Compliance training has a bad reputation for being little more than a box-ticking exercise. But here at Saffron we believe it’s absolutely possible to create effective, engaging training that achieves both competence and compliance. Read on for our top five tips for breaking the mould and delivering gold standard compliance training every time.

1. Keep it positive
Avoid the temptation to instruct your learners in what they must and must not do. Try to minimise the number of ‘horror stories’ about the dire consequences of breaking the law. Training that’s driven by fear, or by an organisation’s need to cover its back, is unlikely to really make a difference.

2. Make it relevant
When it comes to compliance, what you do is more important than what you know. So don’t focus on legislative detail; focus instead on what the law means in practice to each individual learner in their day to day work. This is a great step towards achieving enhanced awareness and competence as well as meeting regulatory requirements.

3. Keep it real
One way to achieve that relevance and engage your learners is to use scenarios: create recognisable, everyday situations and get learners to identify the issues and make recommendations. This clearly demonstrates to them what they need to know (and do) and why. It also means they’re more likely to apply this knowledge in the workplace.

4. Make it varied
If learners are engaged in and enjoy a course they’re more likely to learn from it. Use a variety of interactions and media to cater to different learning styles and keep them interested. For example, consider photo or video scenarios, handy downloadable tips, news reports or articles, real life case studies and easy to access dictionaries.

5. Keep it conversational
We’ve had user feedback confirming what we already believed: a plain English, conversational tone of voice contributes to keeping learners engaged and therefore to the effectiveness of the training. Something as simple as this is a change from the norm of compliance training and offers learners a breath of fresh air as well as delivering results.

Check back soon for a downloadable PDF of these tips, and click here or here to find out more about our approach to compliance training. We’ve also recently won an IT Training Award for a compliance training project!

Evaluating the effectiveness of a learning intervention is often where projects fall down - it can be hard to know how to prove a return on investment. But isn’t it about time we had some common methods to evaluate and measure the value of learning? Here are Saffron’s top five tips for measuring that all important ROI.

1. Define what success looks like
To measure the right thing, you need to first know what the learning aims to do. Is it about mitigating risk or improving productivity, for example? Are you trying to reduce the number of security breaches or are you attempting to improve performance relating to targets or sales metrics? What does success look like for your organisation?

2. Align the metrics to the business needs
When identifying ways to measure success, keep them simple but try to think beyond typical LMS measures such as completion and assessment data. Make sure you know what the business needs are, and how the training is intended to address those needs, and align the measures of success to this.

3. Set the baseline
Ensure you have robust baseline data at the start of the project so that you can assess the performance impact of the learning. Capture results over agreed time periods and against pre-determined success factors. Then turn this on its head and ask how the business would be performing without the training. What would happen if you didn’t do anything?

4. Look beyond average scores
Use a variety of qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools and techniques. Compare the performance of a group of training users against a control group who didn’t take the training. Complement this with happy sheets, feedback forms and gathering verbatim comment. And get line managers reporting on behavioural change on the ground.

5. Consider what’s appropriate
Proving ROI from social learning is our next challenge. There is no LMS to draw data from and you can’t test learners. Instead, have polls to determine the usefulness of information, rate and rank posts, and measure the learning outcome rather than the ROI because perhaps this should be more about the individual learning process than the organisation’s return. Our advice is to trust the learner!

Check back soon for a downloadable version of these tips.

It doesn’t take a genius to make a presentation look great. All you need is a set of well designed master slides. Now read on for five top tips to help you get the most out of your master slides.

1. Use a single slide master for simple presentations
Formatting presentations in PowerPoint can be a painstaking process, especially if there are number of elements on each slide. But if all these elements are common to each slide, you can make sure that all the slides look the same by creating a single slide master.

2. Use multiple slide masters for complex presentations
If you’re working on a complex piece of work such as a storyboard, you might find it best to create multiple slide masters, each one representing a specific screen type. This saves time and effort and ensures that the screen types are consistent across your storyboards.

3. Reduce the file size of your presentations
Presentations can become quite large, especially if you are using a lot of images. Creating master slides not only saves time but also minimises the file size. For example, if you are using a 1MB image five times, instead of adding it to five slides just add it to one slide master and reuse it as often as you like.

