Client
A fictitious university with over 20,000 employees dispersed across four locations and struggling with rising costs linked to disability claims related to mental health.
Responsibilities
I took this project from start to finish, performing all tasks associated with instructional design, including storyboarding, content and scenario writing, prototyping, visual design, authoring and programming, and video development.
Target Audience
Non-instructional staff working in leadership positions at the client’s main campus or any of the three satellite campuses and tasked with managing employee requests for workplace accommodation.
Tools Used
Articulate Storyline 360
Vyond
Miro
Figma
Microsoft PowerPoint
Google Docs
JavaScript
ChatGPT
FEATURING...
Storytelling
Makes content relevant and memorable
Video Animation
Approximately 30 videos enhance engagement and retention
Intrinsic Feedback
Demonstrates the ineffectiveness of poor responses and the value of good ones
Polling
Showcasing other learners' perspectives helps to socially reinforce the learning and drive follow-up discussion
THE PROBLEM
This concept project focuses on the challenge faced by a large university to reduce rising costs linked to disability claims related to mental health issues, for which employees took extended medical leaves. Unlike medical disabilities like illness or injury that activated reasonable workplace accommodation, mental health disabilities were less likely to be reported by employees and accommodated by managers. Determining reasonable accommodation for mental health issues was a complex process that required understanding the nature of mental health, balancing the university’s operational and legal requirements, and navigating diverse perspectives and priorities. While accommodation policy was crucial in helping to keep people on the job or smoothly reintegrate them after a leave, its limited use in mental health matters posed a significant threat to the university's commitment to safety and inclusivity, as well as other legal obligations. Furthermore, employee morale was at an all-time low, owing to the strain on resources from employee absenteeism.
Unlike illness or injury, mental health was less likely to be reported and accommodated.
MY SOLUTION
An analysis of the problem soon revealed many factors at play, requiring further research to determine if the problem was in fact performance-related and treatable with training. Based on my findings, managers struggled to apply workplace accommodation guidelines to mental health issues because by nature these issues varied widely, were ill-defined, and required personalized, not standardized, approaches. Determining reasonable accommodation meant having to wade through a sea of other challenges as well, such as stigma, legal compliance, operational requirements, resource constraints, confidentiality, and effective communication.
​
Rooting some of the problem in a lack of skills and knowledge, I proposed a scenario-based eLearning approach that helps managers to practice making decisions aligned with the university’s workplace accommodation guidelines. Immersing learners in realistic scenarios where they can safely explore different approaches allows them to witness the outcomes of their choices, helping them to foster connections to the underlying principles essential for addressing not only the current problem but also related challenges in the workplace. Follow-up reflection activities encourage them to think critically about their decision-making, while polls showing what others think expand their interpretation of the topic. Socially “proofing” the learning in this way facilitates deeper processing, potentially motivating learners to adjust their thinking about mental health by reversing assumptions and value judgements.
I proposed a scenario-based eLearning approach that helps managers to practice making decisions aligned with the university's workplace accommodation guidelines.
MY PROCESS
Designing training to address the complex issue of reasonable accommodation for mental health in the workplace benefits from a human-centered methodology adept at handling ill-defined problems, integrating diverse perspectives, and adapting to evolving understandings. Unlike the more linear and systematic ADDIE process, the Design Thinking model provides the flexibility needed to tailor solutions to real needs and refine them based on feedback and new insights. This model, consisting of five main stages—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—served as my blueprint, enabling a dynamic and responsive approach to my instructional design process.
I selected my instructional design process for its capacity to handle ill-defined problems, integrate diverse perspectives, and adapt to evolving understandings.
EMPATHIZE
In order to fully understand the problem, I began researching the needs, experiences, and challenges of the people affected by the problem—in this case, employees and their managers. I discovered that stigma, the threat of discrimination, and limited knowledge of accommodation support prevented many employees from seeking accommodation in the first place; when accommodation was requested, the resulting measures failed to provide a tailored approach that was genuinely supportive and practical within the workplace context. For managers, the challenge to balance individual and operational needs was compounded by uncertainty about legal requirements, assumptions about mental health, and poor communication skills.
My analysis focused on the human side of the problem, and not just the problem itself, in order to ensure the eLearning would address real needs.
