Mickey Mouse and eLearning

You know that new concepts, engaging interactivity, immediate feedback, and content navigation make for engaging eLearning, but they also make for highly engaging iPad apps, too.  A toddler’s attention span is short.  A trip to the zoo can seem more like a footrace with checkpoints than an opportunity to watch animals.  However, a well-designed app like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Road Rally Appisode for the iPad can hold their attention for nearly thirty minutes.

The app is based on an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  In the television version, Mickey and friends ask questions of the viewer and pause for a few seconds while the child talks to the television or not, then they proceed with the adventure.  Watching these episodes, an eLearning designer can’t help but see the simple modifications that would be necessary to convert this to an interactive experience.  Fortunately, the developers at Disney took every opportunity to make a high-quality app (for free!).

Like industry eLearning, there is new content, interactivity, feedback and navigation that provide the user an immersive experience.  Interactivity occurs in a variety of manners.

Microphone feedback is required when Mickey asks the user a question.  While the actual verbal response is not required to be accurate, an audible level of input is required to progress through the appisode.  A non-existent or quiet response earns a response from Mickey encouraging the user to try again in the same way a user would receive feedback on a multiple choice question or simulation activity.

Toodles provides four tools to the friends throughout the episode.  In the app, Toodles appears on the screen and the user is prompted to select the tool that will help solve the particular challenge.  Feedback is exactly as you would utilize in an eLearning module, eliminating wrong choices and providing more information to help the user make a better decision.

Finally, content navigation at the top of the page allows the user to jump to sections they enjoy.  Even a toddler will want to jump to the engaging activities after a few runs through the appisode. 

The app feels natural, immersive, and highly polished.  eLearning developed to these same specifications (most likely a budgetary pipe dream) would be spectacular.  However, even without the budget for artistry, computer animation, and beloved characters, developers can learn about engaging interactivity, storytelling, and attention to detail that will help improve any eLearning experience.