4. Remember: not everything is ruled by master slides
Even if you are using master slides, you can still make changes to individual slides. And if you edit a slide master, you won’t lose those changes. However, if you delete a slide master, the formatting will change so make sure you either create a new slide master or apply another appropriate one that already exists.

5. Save master slides for later
PowerPoint often automatically deletes a slide master if it’s not being used in a presentation. So, if you’ve created a slide master which you’re not using in your current presentation, make sure you preserve it by right-clicking on the slide and selecting the Preserve Master option. That way you know you can use it another time.

Download our top ten tips forfor making effective use of master slides

We’ve all heard stories of or witnessed the powers of social media, so why not create your own success stories by embracing these technologies and embedding them in your learning strategy? Often, the problem is how to get buy in from the business. So here are Saffron’s top five tips for taking the first steps towards winning support in your organisation: 

1. Build a solid, measurable plan

Ask yourself what your learning and development goals and objectives are for engaging in social media. This will give you ammunition for building the case in the first place.

2. Do your research and put it to the test

There are so many social media apps out there so decide what features you’re looking to utilise and seek ‘business friendly’ alternatives to these. Then, once you’ve found out all you need to know, why not try it yourself? Write a blog, post on a wiki… start with the simple things.

3. Choose your words carefully

There are still reservations surrounding social media, so try to stick to more familiar terms. For instance, instead of ‘social networking’, consider replacing it with ‘online forum’. Also, present social media in the context of building capabilities, collaborating and exchanging knowledge within your organisation - this will be far more persuasive!

4. Blitz the stigma

Social media apps are worthy tools for enhancing learning - it’s not all fun, fun, fun. Yes, people use them for dating and socialising but they can also be applied for embedding and retaining learning more effectively, consequently shifting the learning culture in your organisation.

5. Educate the decision makers

Show them how social networks can be used in business and learning, and iron out any myths and misconceptions. Explain your plans to create a community of practice and develop members’ capabilities through sharing knowledge.

Download our top ten tips for creating a look and feel for a new client

Videos can be a great addition to e-learning packages - but only if they’re used in the right way. Here are Saffron’s top ten tips for making sure videos are adding value to your e-learning rather than just adding megabytes to your course.

1. Keep videos short and to the point
Unless you’re making the video interactive, keep it short and focused so your learner doesn’t switch off. This is especially true for monologues given by company executives: keep the learner engaged by keeping it short and sweet.

2. Use videos for emphasis
Don’t overuse video. Always ask yourself ‘is this is the best way to illustrate the learning?’ Video can be more memorable than text so use it for emphasising and reinforcing key learning points.

3. Make videos interactive
If you’re considering including a longer video then make it interactive, for example by pausing it intermittently to ask the learner questions. This keeps them involved and focuses their attention on the learning points you want to emphasise.

4. Follow up with questions or a summary
If you don’t make the video interactive in any way then make sure you follow it up with a brief summary of the key points covered. This should help to prevent any key learning points slipping through the net.

5. Use videos to demonstrate how to, or how not to, do something
A video can be a great way of illustrating how not to do something and then getting the learners to spot the mistakes. Depending on time, you can then follow up by showing them the correct way of completing the task.

6. Use actors not real employees
Your video will only be as good as the people in it and employees may be nervous or forget their lines. Use professional actors but make sure you send scripts through in advance, giving clear instructions on character and costume.

7. Be creative
Think about how television programmes are filmed and consider whether you can mimic their style. For example, try using different camera angles to break up long speeches or reinforcing key points by having text appear on screen.

8. Include a transcript
Providing a transcript makes a video accessible to everyone, such as learners with hearing difficulties or those without headphones or sound cards. It also enables learners to refer back to the content without watching it again.

9. Be technically clever
Compress video files as much as possible to avoid learner frustration whilst waiting for them to load. Consider creating a low bandwidth version for slower internet connections, perhaps using photos rather than video, or lower quality video.

10. Make videos downloadable elsewhere
Get the most out of your video by including it as a downloadable resource, either in the course or from an intranet site. That way, the learner can refresh their memory of the key learning points without completing the whole course again.