DEFINE THE PROBLEM
I identified the critical problem of how managers can facilitate a supportive and timely return-to-work process for employees needing mental health accommodations, while ensuring compliance with legal and organizational policies outlined in the workplace accommodation manual. It was clear that managers struggled to accommodate the individual variability characterizing mental health issues and needed to develop the soft skills necessary for expediting effective accommodation solutions.
​
To break down the problem further, I action mapped the specific actions that managers needed to take when determining reasonable accommodation for these employees. This made it easier to diagnose the barriers managers faced in achieving their performance goals.
Laying the problem out in the centre of the map, I mapped out four key actions that managers needed to do, but weren’t doing. These became my performance objectives. Further analysis made clear the following issues managers faced in executing them: (1) interpreting the guidelines as they apply to mental health scenarios, (2) navigating collective agreements and legal requirements, (3) upholding employee privacy and confidentiality, and (4) managing personal beliefs and biases about mental health. For behaviours to change, my learning strategy needed to appeal to emotions, not just the intellect.
Managers were not facilitating a supportive and timely return-to-work process for employees needing mental health accommodations in accordance with legal and organizational policies as outlined in the workplace accommodation manual.
An action map made it easier to diagnose the barriers managers faced in accommodating mental health in the workplace.
Action map developed in Miro
IDEATE
Guided by my action map, the next step was to develop scenarios that targeted the key actions and decisions necessary for improving managers' performance. Using the four key performance goals to outline a high-level plot, I brainstormed various narratives, interweaving the pain points identified on the map. A compelling story emerged about a campus security supervisor who, just days before his employee's return to work, receives their request for a mental health accommodation. Beset with personal misgivings about his employee and assumptions about mental health, the supervisor must negotiate his own biases while dealing with a disagreeable and, at times, obnoxious employee, time limitations, diverging perspectives, and legal and operational requirements. Containing seven interactive scenarios, the story advances along three alternate paths. I used a mind mapping tool to manage its complexity, charting the progression of correct decisions first, followed by the expansion of incorrect pathways, and lastly the integration of instructional content, as both optional help and confirming feedback.
A compelling story unfolded about a campus security supervisor tasked with handling an employee's request for a mental health accommodation under challenging circumstances, borrowed from my action map.
The flowchart created in Miro shows the first series of pathways.
With a story under way, I needed to choose the right medium for presenting it. Drawing from Richard Mayer's research on multimedia learning, I selected narrated animation for its ability to connect with the learner on both a cognitive and visceral level. Dual Coding Theory suggests that combining verbal and visual elements helps people process information more effectively than using one of these elements on its own. Narrated animation synchronizes these elements, creating multiple pathways for information retrieval. Additionally, its ability to capture emotional nuances and bring realistic situations to life would help to ensure the content resonated and stayed with the learner long after the learning was over.
​
Using a video format posed fresh challenges, especially in distinguishing correct from incorrect outcomes. To allow learners the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of their decisions, I didn’t want to tell learners directly whether their answers were right or wrong. I wanted them to learn intrinsically from the outcomes of their actions. By applying Mayer's signaling technique with a subtle colour transition to grayscale, cued by an eerie musical effect, I would be able to give the learner a consistent indicator that the associated outcome was poor. Directing their attention in this way, the signal would help prepare learners to reflect on their decision-making processes as they explored alternate outcomes.
Drawing from Richard Mayer's research on multimedia learning, I selected narrated animation for its ability to connect with the learner on both a cognitive and visceral level.
Intrinsic feedback would allow learners to experience the consequences of their actions.
The colour transitions to grayscale to signal a poor result.
To bring these ideas to life, I moved on to creating a text-based storyboard that meticulously broke down each scenario into scenes for video production. The result was a clear and organized production process that allowed for precise alignment of script, visuals, and sound effects, ultimately enhancing the overall coherence and effectiveness of the videos.
A text-based storyboard allowed for a streamlined video production process.
