Data Platform Training Tutorials

Currently I’m implementing a comprehensive training solution on a data entry and analysis process for retail planners at a Fortune 500 CPG company. I applied a modified ADDIE process for this project. I began with a planning and initiation phase, then moved into user and task analysis, design, development, and now implementation and evaluation.

In the end, I created a series of short tutorial videos with Camtasia, then embedded the videos in an interactive Articulate Rise module. The Rise module is designed to allow more experienced planners the freedom to quickly jump to whichever section they need in the moment and to give new hires a comprehensive introduction to the process. Below I summarize the components, provide modified sample images and describe my process and learning design considerations.

The challenge

The data analytics team at a Fortune 500 CPG company had introduced a new process for entering and accessing sales calls. They wanted my help developing a training solution that would reduce the time they had to spend assisting planners each month, and they hoped to encourage planners to engage more deeply with the data analytics platform in order to work towards improving business metrics.

My solution

I employed a modified ADDIE approach for this project. I launched the project with a planning phase, by meeting with my client to establish the overarching goals, timeline, budget, communication process, and additional stakeholders for the project. I then began the analysis phase, working closely with an SME and retail planners to assess current performance, analyze required tasks, define training objectives, and outline criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a training solution using Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation as a guide.

Based on my analysis, I determined that a video tutorial series would be the most effective learning solution. I then created a design document for sign off by my client. To achieve the learning objectives of the project, I proposed building out a module in Articulate Rise, which would house short tutorial videos developed in Camtasia, text and visual overviews of each step of the process, a glossary of terms used in the call entry process platforms, and answers to FAQs and tips for troubleshooting common issues to address procedural concerns as well as the broader questions planners raised about the process. Rise courses are interactive and responsive, allowing learners to quickly navigate to the sections they need on any device.

I then began the development phase. I drafted scripts for each tutorial video as well as drafts of all other project assets for review by the SME. After incorporating the SME’s feedback, I recorded and edited the tutorial visuals using Camtasia and created static assets using Snagit and Microsoft PowerPoint. After another round of review with the SME, I tested the learning resources with a sample of retail planners. These tests provided valuable feedback on the user experience of the Rise module, leading me to make several changes to navigation instructions and other areas within the module. Next, I published a SCORM compliant final version of the module for upload to the client’s LMS.

I am currently carrying out the implementation and evaluation phase of the project. Because I established clear evaluation criteria at the beginning of the project, I know exactly which measures to monitor to assess effectiveness, and will look for opportunities to refine the module - and future modules for different audiences at the company - further.

Design considerations

In developing the learning resources for this project I kept three key principles front and center:

1. I wanted to reduce cognitive load by chunking the information into easily digestible mini-resources;

2. I wanted to provide learners with the freedom to engage with the learning materials in any order they desired and to be able to easily seek out exactly what they wanted to engage with;

3. and I wanted to incorporate visual elements wherever possible to encode the information via multiple modalities and delight users (I believe this is possible even when learning about something as seemingly mundane as entering sales calls!).

   Based on my task analysis and interviews with planners, I decided to provide a visual representation of the overall process at the beginning of the module and documentation within the company’s Power BI platform, then chunk the core tutorial into three videos and provide a corresponding tab within the Rise module for each step. Learners may move through the module sequentially, or jump to the section that is most relevant for them at a given moment. To provide a coherent and delightful visual experience across the project, I used illustrations from undraw.co and my client’s brand colors throughout.