Download our top ten tips for using video effectively in e-learning

Design work for a new client can be exciting and difficult at the same time. The novelty of working with a new brand and identity comes hand in hand with the challenge of unfamiliar ground. We’ve found the steps below really worthwhile at the start of the design process for a new client, so read on for our top tips for success!

1. Get to know them
It is crucial, before deciding on the approach for a specific project, to get to know the client’s ‘world’. Ask them to provide all the material they have got about their company brand and identity. Any brand guidelines or libraries are obviously fundamental. Also don’t forget to ask for any custom font and brand elements - at the highest possible quality.

2. Do your research
After you have analysed the client material, do some extra internet investigation. Take a look at the company website and see if there are any other country versions. See what images or webpages appear when typing the client’s name in Google. It can also often be really interesting and worthwhile to take a look at their direct competitors’ websites.

3. Hold a discovery meeting
Now you’re ready to meet the client! Hold a workshop to gather any extra information you need and get to grips with the client’s needs and project objectives. Come prepared with a list of questions, listen to what they have to say and don’t hesitate to ask about anything else that comes to mind. This is your chance to discover whatever you need to know.

4. Don’t start too soon
Before cracking on with the design work, you need to do a bit more computerless thinking. Organise a discussion with the key stakeholders to share information and ideas - about the requirements, goals, challenges and technical boundaries. At this point, you should be able to use this to finally agree the field of action your design will tackle.

5. Remember, your client is your partner
It’s design time! From this point on the client is your closer partner. Set up regular checkpoints to show them progress; it doesn’t matter whether it is ‘presentable’ and ‘polished’ or not. Involving them and making them feel part of the process will set up the trust and participation that is needed for the success of the project and for any further collaboration.

Download our top ten tips for creating a look and feel for a new client

Whether it’s a new client or one you’ve worked with before, the way you begin a project sets the tone for the rest of the project. Here are our top tips for ensuring every project starts with a bang!

1. Research your client before you meet them
Make a good impression by researching the client, their company culture and history, their competitors and the industry before you meet with them.

2. Arrange the kick off at the client’s offices
Kicking off the project at the client’s offices allows you to get a feel for their culture and also offers the chance to meet everyone who’ll be involved, even if they can’t all attend the meeting.

3. Confirm information before the meeting
Send out a questionnaire in advance to gather basic information such as contact details. The meeting can then focus on discussions about project aims, learning objectives and timescales.

4. Invite the right people
As well as the project managers and senior stakeholders, invite the technical manager and any SMEs. Discussing their motivation and work schedules allows you to mitigate risks early on.

5. Ask the SMEs to bring relevant materials
Discussing content and agreeing learning objectives at the meeting gives you a good understanding of the subject matter and ensures that everyone is on the same wavelength.

6. Explain the project lifecycle
Take the time to explain exactly how you will run and manage the project, clearly highlighting your expectations of client stakeholders, risks and the impact of missed deadlines or scope changes.

7. Set up weekly progress calls
Agree a time for weekly conference calls about project progress. Even if the time sometimes has to change, a placeholder helps to maintain momentum and keeps the project on everyone’s radar. Developments in teleconferencing technology facilitate this possibility.

8. Establish a project timeline
Following the meeting set up a timeline of deliverables and face to face meetings, noting any periods of unavailability. Highlighting key dates lets people plan ahead and schedule review times.

9. Create a project definition document
After kick off, write a project definition setting out the approach, learning outcomes and content. Get client sign off to confirm that everyone agrees before beginning any instructional design.

10. Don’t assume anything!
Even if you’ve worked together before, confirm everything as if it were the first project. Getting the small details right from the very start will minimise hiccups throughout the rest of the project.

Download our top ten tips for kicking off a project

Effective project management is often the deciding factor when it comes to e-learning project success. Here are our top ten tips for making sure that you always deliver!

1. Have a formal project kick off
Before you start the project, make sure you understand the learning objectives, the client’s expectations, the timelines and the risks. Also make sure that the client understands the approach that you are going to take.

2. Start with the end in mind
Define the end goal and end date first and then plan backwards from this point. If you have to deliver a working course by 20 March, when do you need the pilot? If the pilot is needed by 12 February, when do you need the first build?

