Mobile applications have evolved so much over the years. Remember those days where we used Instagram purely to post heavily filtered selfies or food pictures, or when our mobile phones were purely just for communication? Or perhaps you have a faint memory of playing Candy Crush on your mobile — it’s ok, we have all been there. 

​​The average person spends nearly three hours on their smartphone each day, touching the screen more than 2,600 times and glancing at it roughly 221 times. With these numbers in mind, it’s no surprise that learning has found a niche market in the mobile world. According to ReportLinker, the global mobile learning market will reach $80.1 Billion by 2027. 

Fast forward to today, we can do almost everything and anything with our mobile devices — from contactless payments, online shopping, learning and more. Learning can now take place anytime and anywhere, with more than 200,000 learning apps on the App Store alone. Applications are continuing to emerge for learning languages, training both brain hemispheres, and more — and the market is still growing. 

I find myself learning so much even in my free time. Mobile apps like Duo Lingo, MasterClass, YouTube and even TikTok (you will be surprised what you can take away from this “Gen Z app”), provide entertainment and education at the same time. 

We did a poll on LinkedIn asking people what they were currently learning on mobile apps now, and the majority selected Learning a New Language, followed by Self Development Courses, Financial Literacy and Further Education — a very popular topic among the workforce now. 

Let’s talk a little about what people are learning now, and why you should start doing it too.

Learning a New Language 

We live in a multilingual world where connections are now more important than ever. The world is becoming increasingly globalized and knowing a second language always gives you an advantage. It can help you in your career, improve memory and brain functions, as well as give you an insight into other cultures. 

So if you are still thinking about picking up a new language, this is a sign for you to do so! A little a day goes a long way.

Self Development 

There are many ways to self develop with many apps that cater to self development – Ted-Ed, Headspace, Strides, Simple Habit, and even YouTube are just some examples that you can use to better yourself. Gaining psychosocial competence, which is the ability to deal with challenges effectively, is a much-needed life skill. It not only helps you achieve your long-term goals but also improves your mental, physical and social well-being. When you’re able to effectively deal with stress and pressures in life, it minimizes behavior-related health issues. 

Self development can also be acquiring life skills that you can learn to make most out of your life. It can be anything functional, from cooking to improving your computer skills. Applications like Skillshare and Coursera are great platforms that offer thousands of online classes on a wide range of professional and lifestyle topics, from business, technology, design, photography, writing and much more. Necessary life skills can vary according to a person’s age or even their culture. Pick something that is easy and interests you to start and slowly progress to learn something harder. 

The truth is, self-improvement is a huge industry, $9.6 billion to be precise. With the digital disruption caused by technology today, there are more and more software solutions popping up to help us optimize our productivity, set and track goals and build healthier habits. If you look hard enough, there’s pretty much an app for every aspect of our lives.

Financial Literacy 

Financial literacy, which refers to both your knowledge of and ability to use financial skills, is one of the most important factors in smart money management. Although this is an area where many people are lacking, there are more options than ever to learn about personal finance. Financial literacy apps, in particular, are the perfect way for both adults and kids to become more knowledgeable about money. Apps like World of Money and Zogo are great platforms for bite-sized lessons on financial education. 

Last and not least, Further Education. 

Completing your MBA has been a very popular topic among the workforce. For many professionals, getting an MBA seems like the next logical step to advancing their career. 

No matter what career path you choose, being a successful businessperson requires a lot of drive, dedication, and hard work. Gone are the days where MBA programs were confined to lecture halls or seminar rooms. MBA programs have even adapted to the busy professional’s lifestyle – you can now work our way up your desired career path through your mobile phone with mobile-first MBA programs.

Conclusion 

Mobile learning has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of the disadvantages mobile learning might bring (e.g: allowing people to be even more addicted to their phones than they already are), more people are choosing mobile learning. It seems quite clear that the evolution of smartphones has had and will continue to have a positive impact on the learning community. This particular method of content delivery is shown to have a host of benefits for learners — learning anytime, anywhere, using bite-sized content, higher retention and many more. 

What are you learning on mobile? 

If you are looking to deliver your training through mobile, feel free to speak to us here!