Developing an interesting and successful e-learning program is both rewarding and challenging. While there are many positive aspects to building an e-learning project, there are also difficulties associated with determining exactly how much you are saving and making. Figuring out the return on investment (ROI) of an e-learning program is integral to understanding its overall success, worth, and business impact. ROI is the most widely used method for calculating the financial impact a project has on a business. In other words, ROI is the formula used to determine whether or not an e-learning project was successful. In order to do this, there are a handful of factors you must consider. There are both tangible costs and intangible benefits associated with an e-learning project, both of which are important. Calculating the tangible costs is easy, as long as you know what type of data you should be collecting. Additionally, you must look at the hard and soft cost savings of your project in order to get the full picture regarding your ROI. Below you will find detailed information on each of the factors that go into figuring out the ROI for an e-learning project, which should help you understand the bottom line for your company. Tangible Benefits While the tangible benefits of an e-learning project may seem straightforward, you must be sure you are covering all your bases and collecting data from a handful of areas in order to accurately determine the ROI. Logistical costs, development costs, and opportunity costs are all tangible factors that must be analyzed. Logistical Costs While e-learning programs definitely cost less than conventional classes, there are still logistical costs associated with setting up an e-learning program. When determining the logistical costs it is important to look at the number of class participants, travel time for each student, required classroom materials, cost of instructor, and number of classes per year. Development Costs Development costs refer to the materials needed to teach each class and the amount spent on the instructor (only applicable if you are hiring outside of your company). It may be a good idea to compare the cost of hiring an outside instructor with training an internal employee, you may find that one fits into your budget better than the other. Opportunity Costs You will assess your opportunity costs based upon what type of e-learning program you have and who your audience is. This can be difficult, but just keep in mind that the more instructors or customer service reps you have, the more it will cost. Opportunity costs are closely related to soft-savings, as customer satisfaction is a key part. Hard and Soft Savings Beyond the tangible benefits, you must look at the intangible costs, or soft-savings. Measuring the ROI for an e-learning project can be tricky because there are certain 'soft-savings' that can be hard to determine. Soft-savings refer to the aspects of your project that are more difficult to place a monetary value on, such as increased customer satisfaction, staff reduction, shorter training time for employees, productivity improvement, and employee satisfaction. While harder to measure the ROI on, the soft-savings are what make or break an e-learning project and are therefore extremely important to consider. On the other hand, 'hard-cost savings' are easier to identify and are similar to the tangible benefits of a program. Hard-cost savings associated with e-learning projects include shorter travel distance for your employees, fewer trainers, and less work-interruption. When calculating and measuring the ROI of an e-learning program it is essential to have an open mind and look at all possible factors. From the easy to identify tangible benefits of e-learning to the soft-savings that are more difficult to place a monetary value on, you must look at it all. If you do so, you will have a much easier time understanding and measuring your ROI, which will give you a better grasp on your business as a whole.

The Scrum model has become an increasingly popular management framework in many different sectors, including e-learning. Scrum is a type of Agile software development framework designed to help manage projects and increase productivity. The effectiveness of the Scrum model for e-learning project development is its emphasis on communication and flexibility, both of which allow businesses to adjust their plans as needed. Scrum methodology is fundamentally changing the way management teams approach and view company strategies and specific projects. In the case of e-learning, Scrum methodology allows for more organization in course development, leading to faster results and an increased likelihood of information retention. Initially implemented as a "flexible, holistic product of self-organization", the Scrum model is rooted in the presence of teams that work together throughout all stages of the project. Perhaps the most important aspect of Scrum is the recognition that users can change their minds regarding what they want or need to get out of a project at any moment. This is an important development for e-learning projects, as users are oftentimes unpredictable and changes are often necessary at different stages of development even with the best plans. How it Works The Scrum process is facilitated by a Scrum Master, or someone who is accountable for overseeing the entire project but has no decision-making powers. Each day the entire Scrum development team will spend a specified amount of time discussing what they did the previous day, what they are working on today, and what challenges (if any) have arisen. Additional review, retrospective, and refinement meetings are also held, all of which play an important role in ensuring the e-learning project is progressing as effectively as possible. The Scrum team will use backlogs or other tools, such as whiteboards, sticky notes, or spreadsheets, to keep track of each aspect of the project, ensuring nothing is overlooked. The numerous meetings and organization tools are