3. Keep it simple
Your instinct may be to use a Microsoft project plan – resist this at all costs. Create a simple table of deliverables and feedback dates – something that is easy to maintain and easy to understand. 

4. Take an ‘it’s either done or it’s not done’ approach
Track your project using milestones – tangible deliverables which are either done or not done. Avoid using percentage complete. Ask yourself what 80% complete means, when the other 20% will be done and how much effort it will take.

5. Manage risks
The key to risk management is to ask: what could go (horribly) wrong? Once you have a list, don’t leave it in your desk draw. Actively manage it and try to mitigate the risk.

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate!
The biggest reason for project failure is lack of communication. Often people on projects just don’t talk enough, becoming overly reliant on emails, plans and reports. As a minimum, arrange weekly team conference calls or meetings. 

7. Manage the subject matter experts
Subject matter experts, who are balancing their role with their day jobs, can cause delays to your project and need to be managed. Communicate the process to them and make your expectations clear. Put your project dates in their diaries.

8. Don’t forget prototypes and pilots
Your stakeholders will really understand what you are proposing when they see it. This is a good thing and helps to narrow requirements. Therefore you should build prototypes and you should always have a pilot.

9. Don’t be shackled by the plan
Project management is a people business. Don’t spend all your time updating the plan and documenting the process. Spend your time working with your team, understanding their issues and managing the risks

10. Watch your optimism
It’s natural to be optimistic and to believe that everything will go right. Try to keep a lid on this and keep asking yourself, what could go horribly wrong and how will I manage the situation if this happens?

Download our top ten tips for managing an e-learning project

Part of the secret behind Saffron’s success is that we go beyond simple client and supplier relationships and instead build lasting partnerships. Here are our top ten tips for building relationships that last.

1. Be prepared
Before the project initiation meeting, find out all there is to know about the client and why they want to use e-learning. Familiarise yourself with any material provided, prepare some key questions and greet the client with a smile!

2. Listen and learn
Whilst you may have some great ideas, take the time to listen to what your client wants. By really understanding why they think a particular solution will benefit their company, you’ll be showing them that you’re someone they can trust.

3. Remember, it’s good to talk
Frequent communication is the key to a strong client relationship. Hold weekly calls to catch up on the project’s progress and try to meet face to face as often as possible - we’ve found it’s invaluable in forging trust and confidence.

4. Don’t forget - your clients have day jobs too!
It’s easy to forget that your client may not be focused on your project nine ‘til five, five days a week. Bear this in mind when planning timelines, and work with the stakeholders to build in realistic review times that work for them.

5. Blitz the jargon
A confused client is a concerned client. Always explain terms and concepts associated with e-learning and make sure that the client fully understands the processes you will be using throughout the project’s lifespan.

6. Go back to basics
Your client may never have seen a storyboard before and may have no idea how a static PowerPoint slide or Word document translates into interactive material. Explain everything and guide them through your vision of the course.

7. Provide iterative releases
An interim storyboard or Flash release of one unit not only helps the client to see how the content is being brought to life at an early stage but also offers them the chance to make changes without causing delays to the overall project.

8. Involve the right people at the right time
The technology behind an e-learning course can seem daunting for non technical people. Contact the LMS team directly to arrange early testing and try to resolve any technical issues without involving the entire client team.

9. Be close at hand
One of the most frustrating things about project management is not having contact details at your finger tips. Help your clients out by always including yours in your email signature - not only is it useful but it looks professional too.

10. Look to the future
The client relationship shouldn’t end when the project is completed. By keeping in touch to monitor how the course performs you’re also keeping the door open for any future opportunities to work together again.

Download our top ten tips for building lasting client relationships

Creating original graphics for an e-learning course can be a challenging task, particularly when anything that’s created has to comply with strict branding guidelines. An engaging graphic environment is essential for an interesting and successful learning experience. Read on for our top five tips for achieving this.

1. Work on the concept
A strong concept is a must for any design. An interesting theme that runs throughout the course can help keep learners focused and engaged in the content. While the idea should be based around the subject matter, using metaphors and indirect associations can often provide the most attention grabbing results.

2. Explore different technologies
Advances in technology have created new opportunities in every field of design, including e-learning. Subscribe to blogs, magazines and training websites like www.lynda.com to make sure you stay up to date with new software and techniques. If the budget is tight, using free software like Google SketchUp can help add new elements to your work.

