Development approach
There are different approaches to developing e-learning software. One of the most important steps to take before development is to plan the structure of future projects and select key equipment. For example, one of the most common debates is whether to choose a template or a custom solution.
In fact, it’s best to consider ideas and plan your product before making a final decision. Then you can see the market if you have similar products. If you have an existing project that meets your requirements, you can consider purchasing an off-the-shelf project that may be modified or changed. However, if you want to make modifications, it’s important to have access to your code.
Custom approach
It may be the easiest and most difficult solution at the same time. The reason is clearly that it is the easiest decision to develop from scratch. However, this requires more resources and effort. Choosing a custom approach allows you to develop fully customizable products that meet all your requirements. For example, developers can enable different technologies and software, such as different UI / UX design patterns, or innovative features such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
First, choosing this option gives you the chance to get completely unique results. When developing a project from scratch, there are literally no limits other than imagination. Of course, this will change during the process depending on the boundaries of the various tools selected. Obviously, each programming language, framework, or library has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, the developer is the one who decides how to choose and shape the overall structure of the future platform.
Moreover, thanks to the complete development process, the development team always has access to the code. As a result, fixing bugs and errors, and implementing new components and add-ons is easier and faster. It also includes the possibility to manage and develop your own components and later implement them in your system.
Conversely, developing custom-made, high-quality products requires a lot of resources. First, especially on a large scale, you need an experienced development team capable of developing such projects. As a result, you will have to spare more money. In addition, developing from scratch requires more time to create code-related aspects and test and run them.
Template solution
Alternatively, you can consider the template instead of choosing a custom approach. As mentioned earlier, you have to shape your ideas and plan the structure of your future platform. You may find that the main aspects are embodied in existing platforms. In such cases, all you need to do is find one and make some changes.
Obviously, there are plenty of off-the-shelf products that offer at least a basic platform that can be customized or upgraded according to customer needs. In addition, there are website builders like WordPress that anyone can create their own site or web app. Nevertheless, this approach is clearly less customizable than the custom approach.
Templates are partly similar to widgets and plugins. That is, it can exist in the form of pre-built components that provide a single function. [1].. They are facilitating elements that can function independently of each other. Templates can also exist in the form of a simplified structure that can be slightly modified or rebuilt according to your requirements. As a result, users can combine different templates into one system without fear of interfering with each other.
However, the use of templates is still limited. In most cases, the changes you can make are not essential changes. In fact, a template is created as an already functioning component with a specific function or function. Therefore, you need to find a specific template that corresponds to the task you need. In other words, you can’t reshape it the way you want.
This is the flip side of using a template. On the one hand, they allow customization and provide a variety of features. At the same time, they are already complete and cannot be changed significantly. Therefore, most changes are superficial rather than functional.
When to choose: Templates and custom
In fact, this is not a simple question. It’s no exaggeration to say that each approach is a great choice, but the end result is defined by the developer and not the approach of choice. However, when talking about choosing one of these solutions, you can characterize the conditions for which it is better to choose each one.
Templates, for example, are a great solution if you have limited resources such as money or time. They obviously simplify the development process. In addition, it can be used for sudden changes, such as when the platform is updated regularly or associated with various events. Templates allow you to quickly create alternate pages with various details.
Templates are also great if you need a simple solution to develop a common platform with basic functionality. Obviously cheaper than developing from scratch. In addition, you don’t need advanced development skills to use the template. Frankly, most of them can be used without any programming background. Templates do everything intended on a regular basis, without the need for human involvement. As mentioned earlier, they exist as ready-to-use structures and have the opportunity to make minor “appearance” changes.
You can compare the template with the Lego constructor. There are a variety of pre-built parts that customers can combine in any way they like, but they can also be combined according to some given rules. For example, you can’t change the shape of a part, but you can find the one that works best for you. At the same time, the custom solution is similar to plasticin. There are no restrictions and you can change the form as you like. However, it takes more time and more skill to make a good-looking product.
Obviously, the custom approach is almost 100% customizable. This allows you to implement any feature, but it requires an experienced team and a lot of resources to make it work. It’s difficult to upgrade or change the overall structure, but it’s still possible. Custom solutions are better suited for developing innovative or large-scale products. Also, if no template is available, this is the only solution.
Ultimately, it is not possible to define the conditions for selecting each option. The best possible approach is to form the project first and then make decisions based on the details of the final product. [2]..
reference:
[1] 10 compelling reasons why you need to use templates for e-learning
[2] Custom e-learning or off-the-shelf e-learning: which is better for you?