Q6: Deeper Insights: how can we create learning experiences that stick?

Remember Burger King's theme song from the '70s:

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it YOUR WAY... Have it YOUR WAY..."

At the time, this campaign seemed to be nothing more than a clever bid to beat the competition by delivering better service. With the benefit of hindsight, I see now that this may have been the beginning of one of today's hottest trends: mass customization.

Scion invites you to build your own car; Reebok allows you to create your own shoes... and the list goes on and on. Whether they're ordering bags of green-only M&Ms or buying custom-made shirts, it's no surprise that people like things their way. This holds true in the world of training too.

Creating content that speaks directly to learners' unique emotional needs and their rational must-haves is a surefire way to make quick connections that allow learning to begin... and stick. You're probably thinking that there's no way you could ever afford to create a personalized learning experience for every member of your company. The good news is, you don't have to.

Instead of customizing - think configuring - with new technology you can improve the fit of your mass-produced programs and create experiences that feel unique without breaking the bank. For example, Burger King didn't let you create your own menu, but they did allow you to arrange a discrete group of ingredients your way. By the same token, it may not be feasible to allow every user to create their own personal learning website. But simple things, such as allowing folks to select an interface layout they actually like to work with, as well as more intricate tasks, such as offering a choice to learn the same technical content in either "plain speak" or "techie speak" are completely doable.

The best part is, unlike customization, configuring software allows you to seamlessly, quickly and inexpensively, update and upgrade future versions of your content. Speaking of content, configuring it is one thing, making it engaging is something completely different. I guess you could say that content is still king. Case in point - most people only had to see the "Your Way" commercials once for that tune to get stuck in their heads forever.

Just for fun, check out the Super Bowl commercial that brought back the King's most memorable hit.