3. Never stop experimenting
It is easy to get comfortable with a proven style or concept that you know has always worked in the past. Attempting something new might not always be as successful as your proven techniques but exploring new creative methods can lead to improved and more exciting graphic solutions.

4. Do not decorate - communicate
Each visual element should serve a purpose - it should help to communicate the message (the content of the course) and contribute to the overall design concept. Check your work carefully to ensure there are no elements that serve a purely decorative purpose as they can be distracting for the learner.

5. Make it unique
While stock photography can be useful, relying on it entirely can often result in dry and unoriginal work. Use your own photographs to assemble interesting compositions. Ask a colleague to be a model for a photo that can then be used as a reference for an illustration. Include scanned and hand drawn elements to add a personal touch to your work.

Download our top five tips for designing engaging graphics for e-learning

If it’s not your day job, setting up and running a photography session can seem daunting, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. A few pieces of equipment, the appropriate preparation and a small dose of confidence are the keys for success. Here are our top five tips to make your next photo shoot go swimmingly.

1. Do your preparation

Before the shoot, list and gather all the props you need and, if you are hiring models, ask them to come with a specific wardrobe of clothes (watch out for white shirts on white backdrops!). On the day, arrive early to set up your set, lighting and backdrop. Ask someone to stand in for the model if you can, so you can test and experiment with different setups.

2. Plan the poses

During the shoot you need to get your models in several poses. It’s good to have a checklist of those poses and movements, including a series of different facial expressions to secure the whole range of shots you will need. And, if you have the time, why not add some extra ‘generic’ poses for stock photos that might be useful for further projects?

3. Get the lighting right

Light kits come cheaply nowadays and we suggest 200w/s strobes for their flexibility. You need at least one main light or flash, a fill light to cut out shadows and ideally a third backlight to light the backdrop and isolate the subject. Proper umbrellas help soften the light, and don’t forget to turn the lights off a while before packing so they can cool down.

4. Invest in the right camera

Digital cameras have increased their capability to produce high quality images, therefore a digital SLR camera should suit your purpose. The main players here are Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax. If you have extra budget to spend then spend it here - a good camera is worth the investment. A tripod is also a necessity to support and stabilise the camera.

5. Shoot too many pictures, not too few

Shoot as many images as you need (if not more) without fear. Memory cards can store up to 500 high resolution photos and most digital cameras can also be plugged directly into a laptop, which permits you to view the high-quality photos straight away and make the required adjustments on the next round of shots.

Download our top five tips for running a successful photo shoot

Many clients want to include video in their e-learning courses meaning that we need to become film directors as part of our day job too. But it’s not just about having a director’s chair with your name on the back. Follow these tips to ensure your video shoot runs like clockwork.

1. Get sign-off from your client
If your client can’t attend the shoot then make sure you send them recent photos of the actors you’re using and ask the actor to call them before the shoot to check voices and accents. Make sure to get your video scripts signed off by your client at least one week before the shoot.

2. Be specific about requirements
Be explicit about the hair, make-up and costume requirements for each actor. Ask them to bring along several changes of clothes just in case some of them aren’t suitable. Get them to change costume between scenes set on different days as this makes it more realistic.

3. Create your schedule carefully
Allow extra time in between scenes for costume, sound and lighting checks and changes. If you can, set up the equipment the night before to save time. This also lets you think through potential technical problems in advance, such as having enough power sockets for the equipment.

4. Choose your location wisely
Film in a location where you can maintain consistent sound and lighting throughout the day so that editing cuts within scenes will be seamless. Ensure none of the furniture is fixed in place as this gives you the option to move it around to adapt the location as required.

5. Be picky when you’re filming
Don’t be afraid to film several takes of a scene if you’re not happy with something, such as the way an actor says their lines or the intrusion of background noises. When it comes to editing it’s better to have too much footage than not enough.

Download our top five tips for running a successful video shoot

XML can be a great tool when used correctly, but it does sometimes suffer from being a development buzzword. The trick to understanding how best to use XML is to remember that its focus is to provide an independent structure for a collection of data. What happens with that data is a problem for other programming languages that need to work with it.

