than desktop viewers. Attention spans are short and they want content that’s easy to digest. Stay away from lengthy content and rather go for short videos of about 3–7 minutes. It is much easier for learners to interact with short, concise videos on their mobile phones than long lectures. With the introduction of reels and other short-form content on social media, this is the type of content they expect.
Mobile-first design includes the breaking of information down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Rather than offering an hour-long video, break it up into a series of 5- to 10-minute videos, each covering one topic.
HubSpot Academy uses short-form videos in its marketing and sales training. Learners are able to complete lessons on different topics in small bursts. This approach has helped HubSpot to scale education to thousands of users worldwide.
2. Design
Mobile-first design prioritizes simplicity. Obviously smaller screens mean losing some display space. Initially the solution was to make web pages vertical so users could scroll through them. This didn’t provide a good user experience and today mobile-first design goes way beyond this.
Mobile devices rely on touch interactions. This means you have to design interfaces with touch in mind. Buttons, links, and other interactive elements must be clearly visible and easy to use.
On a smaller device, learners need simple, intuitive navigation. It should always be easy to find the mobile videos they want to access.
You don’t want to interrupt learning because your videos don’t adapt to the screen size, the text doesn’t adjust, etc. This is where responsive design comes in. It will rearrange the layout, resize text, and optimize navigation for each device. Elements like quizzes and other resources will adjust smoothly across various screen sizes.
Responsive design also offers learners more flexibility. They can switch between devices and access videos whether they are on a laptop at work or on a smartphone during a commute.
Designing modules and interactions that load quickly, work on all screens, and even function with a weak internet connection means learners can learn even if they don’t have the best phones or fast Wi-Fi.
Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly design and will rank it higher in the search results. When you use mobile video, you not only improve user experience but you also boost your visibility and potential reach.
3. Bandwidth optimization
Video files are large and can take up plenty of bandwidth. To reduce the size and improve performance, you need to compress them before you upload them to your hosting platform. Compression removes all the unnecessary data while maintaining video quality.
If you offer learners different live streaming resolutions, they can make a choice based on their bandwidth. Providing offline download options also helps to remove barriers to access.
Khan Academy offers learners adaptive streaming and offline video options if they have limited connectivity. This has made the platform very popular with regions that have unstable internet.
The Cincopa platform uses adaptive bitrate streaming and has a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Adaptive bitrate streaming adjusts video quality based on the connection of the user. The CDN distributes content globally and learners access videos from the closest server to them. This ensures fast loading time and smooth playback. With a CDN you can handle high traffic and scale up and down.
The platform also gives you access to advanced analytics. Track e-learning on smartphones and measure engagement on heatmaps with colors that show you exactly how learners engage. See which content engages them most and where they skip or lose interest. This gives you valuable insights to improve your mobile videos.
Conclusion – Mobile video is no longer optional for e-learning
Mobile video e-learning is essential in today’s fast-paced, digital world. Your learners expect content to be accessible on their mobile devices. Giving them mobile-first design meets them where they are and provides a way of learning that suits their lifestyles. With more flexibility and convenience, they have fewer reasons not to learn and richer, more engaging learning experiences. This drives better results in corporate training and online education. Go to Cincopa Home Page and sign up for a free trial if you want to explore how it can help you to use mobile video effectively.
