As I write this post, I can already hear the naysayers: “Yeah, yeah…we already know about social, mobile, gamification, microlearning, and \[insert latest training buzzword here\].”

I get it. There’s always a new shiny object that will transform the world. So rather than debate the merits of the latest tech, let’s take a look at three trends emerging in 2016 that will help the industry build modern training.

#1: Improved User Experience (UX)

On our quest to complete required training, most of us indiscriminately click through a training module or LMS like a bear raiding a well-stocked campsite. We know what we want, but it’s just not that easy to find. Inevitably, this search leads to frustration, low engagement, and even abandonment. As vendors try to “one-up” each other, we see a growing assortment of training products that promote feature bloat. Paradoxically, what these products lack in simplicity, they make up for by being totally disengaging. Enter UX.

User-centered design is the intersection of technology and psychology; where function meets form. In the L&D world, we like to think of it as the place where training meets retention. Until recently, we had to work really hard to find training solutions list “easy to use” as a key feature. In fact, it’s been traditionally hard to find “user friendly” anywhere on the feature list.

This is all about to change, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. A big catalyst for the change is the explosion of mobile technology and the tacit expectations learners have developed for simple, intuitive user interfaces. Apps we use every day on our mobile phones and tablets have turned us into user experience snobs—who no longer think of “easy to use” as a nice-to-have feature.

Yep, human-friendly design is now an expectation. What’s more, it will be a competitive advantage for many of the smaller, disruptive companies that value usability over a long list of one-up-the-competition features like APIs that integrate your LMS with your cappuccino machine. (Okay, maybe APIs that connect to a cappuccino machine don’t exist…yet. But the time it takes an employee to complete their required training would likely decrease significantly if it actually did exist. We can dream, can’t we?)

#2: Skin in the Gamification

Game-centered design and game-based mechanics are no longer nascent technology concepts in the L&D industry. While a growing number of organizations are using points, coins, badges, likes, levels, or some other form of digital currency to incentivize training engagement, very few provide real skin in the game.

A trend likely to emerge this year is the use of digital currency to provide tangible rewards. New technology is enabling the exchange of digital currency earned by users who complete training for tangible rewards, such as company swag, days off, or any other reward imaginable. While the debate rages around how well this trend will incentivize learners (“Wait…you mean we need to reward them for doing their required training??”), it will change the training incentive landscape, nonetheless.

Here’s an example from the Spoke LMS that turns coins a learner earns by completing a course or participating in the community into real rewards.

No doubt, this trend will certainly be met with resistance by a few skeptics who have sharp pencils and enjoy the fine print. However, providing skin in the gamification will eventually be considered a part of doing business. In fact, today’s workforce, while multitasking on their smart phone and virtual reality glasses, will demand it.

#3: KPI Integration

I often receive questions on the best way to measure training effectiveness. For example, “What is a good completion rate?” or “How do we know if the training is working?” Obtaining a quantifiable and defensible training ROI has long been the equivalent of the “Quest for the Holy Grail” in the L&D world. Although we may not be able to clutch the sacred goblet in 2016, the automated integration of traditional training metrics like course completion data with other key performance indicators (KPIs) is a trend to watch.

Many of you already know that comparing metrics like sales performance, tenure, customer service scores, and profitability to training completion is traditionally challenging—because it’s hard to control noise in the data. For example, let’s say you create a training course to help improve customer service scores. Much to your chagrin, soon after you launch the training, your company decides to release a new customer service policy. Customer service metrics improve, but who gets the credit: the training or the new policy? Herein lies the most vexing aspect of measuring the impact of training.

In an effort to improve signal-to-noise, you’ll start to see out-of-the-box LMS integrations with ERP and CRM systems. These connection points will enable comparative analysis at a fraction of the cost and the time it takes to traditionally compare these KPIs. These systems can further reduce the noise by normalizing the data by removing outliers, comparing control groups, and establishing baselines. The skeptics with ultra-sharp pencils couldn’t be any happier.

Most importantly, this will pave the way for L&D professionals to serve up training based on an employee’s KPI results. Case in point: a sales employee is 10 days into the month, but far from reaching his sales budget. Integrated systems can suggest training courses that can help him learn how to close the gap. The screenshot below shows an example of how that’s playing out in the Spoke LMS by asking the friendly, yet supportive question, “Need a boost?” to lend a hand to our struggling sales rep.

Bottom Line

Let’s be honest: Most of us didn’t choose a career in L&D because it advertised the use of the most cutting-edge technology; we’re here because we love to create ways to help people learn. Yet, somewhere inside all of us is a nerd-like affinity for technology. We squeal in delight when we experience training software with an amazing UX. Our hearts skip a beat when we earn badges, rewards, and get listed at the top of the leaderboard. And, we get chills when we can use data and graphs to show the business results of our training. Yes, we may be nerdy, but we’re also creators—and that makes us awesome.