FEATURED PROJECT
Cashier Training at Nourish Market
An immersive scenario-based eLearning designed to help newly hired grocery store cashiers navigate a variety of common check out situations successfully in a risk-free environment and develop world class customer service skills.
Responsibilities: Instructional design (action mapping, visual and text-based storyboarding, mockups, prototype, full build), visual design, eLearning development
Features: Gamification, custom animated videos, mentor character
Tools used: Articulate Storyline 360, Vyond, Adobe Illustrator, MindMeister, Figma, Canva, Google Docs
The Problem and Solution
The client is Nourish Market*, a local grocery chain offering wholesome and affordable foods. They pride themselves on providing the same quality products and world class customer service as their luxury grocery chain competitors. In the last year they opened two new locations. Despite this success, their customer retention rate has dropped significantly since. As a small business, they take their reputation and customer loyalty very seriously and reached out to me for help.
With the expansion, leadership was spread thin over several locations and coupled with a short timeline for opening, new customer service team members were given a handbook and just one day of training which mainly consisted of learning the register software. This resulted in cashiers developing poor product handling and bagging habits, not proactively asking questions to identify and address customer needs, and overall, having poor interactions with customers on a regular basis. This ultimately led to many disappointed loyal Nourish Market customers deciding to take their business elsewhere.
I recommended scenario-based eLearning that would allow cashier trainees to navigate common check out challenges in a risk-free environment to build the skills and confidence needed to meet and exceed customer expectations. Trainees will be able to explore realistic and memorable consequences of making common mistakes and learn the best practices for avoiding them on the job in real life.
The client agreed that an eLearning experience is the best fit for training new cashiers at Nourish Market, improving customer satisfaction, and ultimately, maintaining a loyal customer base. They signed off on proceeding with this solution…
*Nourish Market is a fictitious grocery store. This project was designed with a local grocery store chain in mind as a client
Slide 1.5: Badge Intro in Storyline 360 (click to enlarge)
Slide 1.9: Scenario 2 in Storyline 360 (click to enlarge)
My Process
After assessing the client’s pain points, reviewing the current training materials and procedures in place, and analyzing the company’s key performance indicators, I met and consulted with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)* — the customer service team trainer and customer service supervisor. We defined the goal and identified specific tasks that cashiers should be performing during the check-out process that will be included in the scenario-based eLearning solution.
Using that information, I developed an action map that would serve as the foundation for designing this eLearning experience and created a text-based storyboard. From there, I shifted my focus to the visual design elements that would bring this project to life. I used Vyond and Figma to create high-fidelity mock-ups for each slide type. I also used Illustrator and Canva to create additional visual assets used in the project.
I then transformed the mock-ups into a visual storyboard in Figma and later, a prototype in Articulate Storyline 360 that highlighted the interactivity of the eLearning. After the client approved the interactive prototype, it was time to dive into creating the full-length videos in Vyond and fully develop the rest of the project in Articulate Storyline 360.
Once the eLearning was fully developed, I sought feedback from peers and applied several iterations to ensure design consistency, smooth functionality, and high learner engagement.
*For this project, I served as my own SME, drawing from my experience working for Whole Foods Market
Action Map
Using MindMeister, I worked with the SME to develop an action map and define the overall goal: Improve customer satisfaction at check out to increase customer retention by 10% by the end of the year.
From there, we worked backwards to identify behaviors that a successful customer interaction at check-out would include. Through this process, we noted that key behaviors naturally fell into three main categories. The SME then identified the prioritized key actions (bolded below) from each main category that must be performed in order to make the customer’s experience impactful and improve the likelihood of them returning.
Action map in MindMeister (click to enlarge)
The client approved these three categories and key actions for the eLearning solution and from there, I moved forward with creating the text-based storyboard…
Text-Based Storyboard
After completing the action map, I began visualizing the design and flow of the eLearning story and put it to words in a text-based storyboard. I envisioned the story of a newly hired cashier being put on register during their first shift. I then crafted five common scenarios that featured choices and consequences related to the high-priority behaviors outlined in the action map.
To guide the learner, I created a team trainer character, Cleo, who would lead a brief orientation, present resources, and either offer positive or negative feedback at the completion of the eLearning experience. A handbook would also be available for reference throughout, with learners being encouraged to view it at the start but also having the freedom to jump right into the scenarios. I also reinforced gamification by presenting the learner with badges that would be collected for their apron, mimicking a real-world incentive system. When the learner makes the correct choice, they are given a badge that corresponds to one of the high-priority behaviors (example: receiving the Cool Cucumber badge for following best practices and keeping cold items with other cold items in a bagging scenario).
