What L&D Leaders Can Learn From Consumer Apps About Personalization In LMS Platforms

"Think about the last app you opened today. Netflix probably greeted you with a show that felt uncannily right for your mood. Spotify may have lined up a playlist that matched your energy without you lifting a finger. Duolingo likely nudged you to practice just enough to keep the habit alive, without making learning feel overwhelming. Now compare that to the experience most employees have when they log into a corporate learning platform. The contrast is hard to ignore."

"While consumer apps feel intuitive, personal, and almost human, many workplace learning experiences still feel rigid, generic, and transactional. And this gap is becoming a serious challenge for L&D leaders. Today's workforce is shaped by consumer-grade digital experiences. Their expectations don't reset when they enter a Learning Management System (LMS). This is why personalization is no longer a "nice-to-have" feature in LMS platforms. It's the foundation of engagement."

"Consumer apps succeed because they make users feel seen: Netflix interprets behavior. What you watched, when you paused, what you abandoned halfway through, all of it quietly shapes what appears on your screen next. Spotify listens to how long you play a song, what you skip, and what you repeat. Duolingo notices where you struggle and gently adjust lessons to help you progress."

Consumer apps personalize by observing behavior and adapting content to users' moods, habits, and struggles. Corporate learning platforms often remain static, grouping learners by role and assigning identical content measured mainly by completion. Modern learners expect consumer-grade personalization that surfaces the right learning at the right moment and adapts to individual progress and context. Personalization makes learners feel understood, supports habit formation without overwhelming them, and increases engagement. L&D must shift from delivering uniform content to designing responsive, adaptive learning experiences that interpret behavior and recommend relevant, timely learning.

Read at eLearning Industry