According to the Global Online Education Market report, by 2025, the worth of the online education market will reach $319+ billion compared to $188 billion in 2019. The number of people interested in upgrading their skills through online solutions is impressive.
E-learning software takes third place among the most popular Apple App Store categories and second place on Google Play. Up to 9% of users on both platforms choose educational applications, among many other types of apps. We decided to dedicate today's article to educational app development. Read on to find out more about:
- Trends and factors to weigh in developing educational apps
- Types of educational apps
- How to create an e-learning app: technologies, features, and development stages
- Educational app development cost: What variables matter most?
What trends and factors to consider developing educational apps?
Before you get down to learning management software development, make sure to run a market analysis. To help you with your research, we've collected the main trends in edutech.
Focus on certification and professional content
Users prefer to be sure that after finishing courses, they will have proof of completion. The most renowned digital learning resources provide certificates, including Lynda LinkedIn Training, Oxford Home Study, and Google Digital Garage. Therefore, if you want your custom e-learning solutions to look reputable, manage to issue valid certifications. Educational apps for kids may be the only exception. It's also recommended to engage professional educators and industry experts to develop the training package tailored to the target audience's needs.
Abundance of videos and micro-training
Flexibility and optimization of the learning process are why students opt for educational apps. Thus, in developing your next solution, you should favor short informative videos over long texts. Or combine videos and texts. Besides, splitting the program into multiple smaller lessons followed by tests is important. Such an approach is the most effective and convenient way to teach something remotely.
Gamification, VR, and AR in educational technology
80% of US employees believe game-based learning methods are more engaging. 50% have managed to improve their productivity thanks to gamification training features. Virtual and augmented reality have also become more widely used in online learning solutions. They can make your app stand out in the crowded market and attract tech-savvy users.
Intuitive UX/UI and ease of use
A quality interface and smooth navigation are critical to creating an app that encourages users to proceed with the next learning level. The assistance of a UX/UI specialist should help you improve the user experience. Create engaging learning experience with us! Create app
Types of educational apps
The global e-learning market is expected to reach 7.8 billion by 2026 among the top educational app, developing countries the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, France, German, Italy, and the UK. One of major 290 companies in the ed app industry is Absorb Software, Adobe Systems, Aptara, Blackboard Cisco Systems, Cornerstone OnDemand, Coursera (that is the biggest educational platform), Skillshare, edX, Fischer, Hurix Systems Private.
The U.S. is the world's largest e-learning market and is estimated at $100 billion the year 2022. When China, the world's second-biggest economy, is expected to have a market of $105.7 billion by 2026.
The market analysis shows multiple categories of e-learning software aimed at several target groups. Learning tools for teachers, adults, and kids require different solutions. The type of future app also depends on the field of study and learning approach. Generally, educational apps can be grouped into 6 categories:
#1. Remote tuition
These applications connect teachers with students to conduct the learning process remotely. Although remote tuition apps are top-rated among native speakers and language learners who want to master their speaking skills, they can be used for any other purpose.
The best remote tuition apps are
- Preply
- Tutor.com
- YUP Tutor
- Wyzant
- Kahoot
- Skooli
- MyTutor
#2. Apps for kids
Heavily based on gamification and engagement, apps for kids enable parents to make their children's screen time more useful. DragonBox for maths lessons, YouTube Kids for educational and safe content, Spelling Stage for writing, and similar tools are usually designed to improve a specific child's skills.
#3. Language learning
Babbel and Duolingo are the two most renowned language apps among dozens of others. Such applications include interactive tasks in multiple foreign languages at several learning levels. They also have many gamification elements and can be used by kids and adults.
#4. Grading apps
Tests and regular checks are integral to the educational process. You may develop mobile solutions for corporate users and educational institutions to enable them to run check-ups more efficiently. Online tests are perfectly suitable for multiple-choice or short questions.
#5. Learning solutions for adults
Such services have more industry-specific tasks than apps for kids or language learning tools. This category includes deadline keepers, proofreading apps, citation apps, collaboration tools, and other solutions that can optimize learning.
