Locally-grown e-learning
There are certain types of work that lend themselves well to outsourcing. Even certain types of e-learning projects can fall into this category. I can’t imagine what we do, though, coming out of any other environment than our four orange and yellow walls.
The thing is, it takes more than just engaging writing, high-quality media, and good code to pull together a course. Our office has a totally open layout, which I think is, in part, designed to grow free-range ideas. Rather than being segregated into individual offices or cubicles, Noggins are pretty much forced to collaborate simply because we can hear and see everything going on in the office. The more we can share our ideas, the better our output tends to be. It may sound chaotic, but impromptu meetings at someone’s desk can be the most productive part of a day.
We also tend to take a personal stake in our work. When you’ve raised a project from its earliest infancy, you can’t help but want to see it succeed. It seems to be an emerging trend in businesses ranging from grocery stores to manufacturing: empower your employees by putting them in charge of an entire process (rather than individual stations on an assembly line), and the end product is all the better.
Each of our projects is assigned a dedicated project team that starts working at the kick-off meeting and doesn’t let go until final delivery. Because we’re able to do all of our designing, writing, programming, and media creation in house, our project managers aren’t bogged down with trying to coordinate other vendors. Individuals on each team have a rich history of collaboration, which makes them that much more efficient at working together. The quality of the resulting course benefits too—it feels cohesive and whole, rather than a slapped together sum-of-parts.
All of this allows us to create courseware that is truly tailored for each client. Many so-called custom firms employ a template approach, which is certainly one easy and cost-effective solution. If you’ve ever seen a NogginLabs web demo, you know that no two courses look alike. The diversity of minds and creativity in our office means that there is no particular NogginLabs style—our courseware suits the client organization’s style. That, too, keeps things interesting, particularly for our writers, graphic artists, and instructional designers.
When a client chooses to outsource their learning development to NogginLabs, they do so because we have the right combination of talent, creativity, and technical ability to get the job done. In return for the trust involved in giving us the business, we deliver a home-grown solution that doesn’t cut a single corner in quality.
Sara Jensen
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Account Representative
NogginLabs, Inc.
