This document provides 10 tips for making an LMS more loved by its users. It discusses common complaints like poor design, high costs, lack of flexibility, and poor user experience. It recommends choosing an LMS like Totara that can be customized in look and feel, has no per-user licensing fees, is highly configurable, and is designed with users in mind. It also stresses the importance of an LMS that works across devices, provides a consistent experience, can scale with growth, integrates with other systems, and supports extended enterprise users. The overall message is that finding the right LMS partner who can address all these issues is key to gaining user love and adoption.

1. 10 WAYS LOVE
TO YOUR LMS
(or at least stop hating it).
www.cgkineo.com

2. Do your learners
LOVE
YOUR LMS?
Really,
Really?

3. Do your learners
LOVE
YOUR LMS?
Didn’t think so.
Why not and what can we do?

4. #01
‘
PET HATE
I know looks aren’t everything
– but they are something…

5. #01
LOOKS MATTER
If your LMS has all the charm
of a database, you can’t
expect much love.
Can your LMS flex to look the
way you want it?

6. #01
LOVE TIP
Make it beautiful:
• Choose an LMS that can look any way
you want, like Totara
• Get graphic artists to design it
– like Kineo’s
• Get on brand, not just logo
And now, some pictures of nice things we made that are
LMSs. Conveniently enough.

10. #02
‘
PET HATE
I spent all this money on
you, but you still want more…

11. #02
COSTS MATTER
Paying per user per year is
going to get very
expensive, very quickly.
Are you sure you can afford this relationship?

12. #02
LOVE TIP
Open up
Go Open source:
Totara, Moodle have no ‘per user’ licence
For 10,000+ users, this really makes a difference
Take advantage of the Totara roadmap without paying
for each new feature

13. Tesco: Over £1m saved using Totara
“
This is a great tool, really
supporting me to get my guys on
courses relevant to their needs and
I can see this can only add benefit.
Senior Merchandising Planning Manager

14. #03
‘
PET HATE
You never do anything that I want
to do. Why are you so inflexible?

15. #03
YOUR NEEDS ARE
YOUR NEEDS
But lots of LMSs do what they do.
And if that’s not what you
want, well, you should have
thought of that when you bought
it…

16. #03
LOVE TIP
Find a flexible friend
Your needs are going to change, can your
LMS vendor keep up?
We do customisation and configuration to
make Totara LMS work the way you want.
Because you’re you.

17. #04
‘
PET HATE
I just can’t figure you out. You’re
a mystery wrapped in a bad
design inside a pop-up window.

18. #04
DESIGNED BY
TECHNICIANS FOR
TECHNICIANS
Often the LMS puts tracking,
reporting and admin usage first,
user and manager experience
second.

19. #04
LOVE TIP
Be UX-rated
• Don’t make it for the admins
• Totara is designed for learners first
• At Kineo we design learner, manager and admin
journeys – and build the right experience for each
audience

20. 20

21. #05
‘
PET HATE
You promised me you’d stay with
me. Why don’t you call any more?

22. #05
IT’S A PARTNERSHIP,
NOT A DATE
Making the LMS work in year 2 is
harder than the implementation.
You need someone who will see
you through, not cut and run until
renewal time.

23. #05
LOVE TIP
Seek a long term partner
• LMS is change management, not just a system.
• We approach it with needs analysis, experience
design, implementation, launch
planning, evaluation, hosting, support, global
team, local support - advising where to take it
next…
• It’s too important to approach it as just another
system rollout.

24. #06
‘
PET HATE
I just can’t take you anywhere

25. #06
WE LIVE IN A
MULTI-DEVICE WORLD
Your learners expect the
intranet, email and loads more on
their
iPads, iPhone, Androids, wherever…
The LMS and its content need to be
there too.

26. #06
LOVE TIP
Make it Mobile – Totara LMS
Totara LMS works on any device. Kineo
developed the new Totara Mobile so your
learners can work wherever.
(We make mobile,
multi-device elearning
too with Adapt open source)

27. #07
‘
PET HATE
I never know where I am with
you – there’s weird stuff below
the surface…

28. #07
GETTING THE HOME
PAGE LOOKING PRETTY
AIN’T ENOUGH
Learners expect a consistent design
experience.
If the home page looks great, but your
elearning and content don’t live up to
it, people will feel cheated.

29. #07
LOVE TIP
Be monogamous
• Design consistently all the way through the
system. Totara’s flexibility makes this possible.
• Pick a partner who can design the blend, the
LMS and all of the content – (yeah, like us, you’re
getting it)
• Or at least, have standards and guidelines to
avoid dating the bride of Frankenstein

32. #08
‘
PET HATE
It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve just
outgrown you. Ok – it’s you.

33. #08
IS YOUR LMS FOR
LIFE? OR A FLING?
You can have either.
Just know what you’re getting into.
Are you solving a tactical challenge,
or do you need an LMS that can
work at 10 times your current size,
as you grow?

34. #08
LOVE TIP
Ask for what you want
• Be clear with vendors on whether this is a 1
year or 5 year vision. The approach and cost
will be different.
• Totara helps here because it can start small, or
subject specific and scale up as you need it to.
• At Kineo we globally manage many 100,000+
user LMSs- nearly all of them started as a pilot.

35. 35

36. 36

37. #09
‘
PET HATE
You don’t like any of my
friends. Why do you just
sit there on your own?

38. #09
YOU’VE GOT TO
INTEGRATE
You already have HR systems, Talent
systems, CRM systems – and maybe
another LMS (it happens).
They need to all just work.
Make sure your LMS can actually integrate.

39. #09
LOVE TIP
Make sure your LMS will play nicely
Bi-directional, data sync, Single-sign on whatever it takes…
•
•
•
•
PeopleSoft
SAP
Eloqua
MS Dynamics
•
•
•
•
Oracle
Salesforce
SharePoint
Drupal
…we’ve done them all and more with Totara at Kineo.

40. #10
‘
PET HATE
I want to see other people
…you ok with that?

41. #10
CONSIDER YOUR
EXTENDED ENTERPRISE
•
Are your suppliers, channel partners, customers
part of the LMS audience? If so…
•
Can your LMS cope with different reseller
audiences, regions, languages, subbrands, currencies, e-commerce?
•
Can it keep competitive information and reports
separate and safe?

42. #10
LOVE TIP
Reach the parts that others
can’t - the extended enterprise
Our Channel partner approach combines:
•
•
•
•
•
Totara LMS
Product knowledge and sales elearning/resources
Integration with CRM
Partner certification and assessment
Marketing and incentive management

44. 44

45. More love for you and your LMS at
www.cgkineo.com/totara