You have painstakingly created an e-learning video, using vfx effects, sound effects, an endearing character but your e-learning videos do not seem to have any takers. If you come across this situation then the first thing you need to accept is that there is something which has gone drastically wrong with your e-learning videos and how they have been developed. So in this blog let’s address the top reasons why learners are not watching your videos.
1. Faulty content design
Content is the king and will continue to be so in the context of e-learning as opposed to videos meant for entertainment, propaganda, promotion etc. The content in e-learning videos is designed with specific learning objectives, and if the learning objectives are not being met, then the learners are naturally not going to watch your e-learning video. This can happen because either the content is irrelevant or has not been treated properly to meet the defined learning objectives. One classic issue, which most of the content developers face is how to design content for videos and how to clip the content so that it can fit the style of video, without compromising on the underlying learning objectives. If an attempt is made to directly convert the content into video, disaster is imminent and the learners are not likely to watch the video.
2. Non compelling storyline
As mentioned in the above point a well designed content will include a compelling storyline. Your learners will watch your videos only when they find an engaging and gripping storyline. The storyline should be able to establish an emotional connect with your learners and they will come back asking for more. However there is a risk involved in storyline as it might not always appeal to all learners but it should have a buy in from the maximum learners.
3. Lack of interactivity
If the video is monotonous there are higher chances that the learner will lose the interest in the video and eventually may not even watch it. By adding certain interactive elements, like pop ups, click throughs, branching etc helps to engage the learners and makes it an active interaction rather than a passive one.
4. Missing fun element
Everyone loves fun and entertainment. If your video is dull and boring you can add certain elements of fun and make it an interesting one so that your audience love watching the video. Here you should make sure that they won’t get distracted by the fun element.
5. Lengthy Videos
Your video should focus on only one learning objective and it should be short, crisp and clear. If the video is beyond 20 minutes then the learner will eventually lose the interest and may not see the video. Here, you can break the video into tiny nuggets (between 3 – 10 Minutes) so that it will be beneficial for the learner to helps in preventing cognitive dissonance.
6. Lack of clear purpose
If you fail to communicate to the user what is the video all about and how important it is for the learners, then they might not bother to look at the video unless it is pushed by the trainers or management. So by creating a proper description of the video and by giving a proper title to it, you can attract the learners to watch the videos.
7. Lack of promotion
You should promote the video by selling the compelling reason for the learners to watch it. The compelling reasons can be:
a) It answer the frequently asked question
b) It deliver the learner a unique value they can’t get anywhere else
c) It addresses the pain point of the learners and help them in a creative solution
By analyzing these reasons you can build a good video to capture the viewer’s attention which helps in the better learning process.
