So how do we start? The first thing you should do before you do any design work or create any slides is think about how the learner will consume your content. Using a mobile device is quite different to using a traditional computer.
Using a mobile device is a much more personal experience; the screen is generally held much closer to the learner’s face than a static screen. Its also a much less predictable computing environment. Your learner may be interrupted regularly, they maybe learning while commuting to work for example, or receive Facebook notifications! Therefore, you need to make sure your content can be digestible in the few minutes they may have between interruptions.
Using a mobile device is also a much more tactile and immediate environment for interaction. The learner will generally be using their fingers to navigate through your content not a mouse pointer; they may also be pinching and zooming to see more of your content.
Try viewing some websites on a mobile device, sites you are familiar with on your desktop. See how the content adjusts, what works well, and - perhaps more importantly - what does not! In future posts we will go into more specifics on how to develop mobile learning but the first important step is to think about how the content you eventually produce will be consumed.