all integral to the effectiveness of the Scrum model, as they are the backbone of the project. What Scrum Accomplishes What sets Scrum apart from traditional approaches to project management is that it is set up to deal with these challenges directly so that the problem can be addressed and a resolution can be delivered as quickly as possible. In contrast to the traditional "waterfall development" strategy, Scrum allows for analysis at each and every step, and adjusts the project based on real-time findings. The waterfall approach is far less effective, as it is rigid and does not allow for flexibility. The Scrum model is a cutting-edge model because it organizes work for shorter cycles, allowing for more analysis and adjustment. Additionally, the Scrum team reports to the client instead of a manager, which intensifies collaboration and truly allows for the project to develop and adapt so it is implemented at a highly effective level. What This Means Scrum methodology allows e-learning teams to collaborate more than ever on each step of the project. Additionally, these teams are better equipped to assess the module platform and media used, determining whether or not they are effective with users. It also provides more flexibility, as the management team is closely analyzing each stage of the project and responding to emerging requirements as they pop up. This process is steeped in user/developer collaboration and encourages constant feedback, enabling the team to better meet each e-learner’s needs. The Scrum process is in place with the aim of meeting a desired goal or result. This is ideal for e-learning projects because it enables developers to create a learning path with an end goal in mind, and adjust it throughout the duration of the project.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at Training Magazine's Training 2014 Conference & Expo in San Diego on February 3-5, 2014. During the conference we will be at booth 413 with our latest and greatest custom training solutions on display. If you drop by our booth, you can learn more about the magic we perform behind the scenes to bring our clients’ projects to life, get some free swag, and play our Award Winning Serious Game for Air Marshallers! This Microsoft Kinect serious game was built to teach airline employees how to help maneuver an airplane from the terminal to the runway in a fun way. Instead of just making a simulated learning experience, we used game mechanics to create an engaging yet challenging serious game that puts your learning to the test. We will be hosting the game at booth 413, and the first place winner at the end of the conference will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and bragging rights about being the fastest serious game learner on the west coast! See a preview of our Air Marshaller Serious Game Here: For more information please see the conference website at: http://www.trainingconference.com/

The development and popularity of serious games are an indication that the face of learning is changing. Serious games are designed to serve as an experiential learning tool, reaching beyond the pure entertainment aspect of many games. One of the major benefits to serious games is their incorporation of entertainment as a means to equip learners with knowledge that can be used in real life. However, serious games are more than just an attractive, interactive means of getting people involved and raising interest levels. While the appeal of game-based learning to a broader audience is one of the most important aspects of serious games, it is not the only purpose. Designed to engage the learner, serious games are also in place to meet specific educational goals. With all of the above in mind, the assessment of a serious game also possesses interesting challenges. Assessment The emergence of game-based learning creates a whole new perspective of learning and instruction. With this comes the need for alternative, innovative ways to assess the impact of learning through serious games and technologies. Developing a successful serious game reaches beyond the game itself; it also includes having a system in place that enables you to readily assess the students' learning outcomes. Evaluating the effectiveness of a serious game will allow you to pinpoint which games work best for a given goal or objective. With this, it is helpful to have an objective in mind before the creation of a game. Outlining the learning objectives of a game will directly translate to the overall outcome and experience of the learner. If the objectives are not clearly stated, it will make the assessment of the game quite difficult. Since the overall goal of game-based learning is to provide learners with knowledge and useful skills that can be used in the real world, having a meaningful goal in place should be the first step. Having a defined objective for the game in place is one aspect, but it may also be beneficial to keep in mind the overall experience of the learner. This includes welcoming feedback, adjusting the game as needed to ensure it is both engaging and challenging, and implementing a design that is appealing to a wide range of learners. Additionally, game-based assessment may allow you to look at the actual medium itself, determining its effectiveness. Certain platforms may work better for specific situations and learning experiences, so it is helpful to take into consideration the learner experience and opinion of the game. Game-based learning encourages critical thinking and enhances learners' problem-solving skills, and this can only be properly dissected by closely analyzing and listening to the feedback of learners. Game-based learning has the capability to focus on serious topics and turn them into a stimulating learning experience, but this has to be done carefully and attentively. Having defined learning objectives in place and assessing the effectiveness of the game through feedback and real world application are integral to the game's success and the overall experience of the learner.

