In the world of learning technology, innovation is often associated with feature-heavy platforms and flashy interactivity. But throughout my career, I have seen firsthand how unnecessary complexity creates barriers to learning. Platforms that try to do everything often struggle to do anything well.

Our team decided that we would clear a different path. We created Build Capable XCL, a patent-pending tool that simplifies the way learning is delivered, tracked, and analyzed. It is not another LMS, nor is it an authoring tool. XCL is something much simpler and, as a result, far more versatile. It is a tool that transforms any digital content into a trackable experience, launched anywhere and accessed by anyone, without the constraints of a platform.

 

XCL was recently recognized with the Gold Award for Most Innovative New Learning Technologies Product at the Learning Technologies Awards.

“This Gold winner demonstrated how it’s possible to innovate and solve a long-standing industry problem. XCL’s impressive, accessible, and disruptive tool plugs into existing tech stacks to connect any digital learning experience to analytics. It challenges what a platform is, how it works, and how data in learning can be leveraged powerfully.”

– Learning Technologies Awards announcement

 

The award is a testament to our team’s commitment to solving real-world challenges with an elegant solution. More than that, it is validation that innovation can be quiet, focused, and deeply transformative.

 

Reimagining What Learning Technology Should Be

Flashy platforms are built for demos, not real work. Our team knew that organizations should not be stuck with the challenges that exist in a platform-centric learning environment.

• How can organizations reach all learners where they already are, including those outside the organization, away from desks, or without technical access to internal systems?
• How can learning professionals gather rich, actionable data without complex programming, integrations, and manual workarounds?
• Do administrators really have to settle for templated dashboards and reports that aren’t relevant to their work?
• Can an organization scale access to more learners without the per-user costs?
• Can training and performance support efforts be delivered and tracked without such a heavy administrative burden?
• Does there really need to be another login, profile, and account just to access training and support?

After years of attempting to help customers solve these challenges, we decided to build the tool that we needed – simple to use, powerful in function, and seamless in experience.

 

Build Capable XCL is the Solution

Figure 1: Build Capable XCL home page.

 

XCL breaks away from conventional platforms by rejecting the “one big system” model. Turn digital assets such as a SCORM- and xAPI-packaged files, videos, PDFs, websites, chatbots, or AR/VR experiences into trackable Learning Links.

Figure 2: XCL Learning Links can be shared as a hyperlink and QR code. Try it!

 

This Learning Link can be shared anywhere: email, SMS, SharePoint, Slack, Microsoft Teams, websites, or printed on physical products or materials. When someone accesses the link, XCL translates their actions into detailed, structured data, which flows directly into a learning record store (LRS) in real time. No logins. No user accounts. No per-user fees. No platform lock-in. No barriers to access.

 

Building a “Headless” Learning Ecosystem

Traditional learning ecosystems require learners come to a platform, like an LMS or other online classroom. XCL flips that model so learning opportunities are accessible wherever people already are. This headless learning ecosystem means content is no longer tied to a specific platform. Instead, it is portable, branded, accessible, and connected to a centralized data repository.

Taking this approach with XCL allowed us to create several advantages:

• No LMS required. Use it alongside an LMS, or instead of one.
• No user accounts to manage. Learners don’t need logins, but XCL still enables individualized tracking and bookmarking.
• No per-user fees. Every XCL plan supports unlimited users.
• Content-specific data collection. XCL translates content-specific user actions into useful data without requiring developers to build custom wrappers or tracking logic.
• Analytics without complexity. One-click data exports (CSV and JSON) allow administrators to analyze data in any business intelligence technology.
• Powers automation. XCL is the missing data link you need for automation, including AI-powered workflows.

XCL is a tool that supports the way people actually work and learn today.

 

Real-World Results

XCL is already in use across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, public services, aviation, nonprofit, retail, government, and consulting. These organizations have different goals, systems, and constraints, but they all share a need for learning solutions that are flexible, cost-effective, and measurable.

 

Reduced cost of delivery

One nonprofit uses XCL to deliver its national leadership training program without an LMS. This allows them to serve both employees and volunteers using trackable links and QR codes. Their cost for XCL is far less than even the cheapest LMS.

