Encourage Real Conversations
National Geographic Learning
Overview
Issue
For the National Geographic Learning (NGL) platform, learning a new language is stimulated by big ideas. Thus, the organization partnered with TED Talks, which is famous for its universally appealing conferences, to enrich the advanced English learning programs in the schools participating in the Central American and Asian programs.
In the face of this ambitious initiative, challenges were significant. How to create an engaging and novel language learning product in a very competitive market where the users’ expectations are high? And how can we simultaneously promote NGL’s educational tool, make the users experience the program’s TED Talks, and showcase the advanced English learning course content to targeted schools located on two continents?
Solution
To support NGL in its ambitious goals, nventive’s team created a mobile app and a website addressed to students, as well as a Web console that allows NGL to manage all its different content. In addition, we developed a website devoted to the program’s marketing and sales management by NGL.
Collaborative Creation
In order to optimize the user experience and increase content consumption on the platform, we centred the experience around the user, set up analytical and uploading tools, and integrated content complements maximizing the learning process.
User Pathway
The user pathway enabled us to create the optimal multi-user solution. That way, whether the users were students, content curators or sales representatives, each could benefit from experiences and features suited to their needs.
Content Management
To make the content managers’ work easier, we implemented a video-editing feature directly in the content management system ( CMS ). This enables them to analyze a TED video’s entire content and to extract the most relevant segment.
User Experience
Finally, thanks to the customized development of the app’s video interface, we were able to add features designed for the user experience. For example, students can simply tap on a word from the subtitles to get its definition. This detail is one of many that greatly contributes to enhance the learning experience and to benefit from the mobile-specific features.
A Technical Challenge With a Global Scale
To ensure the success of this international project, we deployed a mobile app that rigorously takes into account the cultures and the commercial practices of the participating countries. For example, we needed to guarantee that the app was supported in China’s market, where the mobile app portfolio is very different than the American Market.
Results
Since its launch on Apple’s App Store, the mobile app, adopted by more than 100 schools on the two participating continents. But there’s more: the app was awarded the prestigious President’s Award for New Use of Technology by London’s English-Speaking Union ( ESU ).
