Benefits of the Early Access Experience Program

Increasing Intent to Ride

Onboarding is critical to preparing for the future of an organization. But not all rides are equal. For some leaders, it’s a way to get new team members up to speed on culture and processes, which is a good start. However, there may be untapped opportunities to improve an organization’s ability to grow quickly, deal with volatility, and strengthen long-term relationships between teams by taking the learning journey to the next level through experiential design.

How is your business dealing with onboarding today, and how can you look at it tomorrow? Expanding the focus of on-boarding training to focus more on knowledge and performance, not just the basic fundamentals of employment, can better prepare your students for their new roles while giving your business the competitive advantage it needs to move forward.

Developing Experience-First Onboarding Programs

Let’s look at 3 ways you can start to transform your riding to produce new results.

1. Do More, Train Less

Successful onboarding programs prioritize context over content to improve engagement. It’s less about how much a student can learn and retain, and more about how the knowledge is grounded in real-world relevance and application. L&D leaders looking to improve their onboarding can start by reviewing the relationship between employee experience (EX) and student experience (LX).

• Staff experience it relates to the information employees have from the day they sign the offer letter to their last day on the job. Their journey as they meet others, connect with the culture of the organization, how they feel about the place they work in, and their professional growth. According to Gallup, one-third of employees strongly agree that their organization’s mission or mission makes them feel like their work is important. [1]
• Student information it focuses on the experience a person has within the learning environment—how learning is delivered to them, how they engage with content and practice opportunities, how they feel about the journey, and how it works within their learning style to prepare them for success. It should be organized but able to evolve with the needs of the students and the goals of the organization. [2]

You can match EX and LX by:

• Making learning personal, practical, and action-oriented
• Combining formal, social, and experiential learning to create a learner-centered experience that lasts longer than a single training
• Redesigning your onboarding learning methods to be more flexible and personalized

Integrate these ideas into one student journey to build sustainable, sustainable learning and support over time.

2. Create Α Student Travel Guide

A structured student journey is like a map, with directions on the front to show students where to go and what to do. It breaks down the onboarding process into small, manageable steps, which helps students feel overwhelmed and instead encourages them to start building a foundation of basic concepts. L&D leaders can include feedback checkpoints to provide support during the early stages, then gradually reduce this guidance over time as students begin to find their footing and become independent.

After students become more confident in using the basics, they feel empowered to take ownership over their experiences over time. They hold themselves accountable for doing things right the first time—or knowing where to get help.

Here are some ideas you can use to create a scaffolding journey for your onboarding plan:

• eLearning modules can introduce basic knowledge, while microboosters can support this learning over time with easy-to-reference information available on the go, at any time.
• Instructor-Led Training, simulations, role-plays, and mentoring options can all provide students with valuable practice opportunities to apply what they have learned and receive feedback in a safe environment.
• Resourceful tools such as FAQs, quick guides, checklists, action planners, or journals can provide support and prompt students to think about the value of what they have learned, as it applies to them personally.

As students continue to engage with the solution and beyond, they will not only continue to develop skills and behaviors related to their role, but they will also develop critical decision-making skills that can improve performance. Also, remember: the technology used to deliver the experience is as impactful as the experience itself.

3. Integrate Cutting-Edge Technology

It’s no secret that technology is constantly evolving, so organizations that are able to embrace technology and make the most of its potential are the ones that can stay ahead of the competition. But learning technology itself has so many meanings and uses within the L&D space.

It’s not just about how students access their courses online but also how they explore gamified activities to engage with content and apply concepts. It is how measurement techniques are used to collect, share, analyze, and use data to improve performance over time. Rich media design within the solution to better illustrate concepts and connect readers to the heart of the brand. Technology is even allowing leaders to delve deeper into the realm of accessibility—and, in turn, possibility—to design focused boarding programs that include everyone, regardless of disability or status.

Even something as simple as a dashboard can bring together many parts of the experience and serve as an important “compass” to show students where they are now and what’s coming up in their journey. Students who may have felt lost or anxious now have clarity about what is expected of them, and can have more confidence in walking every step of the way.

For example, AllenComm partnered with an American multinational technology organization to design and develop an onboarding program for new engineers. They had to be able to do their jobs better and faster from day one. The audience was driven through meaningful yet challenging activities that shed light on the impact their decisions had on the company. The final solution was a combination of web-based training techniques and Instructor-led Training, with visibility into scores and code solutions to motivate students to complete tasks carefully and prepare for their real responsibilities at work.

Add Experience-First Design to Your Ride

As an L&D leader, you want to see your team members succeed. And you want to produce the kind of results your stakeholders need to feel confident in the investment of the ride. Consider how these 3 strategies can increase your onboarding for better targeted readership and business results by asking yourself:

• How does our program consider the needs of our students in addition to our organizational needs?
• How does the EX stack up against the LX?
• Is it effectively preparing new hires to take on their new roles and responsibilities with confidence? If not, what roles or responsibilities can we better focus on to improve results later?
• Does it prioritize knowledge over learning? For example, are the practice opportunities meaningful and relevant to practical application? Can students see that being able to understand and apply these concepts adds value to their work and skills? If not, how can we incorporate better experience-first design to accelerate student readiness?
• Are we using technology to its fullest potential? If not, where can we best use the tools we have now—or invest in new ones—to better support student performance?

Note any ideas you have about how you can use the experience—the first design to connect students with your organization—your product, your values, your expectations—and then take it a step further to help them develop the practical skills needed to excel in their jobs. new roles, which also improve your organization’s resilience and readiness to navigate future challenges.

References:

[1] How to Improve the Employee Experience

[2] Creating Effective Onboarding Learning Experiences for the Changing Workplace