When you hear the term "game mechanics", what comes to mind? This phrase has evolved rapidly with new technology, and it now represents the rules and feedback systems that are in place to generate an accessible and enjoyable game. From driving the user's experience to every aspect of the way a game runs, the mechanics are the heart and soul of the design of a game. Good game mechanics are harmonious, engaging, and are in tune with the needs and wants of the targeted audience. Seems simple, right? In actuality, defining and implementing game mechanics can be difficult, as audiences and technologies are constantly changing. That being said, innovative, engaging, and detailed game mechanics are important, especially in today's society where there seems to be a new game or style of game coming out every day. From using the appropriate platform to pinpointing a targeted audience and developing a game that will have users coming back for more, there are a handful of things to remember when truly trying to understand what goes into the mechanics of a successful serious game. Defining Game Mechanics It may be helpful to look at game mechanics as a series of puzzles that are all connected. What we mean by this is that each and every step or action performed by the user is integral to the overall experience of the game. Whether the game requires users to beat a certain level before they can proceed or answer a question, the user is perhaps the largest piece of the puzzle. Basically, a user performs a prompted action, the action then causes some effect in the game (e.g. receiving tokens or points or proceeding to the next level), and then the user receives feedback which is used to perform another action. This cycle of action and feedback continues, and is in essence the mechanics of the game. This continuous cycle of feedback, or feedback loops, is essential to the overall operation and user experience. Additionally, the need for feedback throughout the various steps of the game shows that users are itching for information, especially when it will help them solve a problem or "beat" a game. Engagement, Engagement, Engagement So what is the most important part of game design? You guessed it, engagement. Without promoting user interactivity and captivation, a game will not succeed. And in order to get people interested and coming back for more, the game mechanics must be top-notch. Since it all begins and ends with the game users, having (and understanding) a targeted audience should always be the first step. Once you have an audience in mind, it is important to remember that easy games quickly become boring and repetitive, causing users to look for a more challenging (but not too difficult) game. Implementing incentives and new ways to achieve the goals of the game as well as constructing a game that requires a little bit of thinking and problem solving are the keys to a successful game. When it comes to the mechanics, remember that people are looking for a combination of entertainment, interaction, and challenges that tests their skills and knowledge.   Game mechanic design takes long-term dedication, planning, and knowledge. From understanding a targeted audience to having the capability to create a game that is both engaging and interesting, the mechanics of a game are integral to its overall success. With this, user feedback is another central part to a game and it is important to ask yourself time and time again, "why should people want to play?"  

E-learning opportunities have quickly become one of the most popular methods for people to receive an education or expand their knowledge in a particular subject area. Because people are now seeking more unconventional ways to learn new material, developers and industry experts are having to make adjustments to keep pace. Enter: game mechanics. Game mechanics are essentially the rules and mechanics of a game that are in place to encourage user engagement. In a sense, the mechanics of a game define how it is going to be played and what people are going to get out of it. When it comes to e-learning, the mechanics of a game are what make or break it. If the game is not well-designed with the user and end goal in mind, you are basically setting the user up for failure. Engagement Matters The primary purpose of game mechanics when it comes to e-learning is to increase overall engagement. If you focus on developing an e-learning game that users are set up to want and like, you are bound to be successful. Understanding your target audience and designing a game that is in line with their interests and learning objectives is key, but it all ties back into the mechanics of the game. Using game mechanics to provide clear feedback for users as well as something they can manipulate, interact with, and understand are all important factors when you are looking to increase engagement. With this, people respond well to an element of uncertainty with games. They get excited when they think they might have predicted something accurately and will more than likely want to go back and learn more. One way to do this is by developing user-centric games. In order for e-learning games to be successful and interesting to users, they should be as social as possible. From allowing users to create a personal profile to having various tasks or exercises that award 'bonuses', users need to be encouraged to become willing participants. The more the mechanics of the game motivate and reward users, the more they will learn and become dedicated. Creating a leaderboard or giving users the option to post to social media platforms such as Facebook or GooglePlus are other great ways you can set yourself up for success, and have users coming back for more. In a nutshell, game mechanics directly affect how individual engagement can be transformed through the psychological and neurological impact of e-learning games. Games Reward the Brain The mechanics of a game are crucial to the user's experience because they contribute to how much fun the user is having while they are learning. With this, games that are designed to reward and engage the brain, keeping users interested and