A learning design consultant was paying for an annual enterprise authoring tool license just to use their delivery and tracking functionality. She switched to XCL’s Build plan and reduced her costs dramatically. This also freed her from the limitations of a single authoring tool. She can now use any content format or authoring approach and track it all in XCL.

 

Increased speed to deployment

A research organization uses an XCL Learning Link and QR code to deliver and track a mobile learning app. They were able to include the QR code on printed materials, even while continuing to make updates. The QR code will not need to be changed when they publish new versions, and they will meet their launch deadlines seamlessly.

 

Access to data

A national manufacturer was delivering instructional videos to employees in processing warehouses using direct SharePoint links. This process included requesting that individuals self-report data in a separate form. Now, they deliver a variety of training and performance support content using XCL Learning Links and easily capture rich, individualized.

And a national environmental nonprofit launched a course on a tourism website. XCL allowed them to move beyond basic link tracking to full learning analytics, including individual learner engagement and completion rates.

Each of these examples reflects the same core strength: XCL delivers capability without complexity.

 

“Well, it's official! I'm totally geeking out on XCL right now - very cool to see this in action! We are exploring **** as our new LMS (as I don't think the org is 100% ready for no LMS yet and it has some fantastic AI authoring and interactive live training components) and I was super curious how well the content would export to SCORM and show up outside of their platform. Needless to say, it worked seamlessly [with XCL] - and to my surprise, even pulled in their AI tutor.”

– VP, Talent Development

 

Accessibility Is Not Optional

As a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), I take accessibility seriously. XCL was built from the ground up with accessibility in mind, not as an add-on, but as a fundamental requirement.

From the administrator interface to learner-facing pages, XCL is fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. No exceptions. Every component is designed to support screen readers, keyboard navigation, appropriate contrast ratios, and structured content. We conducted extensive testing, including with native screen reader users, to validate that XCL is not only compliant, but truly usable.

 

“Many tools talk about being accessible but fall short in several areas. That isn't the case with XCL. As a native screen reader user, I had zero problems with registering for, setting up, and using XCL. The process is smooth, and it honestly makes me wonder why we can't have more products like this.”

– Jacob Wood, Accessibility Consultant, Learning Designer, Leadership Developer

 

Data That Drives Decisions

In today’s learning environment, data is no longer a nice-to-have. It is the foundation for improvement, personalization, and proving impact. But traditional systems often make data hard to access, siloed, or dependent on technical staff.

With XCL, we focused on making data usable by everyone.

Administrators can export data instantly in familiar formats. Analysts can bring that data into Power BI, Tableau, Excel, or even AI-powered tools that support natural language queries. There is no need for custom dashboards or proprietary reporting engines.

And because XCL uses xAPI, organizations can track the full learning journey. From first interaction to completion, from performance support to informal learning. The data is rich, flexible, and actionable, transforming the conversation from completion rates to capability development.

 

Not Just New, Necessary

Build Capable XCL is not just another innovation for its own sake. It is a necessary shift in how we think about learning technology. For years, we have tried to fit every experience into a platform, hoping learners will come to us. With XCL, we can meet learners where they are and still deliver the analytics, branding, and structure organizations need.

It gives content creators more freedom. It gives administrators more control. It gives learners easier access. And it gives leadership real visibility into what is working and why.

 

Mathias Vermeulen, an L&D Professional and early XCL adopter, put it best:

“Amidst the AI hype, XCL stands out as one of the best tools of 2024. Simple, effective, and exactly what I need, nothing extra, nothing missing.”

 

That is what good learning technology should feel like.

 

Moving Forward

The recognition from the Learning Technologies Awards is a meaningful milestone, but our work is far from done.

We continue to expand XCL with more delivery formats, deeper analytics, and broader integrations, while keeping it simple, flexible, smart, and accessible.

At Build Capable, we believe learning should not be locked behind platforms or outdated systems. With XCL, it isn’t.

Visit our website to learn more and start your free trial today! Build Capable XCL

 

 

Sarah Mercier

CEO at Build Capable