Weaving the videos with other course elements, I wanted learners to jump directly into the scenarios and avoid instruction upfront on principles they might have some general but incomplete knowledge of. Supported by research on “productive failure," tackling problems before being fully prepared not only helps learners solve the immediate issue but also deepens their understanding of related problems. But with wide variation in learners’ knowledge, providing a means for learners to ask for help would be essential. Borrowing from the first scenario, I designed a virtual mentor from the character, Leslie, the Co-ordinator of Workplace Accommodation, who’s been called away by a family emergency. Aligned with Mayer’s Personalization Principle, our mentor offers just the right amount of guidance upon the learner's request. Additional support via an interactive glossary appears consistently throughout the course for learners to reference industry-specific terms, like “undue hardship” and “reasonable accommodation.” This approach would allow learners to access support as needed and control their own learning experience.
Starting with problem-solving and following it with instructional content would provide risk-free learning opportunities that activate deeper learning and knowledge transfer.
Learner support in the form of a virtual mentor and an interactive glossary would offer in-the-moment assistance upon request.
Scene one introduces Leslie, the workplace accommodation expert, who's been called away from the office due to a family emergency.
Learners discover that Leslie is "just a click away," now working from home.
An interactive glossary provides a reference throughout the course.
With my approach in place, I focused on designing instructional content to follow each scenario, justifying correct responses by explaining why this was the right thing to do. Cognitive Learning Theory emphasizes that learners have limited capacity to process information, making it essential to manage cognitive load. I included only concepts directly related to the problem, aligning with Mayer's Coherence Principle to maintain clarity and relevance.
​
To offset the heavy text, I applied Mayer's Segmenting Principle, breaking the material into smaller chunks and using graphic organizers. Learners could interact with an authentic workplace manual by selecting post-it notes to control the flow of information, encouraging practical application on the job.
In order to manage cognitive load, I excluded extraneous information and broke down text into manageable segments.
Interactive graphics developed in Storyline 360
Next, I developed feedback mechanisms to encourage learner input and peer comparison. I identified three key questions to help learners extract principles from the scenarios and challenge their mental health assumptions. Revisiting the Empathy Stage and action map, I incorporated the most likely learner perspectives. Presenting these as polling results highlighted decision-making trends, offering learners a broader view of the topic. This approach would not only deepen understanding but also encourage behavior change by revealing areas of consensus or divergence.
Witnessing collective agreement or divergence on course concepts through the eLearning's polling feature would help the learner to expand their interpretation of the topic and potentially enhance their motivation to adopt new behaviors.
The second of three questions asking learners to critically reflect on the story.
Built-in feedback is individualized.
Decision-making trends are illustrated using animated visuals.
To ensure consistency and streamline my development process, I got to work crafting a style guide, consisting of colours, fonts, and interactive course elements. Borrowing from the university’s branded colour palette, I selected the main colours, adding lighter hues to differentiate the interactive post-it notes from the gold yellow colour of the manual. I created visited states to prevent learners from selecting the same things twice and a roll over facial expression to invite the learner to “click” on the virtual mentor.
To maintain consistency and efficiency, I developed a style guide that included colours, fonts, and interactive elements.
Style Guide created in Figma.
Iterating directly in my authoring tool allowed me to explore multiple design ideas and produce a few polished screens, which I then used to develop a comprehensive visual storyboard. This approach enabled me to visualize the course's narrative flow and structure, ensuring that each scenario and instructional element was logically organized and engaging. Were this not a concept project, the storyboard would serve as a valuable tool to help stakeholders understand and approve my proposed designs. As a jumping off point, it provided a clear and structured roadmap for adding functionality and media in the next development stage.
I created a visual storyboard to visualize the course's narrative flow and structure.
PROTOTYPE
Developing high-fidelity prototypes was essential to assess interactivity and usability. Through iterative testing and peer feedback, I gained key insights on managing cognitive load and improving learner pacing, which, in a "real" project, would help to avoid costly changes and delays later in development.
​
By reapplying Mayer's Segmenting Principle, I reduced the text on each slide, added more graphics to clarify relationships, and removed extraneous content to enhance learning. I also introduced navigational features that would allow learners to control pacing and video playback, aligning with Mayer's principles to support personalized learning.
Iterative testing and feedback enabled further enhancements to prototypes, giving learners control over video playback and pacing.
Segmented content helps to manage cognitive load.
TEST
In the Test stage, my primary goal was to develop fully functional prototypes and continuously improve them through user testing and feedback. I started with video production, quickly mastering Vyond to create nearly 30 videos, then imported them into Articulate Storyline, adding closed captions for accessibility.
