Why Choose Custom eLearning Development over a Ready Solution?
E-learning solutions have become the need of the hour. But, if you look at the progress of e-learning apps from 2000, the industry has experienced many evolutions over time. For instance, 82% of the e-learning industry comprises self-paced learning models. However, the model is now experiencing a downfall of an average of 6.1% every year. On the contrary, MOOC and hybrid models are experiencing a surge due to the Covid-19 push.
To look at the industry as a whole, the revenues of the eLearning industry have grown by over 900% since 2000. However, the industry is still climbing the life cycle curve quickly and it is expected to triple by 2025. (Source) So, if you are planning to digitize your education model or planning to launch a new e-learning solution, now is the best time as the adaptability is high. But, judging by the evolving trends, every entrepreneur planning to deploy a mobile e-learning solution must ask this one question and that is whether to choose custom e-Learning development or a Ready solution.
Before we understand why Custom eLearning is better than Ready Solutions, first let’s understand the fundamentals of these two concepts to make an informed decision.
Custom eLearning Solution:
When you create an e-learning solution from scratch based on your vision, needs and business goals, that solution is called a custom eLearning solution. When you talk about custom software, the best thing about it is that you have complete access to the source code of the app and thus, you can make any desired change to the software.
You can collaborate with a custom mobile app development service provider that has experience in e-learning app development and create your own app with your desired features, functionalities, monetization model, UI and UX. Apart from that, you get to choose the development platform and also the phases of development for testing and budget purposes.
Ready e-learning solutions:
IT companies often develop e-learning solutions that cater to market demand and industry trends. These ready-to-use platforms are marketed towards institutes and individuals, available for subscription or purchase. Their development is geared toward the open market with a focus on a “one platform fits all” approach.
Although implementing ready-to-use e-learning apps is a quick and hassle-free process since there’s no need to spend time creating them, one major limitation is that users are restricted only to the functionalities and features provided by the IT company. This leaves little room for customization as customers cannot access the application source code.
Let’s explore the advantages of selecting Custom eLearning solutions instead of a Ready Solution, using these basic principles.
Benefits of Custom eLearning solutions:
- Innovation:
No matter whether you want to make a MOOC e-learning app for the open market or an LMS for your institute, there is tough competition in the market and to make your platform a success, your e-learning solution must stand out from others. When you opt for custom e-learning development, you can analyze the market, identify the pain points that your potential customers are experiencing currently and create a new model where you can make that pain point as your USP.
As long as your idea is technically feasible, you can implement any feature or functionality you want with the help of a skilled e-learning app development partner. Apart from that, there are also certain business processes and traditions for which institutes are known in their field and thus, they must continue those for goodill purposes when they digitize their learning which can only be done with custom development.
- Brand Personalization:
When you opt for a ready eLearning solution, the majority of these platforms only offer UI modifications but do not make changes in their UX. But if you look at the successful applications irrespective of their domain, two things are common in all of them and that are constant innovation and certain features and functionalities that define them as a brand.
So, if you do not adapt to the customer expectations and if you do not have something unique to offer to your customers, then there is a high chance your platform will not be able to sustain the tough competition of the market and there also is a threat that it will turn obsolete in future if you do not innovate. Thus, if you are planning to make a fortune from your e-learning application, custom e-learning application development is a must.
Third-party integrations:
When you explore any mobile app market, many third-party apps can be integrated into your application for extended service. Right from payment gateways to reporting modules, there are many such APIs that you can integrate into your platform. The catch here is that you must integrate a third-party application when you are designing an application for seamless experiences.
Ready eLearning solution providers know this and thus, they integrate all the third-party apps that they seem to align with their app model right from the start. Thus, when you opt for ready solutions they only provide limited API integrations. On the other hand, you can thoroughly plan your app and get your desired Apps as third-party integrations in custom e-learning development.
Planned release:
One of the biggest differences between a ready solution and a custom eLearning application is the cost of implementation. Since ready solutions are for the open market, the cost of acquisition and time of implementation is significantly lower than that of a custom e-learning solution as the cost of development is distributed amongst various customers.
On the other hand, Custom development costs are significantly higher but if you have a unique and successful model, you can release the app in the planned phase. For instance, you can start with MVP which is called Minimum Viable Product. In this, you create an app with only the essential features and then release versions when you start getting revenues from the customers. You can also opt for Venture Capitalist firms and investors to carry out your project. Apart from that, you can also cut the cost of development and deployment by hiring either an iOS App development service provider or an Android development company and release on one platform initially before moving to the other.
Although you must also consider that these approaches will not only reduce the cost of the development, they will also limit the reach of your application. But, creating a planned release also helps in testing the app and identifying bugs in the earlier stages of the app release.
Future-proof:
The majority of ready solutions do not change their business model and if they do, they charge a premium for it and also, they do it at their own pace and discretion. Because of this reason, when there is a paradigm shift in the market, customers have to either wait for the update or they have to pass on the opportunity.
On the other hand, when you have a custom e-learning application, you can not only hop on the market trends as and when they come, you can also be the trend-setter and create a competitive edge in the market. Apart from that, you can also make changes in the UX and UI of the application based on your customer base and ensure that they get a delightful user experience which in today’s world is one of the biggest marketing assets due to the influence of positive word of mouth in the mobile app market.
It all boils down to your vision:
If you do not have long-term plans and you want to create a temporary digital solution that has all the essential things and is affordable, ready eLearning solutions are the best for you. But, if you want to make your eLearning solution your long-term business and are ready to invest in it, a custom solution is the best choice.