searching for more, are what people are looking for, whether they know it or not. The tasks and elements of a successful e-learning game should always be supporting the learning process, and rewarding the user at the same time. So how, exactly, is the brain rewarded by the various game elements? Any time you are doing something that is encouraging your brain to work and you are simultaneously thinking to yourself, "this is fun", should be considered a reward. With this we mean that "rewards" aren't always tangible. You are rewarding your brain by interacting and participating in an action that is not only giving you more knowledge, but is capturing your attention and getting the juices flowing. We can see why e-learning games have become such a popular way of learning today, as game playing encourages people to take on challenges. People thrive off of collaborating with others, which is why games are so successful in e-learning scenarios. The bottom line is that game mechanics are the single most important element to whether or not a user will gain knowledge and find success with a game. By focusing on creating layers of goals and objectives with game mechanics, we are encouraging users to stick with the game and pursue knowledge in a way they may not even realize.  

Designing Digitally, Inc. will be at the Learning Solutions 2014 Conference this year in beautiful, sunny Orlando, March 19-21! You’ll find us in Booth #313. We are excited to have the privilege of sharing examples of customized learning games and simulations with you, including some of our 2013 work AND our Recycle Roundup game using Leap Motion Technology! Check out the information below to be sure you’re ready: Review the schedule for LSCON14 Follow us on Twitter and follow hashtag #DEVLEARN for conference news and updates! Like us on Facebook for updates on who is in the lead in our Recycle Roundup Leap Motion Game! If you are not able to attend the LSCON in Orlando, we invite you to visit our website to see some of our latest and greatest work! For more information reach out to us here!

When it comes to designing and developing a serious game that is both engaging and educational, the Designing Digitally, Inc. team understands what needs to be done. The goal of serious game design is to turn would-be boring content into something interesting, aesthetically engaging, and educational. While instructional game design strategy is dependent upon the content and client goals, there are a number of best practices we have found that will help contribute to your success. This list is far from exhaustive, but the tips below should give you a better comprehension of how we work and how we will be able to benefit you and your company. Know Your Objective When it comes to designing a learning game, it is essential for you to have an instructional objective or goal in mind. In other words, what is the exact message you want your game to convey to users? What do you want them to get out of it? By asking yourself those questions and other similar ones, you will have a better idea of what your goals are and what direction you are interested in going. Who Is Your Audience? The next step is to determine your target audience. It is best to have a general idea of your learners' educational background and specific needs before starting out. This will help you develop a game that not only captures and holds their attention, but also equips them with new knowledge that they will be able to retain and use in the future. Properly Embedding the Game It is important to embed the game using a specific structure for best results. An example of this would be to inform learners at the beginning of the game what, exactly, they will be learning. The next step is to allow learners to use and experience the game and then to educate the learners on the overall goal and important aspects of the game. Then let's start to look at the type of mechanics you want to add to the experience. These mechanics will make up the format of the learning game, so choose wisely and make sure it sticks with the audience. Keep it Simple A successful instructional game is not inundated with complicated rules and concepts. People respond better to simplified, to the point instructions, so it is important to keep the rules and scoring simple. Also, let them learn while discovering, rather than a large upfront load of instruction. Make Sure Your Learners Are Comfortable Before they begin the game, it is a good idea to make sure all learners are comfortable with the rules and understand what their role is. You may also want to provide them with a practice round that will not count, especially if the game seems a bit complicated. Be Smart About Your Focus Focusing your game on various learning outcomes instead of just winning will help keep users engaged and interested. Most people do not like to lose, so it is a good idea to center the objective around something other than strictly winning or losing. Group Learning Depending on your game and overall goal, it may be useful to implement group learning. Groups oftentimes better facilitate learning and keep people interested. This is becoming ever more popular, so adding group social competition will help drive the experience. Design For Multiple Sessions People typically want to play a game more than once, so it is essential to make sure your design is one that can continue on and keep the learners engaged. This does not mean developing a loop where users will perform the same actions over and over again. The game should allow learners to continue playing but with another strategy. Interactive Users respond well and retain more information with interactive games. Boring lectures or blandly presented information will cause learners to lose interest quickly, and more importantly, they most likely will not learn anything. Our team at Designing Digitally, Inc. understands how to create and implement an effective instructional game that will keep users interested and educate them at the same time. By following the 9 practices listed above and many others, we can help you develop a game that will be successful and well-received.

