Custom LMS Development: A Basic Guide for Businesses

LMS software development has been one of the most popular requirements of almost every Edtech company and institution. With the growing popularity of Edtech, it is no wonder that one of the most innovative solutions has peaked in popularity too. Edtech startups are focusing their efforts based on their own custom LMS, offering what the others aren’t.  

As per GMInsights, the eLearning market is expected to surpass $44.49 billion by 2028! – . And the market has the learning management system as the most popular software of all. If you are planning to develop LMS software for your Edtech startup or company, you aren’t alone. Let’s begin with what an LMS is, for those who are new to it, and then move to the rest.   

What is LMS Software? 

A learning management system is one that offers centralized management, scheduling, tracking, and implementation of education material for different users in the system. Students, teachers, parents, and everyone can benefit from well-built LMS software. The vivid offerings of an LMS system make it one of the most popular choices amongst education software solutions. EdTech startups and companies looking forward to offering those mentioned above are usually the ones that need their own custom LMS software.  

Must-Have Features in LMS Software 

Before moving on to the actual development part, you should focus on selecting the features you want to offer; below is a list of must-haves.   

Course Creation  

Course creation and management stand on top of the feature list, as it is somewhere out there the basic purpose of an LMS. You can replace the word course with your suitable representation and industry based on your EdTech niche. This will be the basic offering through your LMS; the administrator should be able to create courses and assign them to different users based on their roles.   

Skill Tracking  

Skill tracking would make it possible for all parties in the system to track how far they have accomplished what they started. An added feature could be certification tracking to determine which student/employee/learner has completed which course and to use it further to recommend the remaining courses. Depending on your EdTech business, you can customize this feature and implement it in a way suited to your niche.   

Mobile Learning  

Gone are the days when people would access everything from their desktops/laptops; the world has advanced to mobile learning. While it is more of a completely different platform, you simply cannot skip the requirement to make mobile apps. You need to have your LMS software accessible portably if you want to cover a larger customer base.   

24/7 Access  

An LMS can easily be implemented in a way where most of the critical functions would be accessible 24/7. When you develop LMS software for your EdTech, make sure you make the system accessible for everyone when they want to, as people like to indulge on their terms. Time constraining your application could turn out to be a letdown for a huge userbase, so take care of it.   

Gamification  

Gamification in terms of learning as well as the user interface can be a great idea. We wouldn’t have explicitly recommended it if it had been some normal company or an educational institution. But as an EdTech business, going all out on gamification wherever feasible and possible should be your top priority. People love learning when it’s fun, and this is what most EdTech startups thrive upon.   

Artificial Intelligence  

The use of artificial intelligence in learning management systems can lead to a variety of benefits for students, teachers, and administrators alike. Some people believe that AI will make teaching easier for teachers, while others believe it will make it more difficult. There are a number of potential uses for AI in learning management systems that are being explored by educators around the world today. An ai software development company can help you in consultation, development and implementation of AI in LMS.  

Role-Based Access  

Role-based access enables different users to log in to the same application/software. For a custom LMS, this is a must-have feature. There would be at least two different types of users you look forward to, and role-based access would simply make it much easier for both.   

Cloud Based LMS  

Cloud-based LMSs are a great option for companies looking to invest in an LMS but don’t want to invest in expensive hardware or software. They are a type of LMS designed to be hosted in the cloud. This type of LMS are used for various purposes, including training employees, providing online courses to students, and more.  

Read More: SaaS Based LMS: How to Develop? 

How to Develop LMS Software?   

The Planning Part   

The planning part has to be the first in this scenario. As an EdTech startup/company, your basic offerings matter the most when it comes to project success. You could get the LMS software as customized as you want, but what you first want to do is to pen things down. Try focusing on the USP, the basic functionalities, the functional dependencies within your systems, etc.   

These points will help you gather more and more information and outlook on what you are looking for in your custom LMS software. Choose the features as well, as implementing them sometimes turns out to be the hardest part for a development team. For example, the role-based login feature might sound simple, but the implementation is certainly complex and almost impossible to do if you bring it out towards the end of the project.   

The Development Part   

Once you are ready with the plan, you can move on to the development part. Here you would be making three major choices. Each choice will affect the project timeline and development cost, so if you first want to consult development experts, that might be a great idea.   

The major decisions you would be making include:   

The Platforms   

The platforms you plan to target will highly affect the reach/user satisfaction/time to market/as well as development cost. Software, web, and mobile are the three basic choices, and each has distinct development requirements. Once you are ready to choose, you will have to select the individual operating systems you plan to target for software and mobile.  

Python, C++, and Java top the charts for software development and backend development for web apps; Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter are the popular technologies to build UX-rich mobile apps. If you are unsure, going step by step could help you with the matter. You first need to choose the platforms, then the devices (operating systems) you want your app to be accessible on.   

Technology Stack   

Choosing the technology stack is an important decision. While most people you are seeking service from would try to sell what they have, it is best to dig in and gain some knowledge of your own. The technology stack can potentially make or break your LMS system. You can seek consultancy from a staff augmentation services provider if you are unsure. They are usually unbiased based on the fact that they have developers for any/every technology suited.   

Choosing Team Members for Your Learning Management System Development   

Depending on the choice above, you will have to list the team members you would need. The more the platforms, the bigger the teams. For software, you will need to hire core developers for the technology you plan, same goes for web and mobile. If you want DevOps for your LMS, you will have to consider DevOps implementation services. Once you are ready with the list, you can post hiring requirements, contact eLearning development companies, or look at freelance portals.   

Your team(s) would consist of:   

Project Manager   
Developers   
Designers   
Testers   
Database experts   

MVP Development  

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future product development. The goal of an MVP is to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of a new idea so that the product can be improved.   

In the context of an LMS, an MVP would be a basic version of the learning management system that would provide the basic functionalities required for learning. So instead of going for full scale LMS, business can chart down basic requirements during planning phase and get developed a working model which they can introduce in their company or college or school for user trials.  

Conclusion  

With this, we mark the end of our basic guide for LMS software development. We hope we were able to help you with everything you wanted to know. If you are planning an LMS solution for your EdTech startup and have covered the points mentioned above, you can contact Matellio for their services. They are a reputed eLearning development company in the US and provide dedicated developers for hire.   

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