Creating elearning content that works isn’t about packing it full of every single interaction that you’ve got.
It’s also not about about making everyone click every single piece of content on the page or creating each course one hour long
Can you make an impact?
If you do it well, elearning boosts performance, saves time, and connects with global audiences.
For organisations that value results and scalability, it can make a huge difference to your organisation
A few things to consider before you start
- Know Your Audience: Understand their needs and tailor content to solve their problems.
- Keep It Relevant: Focus on effectiveness over flashy features.
- Pick the Right Format: Match content delivery to your audience’s preferences.
- Engage, Don’t Bore: Interactivity should add value, not just clicks.
- Make It Accessible: Flexible, inclusive content wins every time.
Creating great elearning content isn’t about sticking together a few slides and adding a quiz at the end.
It’s about delivering experiences that stick—content that’s relevant, engaging and actually works. Just because someone needs a course doesn’t mean you need to build. Just because someone says it needs to be 2 hours, doesn’t mean it has to be.
Whether it’s compliance training or interactive museum kiosks, successful elearning starts with one thing: knowing your audience.
Before you do anything, you need to do your research.
Here’s why elearning is transforming the way we train, teach, and connect:
- Learner Preferences: 72% of learners prefer interactive content like quizzes and simulations. (Source: eLearning Industry)
- Performance Boost: Companies see a 24% increase in employee performance with high-quality elearning content. (Source: Deloitte)
- Time Savings: Well-structured elearning reduces training time by 40-60% compared to traditional methods. (Source: IBM)
- Retention Rates: Microlearning improves retention rates by 80%. (Source: Association for Talent Development)
- Global Reach: elearning makes it possible to train employees in over 100 countries at the same time. (Source: Global Market Insights)
You’ll find lots of research that you can review before you start your project. You need to understand your audience and then define what you should be designing.
1. Understand What Elearning Content Is
When people think of elearning, they often picture a dull online course buried in a clunky LMS. Difficult to login, hard to use and an hour of compliance training that they have to complete once a year.
But elearning can be so much more.
Think interactive museum displays, visitor centre kiosks, or those handy touchscreens in airports.
It doesn’t always need a platform to shine—standalone solutions, email links, and cloud-based systems work just as well.
Scott Hewitt asks:
“Do organisations really get that elearning can be more than just courses on an LMS? How often are they missing the chance to innovate with delivery methods?”
Understanding what content is and how it works can also help with your budget. Do you actually know how much elearning costs? It can be quite exciting to get involved in that new piece of custom content but do you need to spend 6 figures on one course?
2. Prioritise Relevance Over Complexity
Here’s the thing: more isn’t always better.
The best elearning content solves a specific problem without wasting anyone’s time.
- Employee training? Link it directly to business goals like compliance or process improvement.
- Public installations? Engage visitors with the information they actually care about.
- Customer education? Help customers use your product and reduce support calls.
Scott Hewitt reflects:
“Why do so many organisations equate quality with length or interactivity? Shouldn’t the focus be on effectiveness?”
Relevance wins every time. It’s not about how much content you have—it’s about what it does.
How many times have you heard friends complain about the elearning that they have done at work? Probably they’ve commented about how long it’s been, or it’s been boring or not relevant.
Don’t be that organisation!
3. Choose the Right Format for the Audience
Gone are the days when all elearning looked the same. Today, it takes many forms:
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- Online Courses: Ideal for structured learning like onboarding or compliance.
- Microlearning: Short, targeted lessons that deliver impact in under five minutes.
- Podcasts and Audio: Great for people who prefer learning on the go.
- Interactive Installations: Found in museums or visitor centres, making learning fun and hands-on.
- Webinars and Recordings: Flexible for live or asynchronous team learning.
- Infographics and PDF: Downloadable graphics, reports, whitepapers and diagrams.
Your audience will thank you for picking formats that work for them.
4. Leverage Interactivity for Engagement – But with Care!
Nobody wants another boring click-through course. Interactivity is key to keeping people engaged and learning.