As with the education sector, corporate training is getting a major overhaul. Thanks to the rise in popularity of electronic devices, traditional training tactics are no longer the 'only way'. Using serious games for training purposes not only allows businesses to make the training experience more exciting, but it helps companies appeal to the growing number of millennials entering the work force. When it comes to creating and developing serious games that will prove to be successful in the work force, there are a handful of things to consider before starting. Having a clear definition of the game objectives is perhaps the most important step, as this will define every other aspect of the serious game. If a game is not developed with a particular objective in mind (whether it is to help increase sales, inform employees of a change in regulation, or solve a particular problem, for example), then chances are the game will not work as effectively as you would like. What is the Objective? Having a well-designed and thought out game is oftentimes not enough. If you’re looking to create a successful serious game that conveys necessary information in a manner that encourages user response and engagement, you’ll want to have a well-defined objective laid out. You should first decide what you’re looking to get out of the game. For example, are you going to be using a game to increase company sales and introduce a new sales strategy, or will it be teaching something specific to your employees? Once you have determined what purpose you have in mind for the game, then you can move on to the next steps. Having a clearly defined goal or objective in place will allow you to make better strategic decisions throughout the duration of the training, as well as deliver the right features and identify the most effective training methods. What Are the Best Tactics for Conveying Your Information? Once you have a clear objective in mind, you can work on deciding what the best tactics will be for conveying your desired information. Whether it's requiring users to complete simple puzzles or more complex tasks and activities, it is important to understand which will work best for your purposes and your audience. Matching the right experiences and tasks to your audience can be challenging, which is where the following tip will come in handy. Who is Your Audience? In order to be successful with a serious game in training scenarios, it is important to understand your desired audience. You could have the most effective and amazing game designed, but if you did not take into consideration your intended audience, chances are it could fall flat. Designing with your audience in mind will help keep user frustration at bay, and you will have a better chance of encouraging meaningful user engagement and interaction, leading to a successful game. Which Platform is Best? Now that you have your game objective and intended audience in place, it is time to look at which platform will be best. For example, can your audience only access the game through the web, or can they play it on a mobile device? Does the content need to be refreshed on a regular basis, and is there a time requirement or limit for the game to be completed in? Answering these questions and other similar ones will help you decide which platform will be the most effective for your particular game, and for your specific audience. As you are trying to encourage engagement and motivate your audience, it is a good idea to go over all of these different components. There are numerous factors that contribute to a game's success, and being aware of what these are will help you achieve your desired goal. Having a clearly defined objective, knowing your audience, understanding which tactics will work best, and using the right platform are all important things to consider when developing a serious game, and they will undoubtedly play a role in your overall success. These things all require research and an investment of both time and resources, but it will be well worth it in the end.