1. Create a stylesheet
XML can be viewed in many different formats but creating a stylesheet is a great way to ensure that the data is displayed in a readable way. Using tools like Microsoft InfoPath it’s possible to create a customisable view that will allow users to make updates to your XML document using familiar form based controls like textboxes and dropdown menus.

2. Group data
When using elements that belong in a group it’s best to create an element to represent that group. For example, if you wanted to create an XML document to show information on a series of books, you would want to create an element labelled “books”, then create sub-elements within the group to hold the information on each specific book.

3. Use elements and attributes appropriately
When choosing between elements and attributes, try to remember that elements should be used to group or hold data and attributes should be used to store meta-information for a specific element. Also try to avoid starting any names in your document with the letters XML or any punctuation characters.

4. Ensure compatibility
There are various ways to encode XML, such as ASCII and ISO/IEC 8859, but to ensure greater compatibility it’s generally best to make sure your documents are saved encoded as UTF-8. You can usually see how your document is encoded by opening your XML document in a simple text editor and checking the encoding attribute on the first line.

5. Experiment with your software
You don’t always have to have expensive dedicated software to edit your XML documents correctly. Programs like Microsoft Word are capable of transforming an XML document directly into a familiar looking editable document that you can save onto your PC.

Download our top five tips for writing XML

The project has been signed off and requirements gathered - now for the planning! To plan a project’s resources, you’ll need to have a really clear idea of the number and types of resources needed to spring the project into action. Without efficient resource planning things can start to fail rather quickly. Here are our top five tips to avoid that happening.

1. Define resources - who and what
So you’ve been informed of the project’s requirements and potentially even been given a delivery date. The question now is ‘who’ and ‘what’ are required to implement the project? It is important that the right people and equipment are identified otherwise you could be in a position where you don’t have the right tools for the job.

2. Schedule resources - when
Once you have clearly identified what resources are needed, it all comes down to time and availability. Determining how long a resource is required for is dependant upon two things: receiving accurate work effort estimates and taking into account the availability of that resource (consider planned absences, commitment to other projects and so on).

3. Be realistic
There’s little point in trying to fit a square plug into a round hole; it simply won’t fit. No matter how demanding the resource request is, you need to be realistic about what can be achieved in a given amount of time. It’s always best to plan resources with some contingency to allow for those unexpected problems that seem to arise from nowhere.

4. Prioritise
Changes to your resource plan are inevitable so be prepared to prioritise and make quick decisions. This needn’t have an impact on deliverables; if you take a step back and look at the bigger picture you might find that by moving something out elsewhere, things can stay on plan - it’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle; you just need to find the best fit.

5. Plan ahead
If you often find yourself in a position where you are struggling to fit everything into your resource plan then you need to start planning ahead. Advance notice of projects in the pipeline allows you to think ahead and direct resources to fit your needs. It’s better to have things on the radar well in advance and move it out rather than not be able to fit it in at all.

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All too often, a systems training course becomes a glorified user manual because it tries to train learners on everything that there is to know about the system! Read on for Saffron’s top five tips for creating great systems training that focuses on what learners need to know.

1. Define the objectives and learning outcomes
Like with all online training, the first step to creating effective systems training is to define the objectives and learning outcomes. Ask yourself – what does the learner need to know? Are there any behaviours that need changing? Remember, while user manuals provide end-to-end information, the e-learning should focus on specific areas.

2. Get familiar with the system
Ask the subject matter expert to take you through the system in the same way that they would train someone. This will help you to identify where a learner might struggle. If possible, install the software on your computer or get remote access to a testing environment so that you don’t have to worry about breaking anything and, at the same time, have unlimited access to the system. 

3. Keep it real with scenarios
Just because it’s systems training, it doesn’t mean that the course shouldn’t involve scenarios. Once you’ve decided what areas of the system the training should focus on, think of some plausible scenarios. Then, set up the system with the realistic sample data – there’s nothing more frustrating than files or text fields containing words like ‘testdata1’! Remember to keep scenarios short or learners will lose interest.

4. Put yourself in the learners’ shoes
The training should simulate the real environment, allowing the learner to interact with it as they would in real life. For example, if the learner needs to type something in a text field, let them do that! But don’t make them type more than a few words – remember it’s systems training not a typing tutorial!