#6. Classroom apps
They help teachers to create, distribute, manage, and grade assignments. They don't fully substitute classroom activities but make them more organized and easy to track. The primary target audience of classroom solutions is educational institutions that want to enhance the communication between teachers and students and/or launch remote learning.
Educational app types for learners
Based on most educational app user types, they may be broadly classified as learning solutions for students, instructors, and people who self-learn through online courses.
When creating educational applications, the focus is nearly always on the students. On the other hand, expert instructional designers recognize that a specialized app is also required for their teaching and assessment tasks. These applications give them the resources they need for seamlessly manage, prepare, and store the student learning aids.
- Storing teaching material
One of the key benefits educational app development has given e-learning is the ability to become a one-stop storage destination for all instructional content, divided into discrete compartments for easy access whenever needed.
- Planning and scheduling apps
Planning and scheduling applications simply make their life easier by allowing them to save forthcoming events and activities in a way that allows them to be reminded of them far in advance.
- Evaluating student progress
Grading apps are an excellent example of educational applications that make life easier. Whereas the average teacher spends most time verifying and analyzing assignments, grading applications automate the process, saving time and allowing teachers to schedule new activities.
- Assessing performance
Students can sign up for these and utilize them as required for solo or group learning. Applications may be created to help students analyze their progress across subjects. The applications can also be complemented with an LMS (learning management system), which allows students to participate in various examinations or assignments based on their understanding of the subject.
How to make an educational app: technologies & features
Once you know your target audience and decide on the type of custom learning management system software, it's time to deal with specifics. Let's talk about the technological stack first.
Educational app development tech stack
For custom learning solutions, educational app development companies recommend Kotlin (for Android native apps), Swift (for iOS native apps), Java, Node.js, React, and Blockchain (for backend development).
Backend | Node, Nest,js |
Frontend | React,js, React Native, Styled Components |
Database | MongoDB, PostgreSQL |
Business Tools | AWS, Firebase, GCP |
Must-have features of educational apps
Even though the functionality will vary depending on the type of educational application, some features are present in most e-learning solutions. Pay attention to them while planning your next product.
- Login/Signup. Limit access to educational apps to protect personal information, including learning progress, contact info, payment details, etc.
- User profile. Enable users to view all the completed courses, access tasks, and track their learning achievements from a separate profile.
- Search. Help users quickly find the necessary content by filters such as name, subject, duration, etc.
- Menu. Simplify in-app navigation allowing users to access a specific app section in just a few clicks.
- Learning materials. Add courses, games, exercises, and/or tests as applicable.
- Monetization. Think about the most suitable way to profit from the deployed solution (that's why you create it in the end). For instance, you can implement ads, in-app purchases, white labeling, or paid subscriptions.
- Payments. Take care of secure payment functionality if your app supports financial transactions.
Besides the features mentioned, many e-learning applications include statistics dashboards, push notifications, scheduling, social sharing, and cross-platform support features. Before initiating the development process, make sure to determine what core features you want to have in the app.
Additional features of educational apps
But that’s not all. There are the following additional features of e-learning applications.
- Scheduling – Offer live streams of lectures or real-time communication with teachers and other students. It can still win the favor of users who prefer organizing their self-paced studying.
- Push notifications – Push notifications are even more valuable: missing a lesson as an instructor can be a huge blow to one’s reputation.
- Statistics and analytics – Identify blind spots in knowledge helps adjust the program and eliminate issues.
- Social sharing – Implementing one-click sharing enhances your app’s chances of gaining new users among your existing users’ friends.
- Cloud integration – Schools might provide their own devices, and app users can have them. It’s important that progress is synced via the cloud and app can be opened on as many devices as possible.
UI/UX Design for your educational app
With high competition in the e-learning industry, you'll need to catch and keep your consumers' attention if you want to succeed. Aside from providing great learning, the best practice to accomplish this is through the assistance of a UI/UX design.
