Guide: Mobile Responsive Security Awareness Training

SUMMARY

If your organization is serious about implementing a security awareness training program that your employees will love, then you need to invest in strong mobile responsive content.

Well-designed mobile learning does not simply mean viewing a standard eLearning module on a smaller screen.

Whether you’re packaging a concept into a single text, slideshow, or video, mobile responsive training content must be effectively designed for consumption on a mobile device. Only then can training courses, quizzes, and practical simulations provide instant knowledge retention feedback and improve the mobile learning experience.

With those enhancements, mobile responsive security awareness training content brings the best possible mobile experience to the fold with added flexibility and accessibility. Most importantly, it supports existing mobile learning techniques that have been proven to be wildly effective.

Recent data shows that mobile learners typically study for 40 minutes longer and complete course material 45% faster than those using a desktop computer alone. Mobile learning also takes advantage of skyrocketing smartphone and tablet consumption habits.

Consider the following realities:

More than 40% of U.S. web traffic came from mobile devices in 2019. In Asia, it was over 60%.
By 2025, nearly three-quarters of internet users will access data using a smartphone.
There are already more mobile devices on Earth than there are people.

By unshackling cyber security training from a static desktop environment, organizations can cater to existing employee habits. This aligns security awareness training with a more comfortable learning process on a schedule and device that works for your users.

In short, mobile responsive security awareness content is a big part of what helps users stay engaged, informed, and empowered to retain the knowledge they need to keep their personal and professional data safe.

Why Mobile Responsive Content is So Beneficial

Mobile learning is far from a new concept. However, during the past decade, deploying training programs on a mobile device using responsive, high-quality content has become a much bigger priority for organizations of all sizes.

Skyrocketing daily smartphone and tablet usage numbers, widespread Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy adoption, and an increased emphasis on both microlearning and nanolearning has changed the very fabric of what makes employee training effective or not.

Security awareness training is no exception.

What does mobile responsive content bring to the table that a more traditional desktop setup can’t match?

Here are some of the biggest difference-makers:

Better information retention

Recent studies have all cited higher rates of knowledge retention as a major benefit of mobile learning. In fact, eLearning Industry calculated that, in one global pharma company’s case, mobile learning increased overall knowledge retention about new products by 53%. Engaging mobile responsive content facilitates the process of learning outside of the desktop environment.

Content is more immediate, accessible

Traditional desktop-based eLearning is like weekly appointed television viewing – you can only watch one episode at a specific time and in a specific place. Strong mobile responsive content aids in alleviates these constraints by training material available at any time, on any device – just like Netflix and other popular streaming platforms.

It makes pedagogical training easier

By retaining the instant feedback component of practical training tools like quizzes and real-world simulations, intuitive mobile responsive content design helps augments mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. By contextualizing user knowledge, this type of content reinforces concepts and facilitates lasting behavioral changes.

Did you know?

64% of learners find accessing their training content from a mobile device essential.

3 Ways Mobile Responsive Content Enhances Security Awareness Training

Mobile responsive content is beneficial for both employees and employers because it can bring significant upgrades to any security awareness training program.

Content that is designed specifically for mobile device consumption will automatically be more functional than if you viewed a traditional training module on a smartphone or tablet. As a result, complex cyber security learning topics become more digestible, enjoyable bundles of knowledge.

Mobile responsive training content brings more than just those enhancements to all kinds of users.

Here are some additional benefits that positively impact the learning process:

1. Higher participation and completion rates

It should come as no surprise that engaging mobile responsive security awareness training content significantly boosts both participation and completion rates.

This is especially true of mobile content that’s broken into small digestible parts. eLearning studies have shown that employees are more likely to connect with learning material when they can get through it in a shorter amount of time. This can, in turn, lead to an increase in course, test, and overall program completion rates.

2. A more immediate, engrossing experience

Brevity is only part of what makes up a successful mobile responsive content. Integrating immersive testing elements can add new, exciting layers to the learning experience.

Whether this means instant feedback exercises, such as multiple-choice quizzes or real-world simulations, allowing users to test their knowledge on a given subject immediately is essential to proactive learning.

3. Much-needed flexibility and comfort

The traditional eLearning model forces users to sit down in front of a work desktop and go through a learning module at a pre-appointed time and day they have no control over. Deploying mobile responsive content injects far more flexibility into this process.

By giving users the option to digest security awareness training material on their preferred device and at a time that works best with their schedule, you can upgrade everyone’s comfort level with the mobile learning experience.

Did you know?

71% of millennials say they connect more with mobile learning than L&D activities delivered via desktop.

How Mobile Learning Changes User Behavior

Arguably the most important reason to implement a mobile-friendly security awareness training program is that it supports a methodical, people-centric approach to learning.

This approach, outlined by Terranova Security CEO Lise Lapointe in her book “The Human Fix to Human Risk,” focuses on creating lasting behavioral change. As she points out, this involves more than subjecting users to lengthy training stints sporadically throughout the year.

“If you want to change people’s behaviors, you need to do more than ask them to do 15 minutes of intermittent training or to sit down in front of their computers for an hour once a year,” she remarks in the book. “Security has to stay top of mind.”

