"Engagement comes from relevance"
Interview with Maria Starling / iSpring
As organizations face increasing pressure to justify investments, the focus on measurable learning impact and strategic value is sharper than ever — this interview explores how to connect learning initiatives with real business outcomes.
In economically challenging times, training budgets are often scrutinized. How can organizations measure the impact of learning and determine whether the ROI truly adds up?
The honest answer is that most can't yet prove ROI with hard data - only 11% can. The difference isn't better tools. It's asking one question before building: what should change, in whose behavior, measured against what baseline? Partner with Finance early: they help validate the business impact, while L&D provides the learning context.
Efficiency and sustainability are key to achieving ROI. Creating learning content should not become a bottleneck, and training must drive real engagement and retention. What is your approach to balancing speed, quality, and long-term learning impact?
Speed and quality aren't a trade-off if the tool removes friction. We build on a near-zero learning curve, so teams create in PowerPoint and ship fast. But engagement comes from relevance: content tied to a real performance gap. Fast to make, easy to update, worth the learner's time.
From your perspective, what defines an ideal learning environment today - in terms of format, technology, and learner experience?
An ideal environment is seamless. No interface to learn, no friction - learning meets people where they already are: mobile, in the flow of work, in bite-sized pieces. The format follows the task, technology stays out of the way, and the experience feels human.
iSpring is…
iSpring is where ease meets impact: an authoring toolkit and LMS built so any team can create engaging learning with a near-zero learning curve and connect it to real outcomes.