Because of the detail and immersion that I wanted to achieve, I knew that using Vyond to develop videos of each choice and consequence was going to be the best tool to execute that vision. I developed the storyboards with this in mind.
Throughout this process, I consulted the SMEs to ensure the realism and accuracy of each scenario. I made several iterations based on feedback to maintain consistency, flow, and functionality throughout the experience. I also needed to make iterations based on the limitations of the Vyond tool (what I envisioned vs what assets and interactions were available to customize).
Once I got the text-based storyboard approved, it was time to bring the words to life and focus on visual design by building mockups…
Text-based Storyboard in Google Docs (click to enlarge)
Visual Mockups
Using Figma, I created a mood board and style guide for the client, as well as the wireframes and high-fidelity mockups. I incorporated the client’s brand colors and fonts into the project. I also was intentional about choosing assets and an illustration style in Vyond that felt engaging and fun yet maintained a professional tone.
From there, I created simple wireframes to plan how I would format various slide styles including different question types, success and failure feedback, and the intro and outro. This step ended up being extremely important because when developing videos in Vyond, it’s crucial to know where your prompts will be and how you need to set up your scene and animations to accommodate them in advance.
I used Vyond to create quick visuals without animation. Next, using Figma, I created high-fidelity mockups of each slide using screenshots from Vyond. This was such a rewarding step because I was able to start to see my vision come to life and it got me really excited to continue building out the scenes and adding animations in Vyond.
I also created mockups using Canva of the badges that would be earned for each scenario.
After getting my final visual mockups approved, I moved onto building an interactive prototype…
Style guide in Figma (click to enlarge)
Wireframe for Slide 1.6, Scenario 1 in Figma
Final Slide 1.6, Scenario 1 in Storyline 360 (click to enlarge)
Visual Storyboard Intro slides in Figma (click to enlarge)
Visual Storyboard Scenario 1 Question, Success Fail; Scenario 2 Question, Success, Fail; Scenario 3 Question, Success, Fail 1 & 2 slides in Figma (click to enlarge)
Visual Storyboard Scenario 4 Question, Success Fail; Scenario 5 Question 1, Fail, Question 2, Fail, Success; Review and Try Again slides in Figma (click to enlarge)
Interactive Prototype
Next, it was time to take my mockups to the next level by developing an interactive prototype that would allow me to provide a glimpse of how the final product would function, gather feedback, and iterate as needed before diving into developing the full project. The prototype included eight slides: The title and welcome slides, the slides introducing the handbook resource (including the content layers) and badge bar, the Scenario 1 slide, and the correct and incorrect consequences for Scenario 1. This step was the most fun for me because I loved telling the story using the full animating potential of Vyond.
In Vyond, I spent time envisioning each scene from start to finish before diving into development and was intentional about customizing as much as possible throughout the process. I loved that Vyond offered pre-built grocery store and home scenes to serve as a foundation, but I wanted to make thoughtful changes for a truly unique experience without detracting from the feedback delivery. Adding pets, partners, and children into the scene, for example, made the consequences seem more “real life” than only featuring the customer the learner has already met.
I then modified the character’s expressions, orientation, and movement, and added sound effects to match the tone of the scene. This involved developing multiple scenes that would then be transferred as one video on a single slide in Articulate Storyline 360 and being meticulous about timing and transitions between those scenes. It also involved referencing my wireframes and being mindful of where my prompt text boxes would be on the screen in the final product.
When the videos were complete, I focused my attention to working in Storyline. I first uploaded each video to their respective slides, then focused on the design and placement of the prompt boxes, button prompts, badge bar assets, and handbook button and layers. Each button prompt was timed to match the dialogue and included custom states. I incorporated hover states into each button and a disabled state into the “Continue Button” on the handbook slide so that the learner must view the handbook layer before continuing onto the next slide. To illustrate the learner “collecting” a badge on the success slide, I used a combination of an entrance animation and a motion path to send the badge asset to the badge bar at the top of the screen. I also incorporated entrance animations for each prompt and fade transitions in between slides for visual effect.
I also incorporated shapes and assets within Storyline to help tell the story. For example, Vyond had an image for a peach but not a damaged peach. In Storyline, I used a semi-transparent circle and manipulated a hashtag icon to create a “bruise” that matched the illustration style of Vyond and would seamlessly display over the peach in the failure scene.
Once the interactive prototype was approved, I was green lit to continue developing the rest of the project…
Visual Storyboard for Slide 1.5 in Figma (click to enlarge)
Video asset for Slide 1.5 in development in Vyond (click to enlarge)
Interactive prototype for Slide 1.5 in development in Storyline 360 (click to enlarge)
Full Development
After several iterations and thorough review for design consistency and optimal functionality, it was finally time to build out the full project! The final product features 5 scenarios, 70+ scenes designed in Vyond, and transferred to Articulate Storyline 360.