But just because you have all of the latest interactive tools in your software doesn’t mean that you have. We’ve often worked with clients who want an interactive element on every screen. Why? They don’t have answers, they just like interactives! It is ok for people to read content as well!
- Quizzes test knowledge and reinforce learning.
- Simulations let people practise in a safe environment.
- Videos break down complex ideas with visuals.
Scott Hewitt notes:
“Why is there still this idea that more clicks equal better learning? Shouldn’t we ask if those interactions are actually adding value?”
5. Consider Accessibility and Deployment
If you need to roll out training to a global team in a week then elearning can help. If you have an LMS and off-the-shelf content, you can quickly and efficiently deploy the content to your employees.
Modern elearning isn’t limited to traditional courses or clunky systems. It can be deployed across a range of devices—smartphones, tablets, laptops, or even standalone kiosks in visitor centres or museums.
With networked devices and wi-fi, these kiosks can also be updated remotely, allowing you to provide new and fresh content. Don’t forget these kiosks can be used in your work place environments.
The possibilities go beyond the workplace. Think interactive maps at airports, touchscreen exhibits in museums, or even quick customer education demos.
Also you need to be creating content that’s accessible to all users, including those incorporating features like screen reader compatibility, alternative text for images, keyboard navigation, and clear, simple layouts.
And it’s not just about speed or devices. Elearning gives you actionable data, like how many people completed a course, which parts they spent time on, and even the devices they used.
This data is often dismissed. This isn’t just information—it’s a way to refine and prove the effectiveness of your training programmes.
Whether you’re addressing compliance, onboarding, or product education, the ability to deploy content quickly and track its impact makes elearning an essential, flexible tool.
6. Address Common Misconceptions
Let’s clear something up: elearning doesn’t have to be long or complicated to work.
Scott Hewitt shares:
“Great elearning is well-written, well-designed, and high-quality. Length doesn’t define quality—it’s about effectiveness.”
Sometimes, less really is more.
7. Think Beyond Traditional Training
The real value of elearning is its versatility. Beyond compliance and onboarding, it can help you:
- Build tailored solutions for unique challenges.
- Get off the shelf content quick and efficiently
- Educate customers, reducing support costs and boosting satisfaction.
- Create interactive experiences for museums, public spaces, and more.
Elearning isn’t just a training tool—it’s a strategic asset.
8. The Strategic Value of Elearning
When done right, elearning aligns with your goals seamlessly:
- Rolling out a new process? Elearning can reach your team in weeks – think off the shelf elearning
- Boosting engagement? Gamification and multimedia keep it exciting.
- Staying agile? Digital content updates faster than traditional training ever could.
Scott Hewitt asks:
“If elearning delivers so much value, why do some organisations still dismiss it? Is it because they haven’t experienced truly great content yet?”
Final Thoughts
Creating great elearning content doesn’t have to be a struggle. It’s about knowing your audience, setting clear goals, and picking the right tools to deliver. Don’t over do the interactive tools and if it feels too long, it might be too long!
Whether it’s a compliance course or an interactive museum display, you can go through similar steps to ensure you can deliver a great product.
Q&A
Q: What makes good elearning content?
Good elearning content is engaging, relevant, and tied to clear goals. It solves real problems, uses interactivity effectively, and ensures accessibility. High-quality design and clear, concise material are non-negotiable.
Q: How do you build elearning content?
Start by defining your goals and understanding your audience. Choose the right format—videos, microlearning, or interactive modules. Write clear, engaging content, add multimedia, and test for accessibility.
Q: How do you create content for online teaching?
Know your audience and subject. Break content into small chunks, use visuals and interactivity to engage, and make sure navigation is simple. Align it with specific learning outcomes and ensure it’s accessible.
Q: How can I make elearning fun?
Gamify with quizzes or badges, use storytelling to connect emotionally, and include interactive elements like simulations. Keep it visually appealing and concise to maintain interest.
