The education sector is one that has been primed and ready for digital transformation. During the last several years, eLearning applications and other forms of educational technology have been progressively and gradually taking the place of the conventional, in-person educational model.
In particular, the year 2021 was a milestone for the development of educational applications since the size of the eLearning industry reached $315 billion. In addition, it is anticipated that the market will expand at a CAGR of 20% between 2022 and 2028.
Types of Educational Mobile Apps
The current environment of digital education is both abundant and varied. It is saturated with various applications that appeal to specific target groups, such as teachers and aspiring students. That’s why before beginning the development of an eLearning app, you should do a market analysis.
Language learning apps
Becoming fluent in a foreign language can be difficult and time-consuming. Despite this, many individuals rely on language learning applications to make the process more manageable. This application category performed particularly well during COVID and reached $6.18 billion by 2020, representing a 33 percent increase.
Learning management system (LMS) apps
LMS applications are often used in educational institutions to manage and monitor students’ progress. Additionally, the administration of academic and training programs will be made easier with the help of this type of app.
Classroom education apps
Applications intended to be utilized in educational environments fall under the purview of this category of apps. Teachers may use them as a tool to assist in managing their classes by maintaining records of student grades, homework, and other crucial information. Students can also profit from this type of app by taking notes, preparing for exams, and doing other related activities.
Online courses apps
Using mobile learning platforms is a fantastic approach to acquiring new skills or improving existing ones. The online course applications may be different from one another. However, they normally all provide comparable features, such as the flexibility to study at your speed and access to high-quality course content. In addition, the rising trend of skills development is also driving the popularity of online upskilling, which helps keep employees despite changing economic trends and hiring patterns.
Exam preparation apps
As their name indicates, exam preparation apps assist students in getting ready for tests and examinations and keeping their concentration during the learning process. This type of app may help users make more efficient use of their study time by measuring and monitoring their progress and accomplishments.
Educational apps for kids
Learning solutions aimed at children develop a passion for learning with the help of gamification principles and interactive features. Mobile apps designed for children in preschool may also be used in the classes to further assist in kids’ development. Over the last several years, an increase in the popularity of educational applications has led to COVID limitations as well as enhanced gamification technologies.
Creating Educational Apps: Step by Step
Now that you are familiar with the basics of educational app development, let’s look at what it takes to bring one into existence. The development lifecycle is comparable to one of the other software types. It requires the use of a method that is both consistent and iterative to successfully produce a solution.
Choose your niche
The most important step that must be taken before developing an application is the pre-planning stage. This stage, which is also known as the ideation stage, entails doing an in-depth market and competitive analysis so that you may choose the appropriate direction for development.
Shape the concept and define the features
At this point, the application development team that you hired will assist you with refining the scope of the project and outlining the precise project requirements. A team will begin with high-level requirements and work their way down to more precise specifications, including business requirements, user specifications, and system limits. The end of this phase will be the compilation of a vital feature requirements list, which will serve as the foundation for the subsequent product.
Design compelling UI/UX
The next step is for a team of UI/UX designers to transform your system into a visually pleasing user interface. In addition to the aesthetic elements, the functionality and convenience of the app are also essential to the design of an app. However, the primary goal of this stage is to develop a sleek design with readily discoverable components and a seamless user experience.
Choose a development approach
Now is the time to select a useful technology stack that you can use to assist you in developing an educational application. The application’s specifications, such as the level of complexity and the amount of time needed to bring the product to the market, should justify the choice of technology. In addition, the core functionality, the number of supported platforms, and the security measures are the factors that might affect your final decision.
Estimate time and cost
After all core elements have been categorized into their respective groups, it is time to perform the necessary mathematical operations. Is it expensive to create this educational app? There is no universal formula to calculate. Just remember that the cost is directly proportional to the project’s scope and the number of features that must be developed.
Improve and support your educational app
After your solution has been tested and deployed, the team responsible for its development should continue to provide maintenance for it. The well-being of an application depends entirely on the relevant maintenance.
Essential features for eLearning apps for students
Signup and login
Because of these features, the user can be individually identified when using your app. As a result, users can build up their profiles and monitor their progress. Your sign-up procedure should preferably consist of one step and use credentials obtained from social media or email.
User profile
A student’s account has to have key user information as well as a profile image of the learner. Users should be able to see personal and app-related information, such as the number of courses they have bought, their payment information, and other relevant facts, on the profile page associated with their account.
Search bars and filters
The search tool should make it simple for students to search for educational material. On eLearning applications, two of the most common ways to search for content are by using keywords or browsing categories. You could also think about including a recommendation engine so that students may access information and classes that are relevant to them.
Payment gateway
You will need to incorporate a payments system into your e-learning application if it operates based on paying subscribers or provides paid courses. Transactions may be completed more quickly and easily due to payment gateway integrations like PayPal.
In order to expedite the payment procedure, most mobile applications have also included support for Google Pay and Apple Pay. Wallets, credit cards, and several other solutions are further additions that broaden the range of payment methods available to you. Nevertheless, payment information and passwords must be stored securely inside the app, irrespective of the gateway.
Push notifications
Notifications and alerts are a go-to feature for re-engaging app users and facilitating two-way dialogue between users and app owners. Therefore, notifications might provide the learners with information about upgrades or new challenges. Notifications provide increased visibility of content, such as recommendations, newly available courses, or unlocked features.
Learning analytics
In addition, learning applications show the learner’s progress by presenting current and finished courses, badges, certifications, achievements, and goals. This functionality should ideally take the form of a complete dashboard.
Learning materials
Applications used in education technology will often organize educational content according to the topic, relevancy, and other criteria. There may be theoretical classes, engaging written exercises, audio and video lessons, live streaming lectures, and exams.
Cloud integration and cross-platform support
You must ensure that users have a smooth experience across multiple devices since it is common practice for students and teachers to utilize various devices for educational reasons. All progress should be collected and synced over the cloud so users can access the app from any platform or device.
Let’s Make a Difference Together
The development of educational applications comes with an increase in the extent to which individuals can access information. The education process can be more individualized and interactive via online courses, language learning applications, and other online learning options.