Feature Highlights
Badge bar: I used badges as rewards to gamify the eLearning and as a measure of progress for the learner. As the experience progresses, learners have an opportunity to earn a badge with each scenario. I created colorful themed badges with quirky names like Cool Cucumber and Peachy Keen and presented each badge with feedback to reinforce learning. I used variables and conditions to track badges earned. If the learner misses three, they will need to start over. By incorporating a gamified approach, learners are more likely to see this feedback as motivation to “collect them all”, rather than as failure. At the end of the eLearning, if the learner “passes”, they are praised with a count of badges earned.
Animations: Developing this eLearning in Vyond allows the learner to be immersed in the grocery store environment and invested in their role as a cashier. It piques learner curiosity by providing insight to real-world consequences that wouldn’t be as effective with other forms of eLearning or training (like watching the customer reaction to unpacking their groceries at home). The continuous movement, dialogue, and changing expressions of characters also promotes learner engagement.
Zoom regions: These were intentionally placed throughout the eLearning to guide learner attention and reinforce what was important in the scene. For example, zooming into the item the customer purchased in a success scene followed by a sparkle animation to reinforce that it was in good condition. I also used camera zoom regions to build a custom action (taking a book out of a character’s apron) in Vyond.
Sound effects: Incorporating sound was done with the most intention and restraint. I wanted to conjure emotion, reinforce the tone of a scene, and maintain the learner’s attention without overwhelming them. After experimenting with different iterations of scene types, I settled on incorporating a few key sounds for dramatic effect and focused mainly on using music as an indication of success consistently throughout the eLearning. Cheerful and upbeat music plays after the learner is given feedback while they are receiving their badge on each success slide.
Apron badge bar with badge assets made using Canva and Adobe Illustrator.
Video for Scene 1.4 in development in Vyond (click to enlarge)
Reflections and Takeways
It’s all in the timing. The process of integrating the Vyond timeline with the Storyline timeline took a lot of finessing and I’m so happy with how it turned out. Planning things down to the quarter second was so rewarding in the end because the final project flows seamlessly despite the content and assets coming together from multiple tools.
I had initially used a stopwatch to estimate reading time in order to synchronize automatic prompts with the dialogue in the Storyline timeline but decided against that approach because I remembered that…
Accessibility is crucial. My first ideation of what this eLearning would be relied a lot on setting up an automatic timeline for dialogue and prompts and using drag and drop features to test learner knowledge. Upon reflection and learnign more about accessibility standards in ID, I decided to revise that approach. I wanted to make sure that the learner would have as much time as they needed to read prompts and reflect on feedback, so I decided to make each slide self-paced where the learner would need to select a “Continue button” in order to proceed. Additionally, in the real world, the learner might be taking this eLearning on the sales floor or in a break room where they might get distracted or need to step away for a moment. Making it so that they need to select a button to proceed ensures they won’t miss crucial information.
As for the drag and drop features, I could most likely safely assume that someone working in a grocery store setting would have the full range of motion and fine motor control needed to use a computer mouse or mousepad. Instead, I chose to minimize that risk by utilizing more accessible testing features like simple buttons and drop-down selections to accommodate the broadest audience of learners possible.
Mockups make a difference. When I first began learning about the design and development process of formal ID work, I have to admit I really didn’t see the need for so many different types of mockups. I wondered if wireframes, in particular, would be helpful for my process. After doing everything “by the book” with this project, I have to say that creating initial wireframes before creating high-fidelity mockups ended up saving me a lot of time, energy, and stress! Had I not made those wireframes, I’m not sure I would have realized just how much space I needed to reserve for my prompts when developing my videos in Vyond. It gives me anxiety just thinking about having to redo the videos to adjust for that spacing when developing the prototype and final project!
When you’re developing eLearning using two tools like Vyond and Storyline, it really pays off to take the extra time to think all the details through and know exactly how they will come together ahead of time. I have such a deeper appreciation for mockups and prototypes having done such a large and involved project.
Appreciation for the Instructional Design process as a whole. I was really giddy to take on my first big project from start to finish using formal instructional design principles. Through analyzing pain points and building an action map, creating storyboards, developing the first iterations of mockups and visuals, building interactive prototypes, and finally, the full build, I gained such a new appreciation for the ID process. It takes time, thought, patience, and a keen eye for detail to create engaging and memorable learning experiences.
It’s so rewarding to create a solution to a problem that will help someone not only do their job better, but also feel confident, comfortable, and driven doing so. Though some steps were more challenging and time consuming than others, I had such a great time bringing my vision for this project to life at every stage and it reaffirmed for me that this is the field I belong in.