- Draw attention
The possibilities are endless when it comes to UI – color scheme, aesthetics, and so on. You may make your app colorful and cartoonish, load it with superb photographs and videos, or make it as simple as possible, depending on your target demographic and the topics it will cover.
- Engage users with well-planned learning activities
In language learning applications, for example, new words frequently merge with audio/video samples, changing into "fill in the gaps" and quiz-type problems; some tasks are timed, while others are not.
A team of designers collaborates with curriculum authors to determine the best moment to swap tasks so that learners remember new material and don't grow bored.
- Retain users
We never get tired of saying it: any software, especially an instructional tool, must be intuitively comprehended. The sequence of displays, the placement of buttons, and the frequency and size of pop-up alerts (to rating the app) must all be carefully planned.
- Be up-to-date
Consider current design trends, as well as the applications that your target audience utilizes (learning apps and other types of apps). It will enable you to design e-learning software that consumers will not want to quit.
Integration for education applications
By combining apps into student education, you provide kids with a secure setting to experiment with mobile technology while learning. They may test out which technologies will and will not work for them, and they can begin to figure out how the technology will fit into their professional growth. For many students, this may be their first chance to utilize applications in a professional context. There is a list of possible integrations for e-learning apps.
- Adobe Captivate Prime
- Canvas
- Inquisiq LMS
- SAP Litmos LMS
- Docebo
- Moodle
- SoftChalk
Educational standards and regulations
E-learning standards are standardized guidelines for material, writing software, and learning management systems (LMSs). They establish rules for all stakeholders to create and generate content, deliver it across platforms, and ensure device compatibility.
The e-learning standards are classified into three groups. Courseware design standards include many course design and development areas, whereas technical standards cover course implementation on an LMS or other portal.
Technical standards | Data protection | Accessibility standards |
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Development team for your educational app
When you build an educational app for iOS and Android, you need a development team. Here are the specialists you'll need to build your project:
- Business Analyst
- Android developers
- UI/UX designer
- iOS developers
- Project Manager
- QA engineer
- Back-end developers
- Front-end developers
Hiring an in-house team or an outsourced business are the two major approaches to collaborate with IT professionals. Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages. It is simpler to connect with in-house teams, but they are more expensive owing to office rent, equipment (hardware and software), and other costs. On the other hand, developers from outsourcing companies provide competitive rates and good product quality.
Binariks experience in educational app development
E-learning app development doesn't differ much from the typical mobile software creation cycle. First, you will need to develop educational app ideas and dive into market research to understand whether they are relevant and profitable. If you find out that the future solution has a strong chance to succeed, it's time to talk with professional education app developers.
In word and deed, about one of our educational app case studies . Our client provides education-related software to a broad category of users. The customer decided to launch an application that issues and verifies educational badges. The platform aims to validate its users' academic records, improving their employment opportunities and perspectives to ensure maximum security.
Binariks provided a dedicated team composed of an architect, backend developer, frontend developer, UI/UX designer, QA, and project manager. On the customer side, there was only a product manager. Our specialists finalized architecture for the client’s web platform and MVP with Java backend and React frontend.
You can fully cover these stages with your in-house engineering resources (if you have any) or educational software development services . In particular, Binariks offers several team models to take up projects at initial or later stages. We can assemble a dedicated team of business analysts, UX/UI experts, developers, and QA specialists in designing a learning solution from scratch or providing team extensions to power an existing staff .
Educational app development cost: what variables matter most?
We understand that you want to know the final amount before starting educational app development. Unfortunately, the duration and scope of the engineering process depend on too many variables to tell this without details. When an education app development company estimates an approximate cost of engineering services, they rely on the following factors:
- Engineering team size and experience of tech specialists
- Local market hourly rates (In Eastern Europe and Asia, you can get the same quality at a more affordable cost)
- Technical specifications of the app, number of apps (in case you need both iOS and Android versions, the development cost will be higher)
Conclusion
If you want to find out the educational app development cost for your project, contact us for a talk. Our tech specialists will evaluate your idea and offer the optimum way to realize it. Binariks works with a broad range of technology and has already completed educational projects for customers across the globe. Yours can be the next