​
Next, I turned my attention to building out the remaining scenario challenges and reflection activities. This involved adding all the necessary content and media while customizing numerous variables to track learner input and choices. To visually indicate learner progress, I designed a star-based progression system: stars turn yellow for correct first-attempt completions and are outlined in yellow for completion on subsequent attempts. This visual progress tracker would allow for a final score tally on the last slide, conditionally granting access to a Certificate of Completion.
Focused on iterating fully functional prototypes, I produced nearly 30 videos in Vyond, importing them into Articulate Storyline, and adding closed captions to ensure accessibility.
I used variables to design a progress tracker that kept a record of both the learner's place within the course and their score.
Progress Tracker shows two correct answers out of seven completed challenges.
Access to a Certificate of Completion is denied if a learner scores less than 5.
As the certificate would include the learner's name and date of completion, I needed to generate a dynamic PDF file that could be downloaded. I used my eLearning authoring tool to capture the learner's name, added the JavaScript that would generate the certificate, and finally modified the published output folder. Testing its functionality through a prototype developed exclusively for the certificate feature allowed for ample tweaking and visual alignment. After a few attempts, I was happy with the result.
I captured the learner's name and date of completion in a downloadable certificate, generated through JavaScript.
Building a prototype of the downloadable certificate expedited testing and tweaking.
A Certificate of Completion is personalized with the learner's name and date.
Refining the course's interactivity focused on enhancing learner control and pacing. I added a visited state with a checkmark to track multiple choice selections and used facial expressions and star animations to indicate correct answers and first-attempt success. I extended this to interactive post-it notes in the manual to prevent repeated selections and included a reset feature with validation to avoid accidental restarts. Extensive testing ensured a smooth, user-friendly experience, with the course ready for effective deployment.
Adding a visited state with a checkmark ensured learners would easily identify previously viewed content.
Checkmarks indicate the options already visited.
Learners receive validation of choosing correctly through a changed facial expression, as well as a stars animation for a correct choice on a first attempt.
A checkmark shows that one of the tips has already been viewed.
A restart validation screen ensures learners don't accidentally restart.
RESULTS
The scenario-driven learning approach used in "The Accommodation Request" eLearning module has drawn a great deal of positive feedback from testers and reviewers. Embedding the subject matter in an authentic and credible setting allowed them to easily relate the instructional content to real life, enhancing the learning's relevance and applicability. By experiencing the decisions and consequences faced by a campus security supervisor dealing with a mental health accommodation request, they felt that learners would better visualize and internalize how to use these insights in their own roles. The learning would "stick" better, transferring to the job more easily because recalling information from a real-world context is easier than remembering abstract facts and concepts.
​
To achieve long-term behavioral change, especially when addressing underlying biases, a blended learning approach is essential. ​This eLearning project offers practical experience with accommodation guidelines and sets the stage for further learning. Follow-up discussions, in-person or virtual, on key concepts and personal applications would help address biases and reinforce learning. Spacing out mini-scenarios over several weeks would also support ongoing learning and dialogue.
​
​
Reviewers' remarks were positive, highlighting the relatability and relevance of the story and the ability to learn more deeply and efficiently from mistakes in a risk-free environment.
TAKEAWAYS
Taking this project from start to finish, I experienced a number of my own "aha!" moments, from my research of the content itself to my role in video production. However, my biggest takeaway came from using AI to assist me in generating ideas and summarizing content. Through plenty of trial and error, I was able to effectively prompt AI to create a first draft of the story, develop a script, and generate decision points with distractor options. Without access to a SME, I found ChatGPT to be a game changer. It was like having another person to brainstorm with. And it was fast!
​
AI also enabled the eLearning's text-to-speech audio, reducing the time and costs associated with hiring voice actors. It provided consistent quality across all outputs and made managing script changes easier, avoiding the challenges that would have been difficult to overcome with voice actors over the length of the project. However, what AI gains in efficiency, it lacks in the depth of emotional expression and the subtlety of human interaction, a tradeoff not to be taken lightly in eLearning.
​
Moving forward, I hope to explore this technology further for its capacity to enhance the learning experience while facilitating the instructional design process. Apart from its notable limitations, like content errors and biases, it has the potential to personalize learning pathways, offer real-time feedback, and streamline content creation, making learning more adaptive and tailored to the individual learner.​​