Ep 161: What Makes Microlearning Actually Work | Jay Uuquhart
Summary: Todd Kirk and Jay share lessons from building QuickBase University’s customer education, including how microlearning can help learners complete real tasks and return to guidance when they need it. They review learner feedback and engagement results, then offer practical design advice on course length, scripting, examples, formats, and when to use characters. Key Topics: QuickBase University learner feedback included 26,000 survey completions, with Todd citing a 9-10% survey completion rate. Jay describes breaking Spy Analytics into four shorter modules, and learners praised clear explanations, useful visuals, and easy review. Follow-along instruction, hands-on practice, and short standalone videos or PDFs help learners apply and revisit what they need. Learner feedback also identified trade-offs: some wanted more practice or depth, while some videos moved too quickly. Todd reports roughly 10x more star ratings and course completion improvements from 29% to 63% and 36% to 67% in sampled courses. Jay explains using Action Mapping, attributed to Kathy Moore, to start with the learner’s job and the problem a course should solve. The speakers recommend identifying customer needs through conversations with sales, customer success, trainers, and other teams close to users. They caution that simply cutting a long webinar into shorter pieces does not make it useful microlearning. Effective short videos start with immediate relevance, one clear objective, conversational narration, practical examples, and a natural conclusion. Characters can make abstract, flexible software scenarios relatable, but should not distract from the learner’s task. Resources: Connect with Jay Connect with Todd Visit the show page Get to know BrainStorm Credits: Show direction: Debra Wilson Show Design: Kensie Smith Show manager: Jane Harvey
