Repair personnel working in the field have the strongest need for mobile performance support because they perform tasks away from a fixed office or classroom and often require immediate access to information while completing work.
A mobile system can provide troubleshooting procedures, equipment diagrams, checklists, specifications, videos, photographs, diagnostic steps, or searchable technical references directly at the point of need. This allows employees to obtain guidance without returning to an office or relying entirely on memory.
An executive who travels only quarterly has a comparatively limited mobility requirement. Technical support professionals in a regional office and engineers working from a home office generally have stable access to computers and other conventional information systems. Although all could potentially use mobile resources, field repair personnel gain the greatest operational advantage.
Performance support is most valuable when it fits naturally into the employee's workflow. Mobile delivery is therefore particularly appropriate for employees whose work location changes frequently and whose tasks require immediate contextual information. The technology enables learning and support to follow the worker rather than requiring the worker to return to a particular learning environment.
Study Guide Topics: Technology Application; mobile learning; electronic performance support; field workforce; point-of-need learning.