It is a very exciting time to be in the E-Learning industry, as computer and Internet use continues to grow and expand across all age groups & demographics, and businesses of all sizes and shapes are realizing the vast capabilities of E-Learning programs for education, training and corporate efficiencies. Serious Games and Gamification - once-arcane concepts that bubbled up only in the Tech and Geek worlds - are now being discussed and utilized for marketing, administrative functions, human resource evaluations, corporate and industrial training programs and more across a broad spectrum of industries. Serious games are of course the use of computer game-based systems and programs for purposes beyond mere entertainment. As Designing Digitally, Inc. has been trumpeting for quite some time now, younger workers and Internet-savvy individuals of older generations are quite used to computer-based operations and work. The use of computer-based gaming programs that can teach protocols and processes for the workplace as well as educate students of all ages on complex subjects is a natural progression and evolution of video gaming that started way back in the Seventies. Now, large corporations and Fortune 500 and even 100 companies are embracing gamification for their ease of use, adaptability, fairness & impartiality during evaluations, and safety for on-the-job training. Recent case studies on Samsung, IBM and Allstate help to show the efficacy of these great learning and training tools for the new millennium. For Allstate, serious games have enabled the insurance giant to receive innovative ideas from its employees around the country, thanks to a gamified social innovation tool from a company called Spigit. Since the employees of any large company are the ones "in the trenches" and doing the work, it makes sense that these individuals would be the ones to understand what is and what is not working in terms of company processes. Allstate wanted to tap into this large, collective awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the company, and serious games helped them do just that. According to the case study report in PC Advisor, "Allstate has been running blitzes for four years, and has generated more than 5,000 ideas and more than a million visits to the tool. In addition to coming up with the ideas, participating employees can vote other ideas up or down, or add their own comments to existing ideas….One successful blitz resulted in changing the process of how claims are scheduled in an office. ‘It sounds like a mundane process, but leadership didn't recognize how complex it was and how much stress it was causing employees,’ explains Matt Manzella, Allstate's director of technology innovation. ‘Changing the process saved the company $18 million a year in adjusters' time.’" You can read more about the success of Allstate in enlisting employee suggestions via gamification by following this link Electronics giant Samsung desired to garner more user-generated content and traffic for its global website - which often go hand-in-hand from an essential search engine optimization perspective for online marketing. The company, like Allstate above, also knew that their product users could have insights on Samsung technology that could help newer customers. To do so, Samsung created a social media-based loyalty program utilizing serious game principles. As the case study was reported on the Destination CRM website, "Combining work and play might sound counterintuitive, but companies that do so are already noticing real results. Samsung, for instance, mixed frivolity with serious business initiatives when it created…Samsung Nation through behavior platform Badgeville…Fueling competition, the game lets users level up, unlock badges, and gain subsequent rewards and recognition. Samsung, in return, saw 66 percent more users submitting 447 percent more product answers on its global Web site. Even more impressive, the user-generated content prompted 34 percent of users to put 224 percent more items in shopping carts." Learn more about the Samsung case study using gamification by clicking on this link. Lastly, Ignite Social Media has some fascinating coverage of the 8th annual Serious Games Summit (Yes, you read that right!), featuring IBM’s own Serious Games Program Manager, Phaedra Boinodiris. (Yes, you read that right too - IBM has a serious games program manager!) Ms. Boinodiris is a bit of a legend in the video gaming industry, and she presented IBM’s utilization of serious games for marketing purposes that explain business process management to college students and city planning processes to CEOs, presidents, COOs and other leaders. Quoting from the Ignite coverage, "IBM’s brand is difficult to understand these days. How do you help people understand these complex systems that IBM does? How do you explain something IBM helps with like business process management (BPM) and make sure the information is retained? To Phaedra, the answer was simple: you make a game. Innov8, a serious game created on the Vicious engine, was rolled out as an IBM academic initiative to explain BPM to students across the nation. To this day, over 1,000 universities use it. What does this mean for marketers? It means that IBM has a foot in the door with rising generations. Students going through college and learning about BPM learn it through an IBM product with IBM branding attached to it. This game gives IBM a presence in the schools, making an impression on the future leaders of the world and future potential customers. Moreover, Innov8 became the top brand for IBM within a few days of it going live in 2009. The number one lead generating asset for IBM became a serious game and it happened almost overnight. Please follow this link to learn more about IBM’s efforts and their success with serious games for marketing purposes. Clearly, huge enterprise companies are seeing great results by tapping into the creative communication and educational powers vested in serious games. We’re going to keep doing our part to share these successes with our readers, whom we hope will be interested in working with Designing Digitally, Inc. on your own serious games initiatives for your business. The future is here - are you ready to join us?