Mobile learning underpins this proven pedagogical approach in several ways:

Mobile learning helps flatten the “forgetting curve”

To truly change cyber security habits, users must be able to retain the knowledge they have absorbed throughout the program. With smaller, more impactful training modules and the ability to assess skills using practical components, users can continually test their knowledge and, over time, flatten their respective “forgetting curve.”

Mobile learning contextualizes knowledge and enhances comprehension

Speaking of those practical components, it is through this interactive means of contextualizing information that mobile learning trumps traditional, desktop-only options. To this end, mobile responsive content helps ground critical security awareness knowledge in the real world and, as a result, greatly improves user comprehension.

Mobile learning can help challenge users through incentivization

Sometimes, simply presenting users with a security awareness training opportunity is not enough – you must incentivize the learning process, especially in a mobile-centric environment. This can be done through leaderboards that rank users based on mobile learning scores, or completion rates to earn prizes.

Using portable devices for work tasks saves employees 58 minutes per day while increasing productivity by 34%.

Did you know?

70% of learners felt more motivated when training on a mobile device, as opposed to a computer.

5 Key Aspects of a Successful Mobile Learning Experience

Providing your users with a truly immersive mobile responsive content involves more than asking users to open a training module on the mobile version of their browser.

The most powerful examples of mobile learning consider all aspects of the training content and adapt them for a smartphone or tablet viewing experience.

This includes:

1. Easily digestible learning components

Creating learning material that makes it simple to absorb and retain knowledge means more than just shorter modules. The concepts in your training program must be communicated clearly and concisely, avoiding complex sentence structure or the overuse of technical jargon.

2. A uniform learning environment

A consistent, seamless structure across all types of devices also goes a long way in stabilizing your learning environment. Ensure your training module design – including video, audio, and scrolling and swiping components – prioritizes clear, reliable functionality without sacrificing any content quality.

3. A seamless experience across all devices

Mobile responsive training content is only effective if users can access it on all their different devices – sometimes all in one day. Use unique platform user profiles to centralize saved data and learning progress to help users avoid having to repeat modules unnecessarily.

4. A fun, engaging tone across all your training content

Asking employees to go through a security awareness training program does not mean they have to feel like they are back in school. Injecting a fun, engaging, and supportive tone into all your training content makes users want to learn. Because of their ubiquity in our everyday lives, mobile devices are an essential part of this equation.

5. Instant knowledge retention feedback

Users and managers alike will only be able to properly gauge security awareness training success with measurable data. Therefore, leveraging usage and completion statistics as part of the mobile learning experience will give you instant feedback on how well your mobile responsive content is faring.

Using Mobile Responsive Content to Keep Users Engaged

You have implemented or tweaked the mobile learning aspect of your security awareness training program – now what?

As Terranova Security CEO Lise Lapointe points out in her book “The Human Fix to Human Risk,” establishing a mobile learning baseline is not the end of the journey. It is only the beginning.

“Your security awareness program is not a project, it is an ongoing process,” she explains. “Every issue that arises is an opportunity to make improvements to your overall program and fine-tune your upcoming campaigns.”

When it comes to mobile learning, the biggest issue many organizations have is keeping their users engaged with training content over the long haul. Some ways to do this include:

Turn executives, managers into security awareness ambassadors

A surefire way to achieve universal security awareness training buy-in throughout your organization is to appoint program evangelists. Ideally, executives and managers should be part of this group, since their support for a security awareness training initiative will carry the most weight internally.

Regularly update your training program with new content

It is no secret that the breakneck pace of technological innovation renders older tech obsolete faster than ever before. The same goes for the security best practices that are cited in your training program. Consider supplementing your training environment with fresh responsive content so that users are always aware of the latest cyber threats.

Ensure that users are incentivized to participate

It is the age-old question that increased participation hinges on: What is in it for me? The answer, which must incentivize users to take part in the training program, needs to underscore the benefits of the knowledge embedded in the learning modules. In other words, how will your users be better off after they complete the training program?

Use clear, concise, iterative communication to increase participation

In any promotional materials that are used to notify users of a security awareness training program’s existence, make sure that all the important details are communicated clearly. You should also be rolling out multiple reminders over time, instead of sending out one internal email and hoping that all employees remember the specifics.

Get user feedback on content effectiveness and tweak accordingly

Listening to your user base is an indispensable part of the optimization process. Collect everyone’s feedback and take note of what is working and what is not with regards to the training program’s content. With this intel, you will be able to tweak the modules accordingly to help users get the most out of the learning experience.

Recap

Regardless of size and industry, mobile learning is a key contributor to successful security awareness training programs. Effective mobile responsive content makes this education process more flexible, accessible, comfortable, and, above all else, productive for all users.

Smartphones and tablets are indispensable tools for employees of all kinds. That’s why the best training initiatives take advantage of those devices instead of leaving them out of the equation.

The ability to dig into security awareness training content on a mobile device motivates users to complete assigned modules. That motivation becomes infectious and will have a positive effect on company-wide training participation.

The benefits that come with implementing mobile responsive content far outpace those gained from a traditional, desktop-first arrangement. Training your users on any device, at any time and in any location, gives them the tools they need to protect their sensitive data.

Simply put, mobile responsive security awareness training positively impacts your users’ lives and is a cornerstone in the ongoing effort to limit the human risk factor of cyber security