Technology and training strategies are always changing and improving. Computers are getting faster, and the workforce is ever evolving. With the advent of the internet everywhere and broadband access, today’s workforce is looking for different ways to learn and work. Companies are now using digital adoption platforms (DAPs) to centralize and streamline training. Training strategies have also evolved and now employ microlearning techniques which are easily supported by DAPs. Below, we break down two resources for accelerating user adoption: digital adoption platforms (DAPs) and microlearning strategies. 

Digital Adoption Platforms 

Data from Asana, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, suggests employees use 13 or more applications over 30 times a day, losing 26% employee productivity due to switching applications. To counteract productivity loss, DAPs are being implemented in applications like Salesforce and Workday to offer in-app guidance.  

SAP Enable Now is one such DAP that offers interactive guidance, real-time support, and analytics to help users navigate complex software, thus enhancing user experience while boosting productivity and efficiency. SAP Enable Now offers several modes depending on user needs. For example, practice mode provides interactive exercises where users carry out tasks themselves. To the user, it appears that they are performing tasks in the application, but instead, they are interacting with an SAP Enable Now simulation. Instruction balloons are displayed on the screen to guide users through tasks, telling them how to complete each step to progress through the flow and thus finishing a task.  

In our experience with clients, we consult with each business to assess which SAP Enable Now features would aid in daily user processes. The features we deliver include, but are not limited to, simulations for practice mode, testing documents, quick reference guides, and courseware. Though SAP Enable Now helps increase user adoption and integrates with SAP, it is not the only tool available. WalkMe is another content development and delivery tool that we have used successfully to assist our clients to ready their teams for SAP. In addition to DAP tools, clients are also embracing new training strategies to drive user adoption. The most prevalent strategy we currently see being implemented is microlearning. 

Microlearning Strategies 

German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus studied human memory developing the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, which suggests 80% of learned materials is forgotten within 30 days. To counteract this loss of learned material, microlearning is being implemented to aid in increasing material retention.  

Microlearning is the delivery of teaching content in short, bite-sized, 20-minute bursts with a focus on one topic. A study done by the International Journal of Education Research and Review suggests that people who are taught using microlearning techniques have an 18% higher knowledge retention than those who were taught with traditional techniques. 

At Clarkston, we’ve been utilizing monthly microlearning sessions internally to engage learners while also helping them retain new information for longer. One such microlearning session, Work Smarter with Smartsheet, reviews how users can increase their productivity by utilizing the Smartsheet tool. Utilizing microlearning strategies, content was broken up into 20-minute sessions with 10 minutes for questions by user functions. Users then engage with the topics that align with how they use the system. This allows users to access the training they need and bypass the training they don’t need. As a result, training satisfaction improved, and application adoption also improved with “bite-sized” training modules organized by common use cases.   

Looking Ahead 

Combining the DAP tools with microlearning strategies is a recipe for success. For example, use SAP Enable Now to develop interactive guidance that shows users how to finish a task using 25-minute microlearning sessions. This can increase training material retention by up to 80%. Though DAP technology and microlearning are newer user adoption accelerators, many companies, including Clarkston, have been implementing them not only for their clients but also internally to increase user adoption and consistency. 

Contact our team of experts to learn more about accelerating user adoption. 

Contributions by Breanna Brower