Choosing Learning Tech Without the Noise: A Smarter Approach to Smarter Tools

Learning technologies promise to transform the way people develop, engage, and perform — but choosing the right platform is rarely as simple as it sounds. Whether you're replacing an outdated system, scaling up, or looking to solve a specific challenge, the risk of being led by hype, habit, or convenience is high.

At Learning Effect, we’ve helped organisations across sectors navigate this journey with clarity and confidence. Based on years of hands-on experience, here’s our straightforward approach to selecting learning technology that works for your business — not just in theory, but in practice.

1. Start with Strategy, Not Software

Before looking at systems, features, or suppliers, step back and look inward. Why are you considering a change in the first place? Often, the trigger is tactical: a contract ending, a merger, or frustration with the current platform. But these are only surface-level drivers.

The real value comes when you look beneath those triggers and ask:

• What’s our business trying to achieve?

• How can learning contribute to that?

• What do our people need to grow, perform, or stay engaged?

• Where does technology fit in that picture — and where doesn't it?

Many organisations miss this step. They rush into buying before defining the problem. As a result, they end up with systems that solve the wrong things, or that don’t align with the wider business agenda.

Taking time to explore your current state, future goals, and constraints will give your tech decision proper grounding — and prevent costly mistakes.

2. Don’t Fall for the Gadget Effect

We’ve all bought something that seemed brilliant in the moment but ended up gathering dust. Learning systems are no different. Fancy dashboards, AI-powered recommendations, or microlearning widgets can seem like must-haves — but often they’re more style than substance.

Instead, ask:

• What problems does this feature actually solve?

• Is it something we’ll realistically use, sustain, and support?

• Will our users adopt it, or ignore it?

• Will it move the dial on business outcomes?

This doesn’t mean avoiding innovation — but it does mean being selective. A smaller set of well-used features will always deliver more value than a bloated system full of unused options.

3. Know Your Differentiators

Most learning platforms do broadly the same things: manage content, track learning, offer reports, host video, and so on. So how do you choose?

The answer lies in your differentiators — the unique blend of needs, challenges, and opportunities in your organisation. These could include:

• A remote or mobile-first workforce

• Integration with existing HR systems

• Specific compliance or regulatory demands

• Limited internal technical expertise

• A requirement to support multiple languages or locations

By identifying what truly matters in your environment, you can filter out noise and focus only on the platforms that will work for you.

This clarity speeds up procurement, reduces risk, and ensures better adoption post-launch.

4. Don’t Let the Sales Pitch Set the Agenda

Suppliers will tell you what their platform can do. But only you can determine if that’s what you need.

When speaking with vendors, make sure the conversation revolves around your world — not just their product. We recommend:

• Creating real business scenarios and asking vendors to show how their platform would solve them

• Digging into limitations, not just strengths

• Involving cross-functional stakeholders early (HR, IT, compliance, operations)

• Being honest about your internal capability and capacity to manage the system

A good supplier will welcome this level of scrutiny — and it will help you assess not just their software, but their partnership mindset.

5. Avoid Overbuying — or Choosing by Convenience

We regularly see organisations either overspend on complex platforms they don’t need or settle for what’s familiar based on a colleague’s recommendation.

Both approaches are risky.

The most common trap is buying a system because it worked for someone else — without checking if their context is the same. Even two organisations in the same industry may have completely different structures, cultures, and expectations.

Always base your decision on your own strategic fit — not someone else’s experience.

6. Make the System Stick

Launching the system is only the start. If your learning platform doesn’t become part of daily habits and workflows, it will fail to deliver lasting value.

To make it stick:

• Engage key stakeholders early — not just at the end

• Empower internal teams to maintain and improve the platform

• Keep the user experience central to your thinking

• Build feedback loops and use data to keep evolving

Also, don’t be afraid to challenge your supplier. Ask for roadmap updates, request support, and push for features that will make a difference. If you’re invested in success, they should be too.

7. Stay Curious and Flexible

Your learning system should evolve as your business evolves. That means being open to ongoing improvement, innovation, and experimentation — but always grounded in purpose.

Encourage your team to think laterally. Often, creative solutions can emerge by using a platform in unexpected ways. Equally, keep testing your assumptions and checking that your system is still delivering the outcomes it was meant to.

Wrapping it Up

Choosing learning technology is a business decision — not just a procurement exercise. It demands a thoughtful, joined-up approach that links strategy, people, and process.

Get that foundation right, and the tech becomes an enabler — not a distraction.

If you’d like help navigating the process, we’d love to hear from you.