Your learning environment comes with a two identical themes: one in English and one in French. There reason there are two is because you want to present different images to users based on their preferred language.
As an administrator, you are able to modify the theme without any involvement from Dual Code. This includes changing your logo, modifying the colour palette, customizing the navigational menu, changing the layout of the front page and adding a slideshow and/or boxes that can be used for promotional or informational purposes.
Step-by-step Guide
To change the theme:
- Go to Site Administration > Appearance > Themes
- Expand the English (or French) theme depending on which language you want to modify
- Click on the tab for the specific area that you want to modify
Once in the settings, you can click on any tab that you want to modify (e.g. Colours, Fonts, Buttons, etc.) and make your changes. Once you have made the changes, click on "Save changes" button at the bottom of the page.
The related articles below will highlight the top 10 areas of the theme that are customized by our clients and partners.
Proceed with Caution
It's important to understand that while there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to the theme, you may want to minimize change when it comes to the navigation of the site. Dual Code has done usability studies across a number of healthcare organizations, including large and small hospitals, and has come up with a navigational and menu structure that best meets the needs of all healthcare workers. We have also published user guides for administrators, supervisors, learners, and other roles in the system. By changing the navigation, and particularly by removing certain items from the top menu, your users may have a hard time following the user guides and/or training that we provide them. This includes:
- Removing elements from the top menu (or changing their order)
- Moving or hiding blocks
- Changing the default front page
Another important note is that if Dual Code develops a new feature or report, we may make it available to specific user roles via the top menu. For example, a new report designed specifically for supervisors would show up under "My Team". This is done automatically if you use our default menu. If you customize the top menu, it becomes your responsibility to add these elements to it since the software will not automatically update menus or layouts of your site once it has been customized.
Another thing to keep is mind is function over form, particularly if you're using the learning environment for compliance training. Studies show that healthcare workers often go in the learning environment to complete mandatory training that has been assigned to them. That's why by default, the learning environment redirects users to their dashboard as soon as they login, which features the Compliance Overview at the very top. While front pages with slideshows and marketing boxes are visually pleasing to the eye, it forces users to always click or scroll to view which courses they have to complete next, leaving them with a less user-friendly experience.