5. Go full-screen
Ideally, the screen shots used in the course should be full-screen and taken on one computer to ensure consistency. It’s also best to use the Print Screen function rather than any third party image capturing software to ensure that all the screen shots are the same size.

Download our top five tips for creating great systems training

An inaccessible e-learning course risks non compliance, frustration, anxiety and lost productivity. Our top ten tips will help you avoid all that and build something accessible, usable and ultimately more effective.

1. Revise your definition of ‘accessibility’
Yes, accessibility is about catering for users with disabilities. But it pays to take a broader view: accessibility is about usability. Everyone benefits from easy to use interactions, intuitive navigation, clear language and a considered design.

2. Build accessibility into your plans
A lot of people believe an accessible course is an expensive course, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Consider accessibility from the outset, plan how you’ll build it into your design, and you’ll find that the investment pays off.

3. Aim for accessibility, not perfection
It’s worth finding some guidelines, like the W3C standards. They apply to websites rather than e-learning, so create your own test plans that tick as many of the boxes as possible and find alternatives if you can’t meet a particular requirement.

4. Don’t be tempted to build two versions
Creating a separate version of an e-learning course isn’t inclusive, so it opens you up to equivalence issues. It also adds to your workload, which impacts on the timescales and bottom line, and it can compromise testing procedures.

5. Be aware of the common mistakes
Don’t create interactions that require intricate mouse control. Don’t design a course that relies on an awareness of the visual layout. Don’t use descriptions that will be lost on visually impaired users (‘click on the green box on the right…’).

6. Offer alternatives to multimedia elements
Audio and video are commonplace in e-learning these days, but not everyone can benefit from them (and not everybody wants to). Give your users options, such as audio they can turn on or off, or captions and transcripts of videos.

7. Create a user friendly design
When designing your course, think about font size, scroll bars (and how to avoid them) and colour blind users. Summarise graphs, charts and tables so nobody loses out, and make sure your design is consistent and intuitive.

8. Speak in plain English
Accessibility isn’t all about technical features; the language used is equally important. Content that is complex, full of jargon or out of context can put off any user, regardless of disability – including those whose first language isn’t English.

9. Don’t assume ‘accessible’ means ‘limited’
As designers, we’re creative within the parameters of brand guidelines, corporate voice and technical constraints every day. Accessibility’s no different – a good designer can create something attractive, exciting and accessible.

10. Test, test and test some more
By all means make use of the accessibility testing tools available, but don’t exclude human intervention. Ask a diverse pilot group to test thoroughly for accessibility and usability and, if possible, build more than one test into development.

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There’s a huge array of authoring tools out there and, when it comes to finding the right one for you, it can be hard to know where to start. If you choose the wrong one, it won’t live up to the promise of delivering rapid e-learning – so here are our five top tips for sourcing the right tool for your needs.

1. Consider the output first
Ask yourself what type of online training components you need to deliver: for instance, will it predominately consist of text or will it be complex, adaptive e-learning; does it require captures, simulations or assessments? Note down the ideal features you need from your authoring tool as this will come in handy when you start your research.

2. Decide between ease of use and creative flexibility
You’ve got two broad options: a highly formatted tool that offers limited flexibility but requires little or no training time at all for the author, or a tool that offers more creative latitude but requires more time investment for learning how to use the various features and functionalities.

3. Do your research
Before making any decisions, research the vast range of authoring tools on the market. Consider the key features and limitations against your requirements and constraints. Viewing any online demonstrations that are available is a great way to get a feel for what can be achieved with the various tools.

4. Select complementary combinations
One tool won’t necessarily provide a best fit solution for the needs of all your training components. So once you’ve done your research on the features and limitations of the various tools, think about selecting a combination of tools that perform complementary functions. This way you’ll equip yourself with a suite of tools tailored to your requirements.

5. Don’t forget about accessibility
Most of the tools available on the market use Flash, and often don’t conform to W3C accessibility standards. Make sure that you know right from the outset whether accessibility is one of your requirements. If it is, you need to consider how far the various tools meet this requirement and how you might overcome their limitations in this area.

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Whether they’re for an assessment or part of the training course itself, writing questions can be a tricky business. Read on for Saffron’s top ten tips for creating effective questions that test learners in the right way, on the right thing.

1. Draft the assessment before the content
If step one is defining the objectives and learning outcomes, step two is drafting the assessment. Make sure each question maps back to the outcomes and then focus the training content on the assessment.

2. Randomise the assessment
Ideally an end of course assessment will have a pool of questions, with a random selection drawn on each attempt. This means, if learners fail once, they can’t simply memorise where they went wrong but are actually tested again.

3. Remember: quality not quantity
When it comes to assessments, it’s better to have 10 excellent questions than 40 substandard ones. Likewise, multiple choice questions generally work best with four options - don’t go below three or above five without a very good reason.

4. Use questions to drive the learning
We’re big believers in the value of the test and tell approach. Don’t just give learners information and then test them on it. Instead, ask them to think for themselves with a question before correcting or confirming their answers.

5. Focus on behaviours
We’re in the business of changing behaviours. This means we need to enable learners to do the right thing, not just to remember facts and figures. Make sure every question relates to a choice or decision learners will face in real life.

6. Make it challenging…
If the right answer is three times as long as the rest, or the wrong answers are likely to make learners laugh not think, there’s no point even asking the question. Yes, coming up with plausible wrong answers is hard, but it’s worth the effort.

7. …but keep it fair
Don’t try to trick learners or give them an impossible choice. Negative questions, options that are identical except for one word, and questions on topics that weren’t actually covered in the course are neither fair nor effective.

8. Avoid yes/no questions
Giving learners a 50% chance of guessing correctly is not the most effective test. If you must use them, include a couple more options and make sure that ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ are qualified, so learners have to justify their choice.

9. Help people learn from their mistakes
Don’t just use ticks and crosses to show how learners have done. Provide constructive feedback to reinforce the message if they answer correctly, and explain where they went wrong if they answer incorrectly.

10. Keep the learners’ experience in mind
Focusing on behaviours is one way to answer the ‘what’s in it for me?’ question. But there are other ways - for instance, pre-tests assess existing knowledge and point towards the most relevant training units. Time efficient and effective!

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We all want our e-learning to be a positive experience for the learner and deliver results for the business. Here are Saffron’s top ten tips for delivering engaging, effective, excellent instructional design every time.

1. Set testable, behavioural learning outcomes
Before you start designing the course, make sure you understand what you want the learners to be able to do by the end of the course. Do you really want them just to understand something, or do you want them to take action?

2. Put yourself in the learners’ shoes
At the start of the project, ask yourself what the learners already know about the subject and what questions they are likely to have. Then make sure you answer those questions in the training.

3. Emulate the best in classroom training
Great classroom training is often down to two key things - shared experiences and human interaction. Apply these lessons to your e-learning: use case studies or testimonials from real life, and build up a dialogue with your learner.

4. Remember: content is king
All good training is interactive - most people will switch off if they’re just reading, or listening, not actually doing anything. But make sure the interactions are driven by the content, not the other way around.

5. Use technology to enhance (not define) your solution
Likewise, there are near endless possibilities offered by technology these days and they really can turn something good into something great, but don’t let them define your solution - the strategy, not the technology, should drive the design.

6. Include scenarios to demonstrate relevance
The best way to change behaviours is to use scenarios that put the learners in a realistic situation. Ask them to make a decision, identify a problem or suggest a solution - this way, you’re equipping them to do the right thing in real life.

7. Test and tell, don’t tell and test
The model of telling someone something and testing them on it shortly afterwards tests memory, not understanding. It’s more effective to ask learners to think for themselves and draw on their own experiences to reach the right answer.

8. Make it easy for learners
No matter how engaging the content or innovative the design, if the course can’t be navigated easily or if it’s not accessible, you’ll give your learners a negative experience.

9. Speak the learners’ language
You’re designing a training course, not an instructional manual. Strike a conversational tone and speak in plain English - you’re much more likely to engage your learners than if you take a formal tone or use lots of legal or business jargon.

10. Get a second opinion
It’s hard to be objective when you’re the one who’s written the content. Before declaring your storyboards finished, ask a colleague or friend to take a look. Their first impression will give you a good idea of how learners will react later.

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