Deep Work Action Plan Builder

This three-part interactive module guides learners in developing a focused action plan for working more deeply and intentionally, based on Cal Newport’s influential research. I developed the module in Articulate Storyline. I also integrated custom JavaScript triggers to enable learners to email their action plan to themselves from within the module, increasing the likelihood that they will take the steps that they outline in their action plan. Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed learning JavaScript in order to increase the interactivity and personalization of learning experiences. This project was the perfect opportunity to use simple JavaScript programming to extend the possibilities of Articulate Storyline.

Part I: Strategies for Deep Work

To introduce users to the basics of Cal Newport’s recommendations for working more deeply, I created an accordian-style interaction using Articulate Storyline 360. This type of interaction requires extreme attention to detail and expert understanding of triggers, variables, and conditions. The result is a visually delightful experience that begins the process of encoding the deep work strategies into users’ memory.
Part II: Self-Assessment

One of the cornerstones of adult learning research is that we learn best through experiences that are relevant to us and our individual contexts. Part II of the module leads learners in a short self-assessment. The learner’s responses - tracked via variables within Storyline - contribute to a hidden, overall score that determines the recommendations offered for next steps in developing a personalized action plan, ensuring that those recommendations are actually relevant for each learner.
Part III: Action Plan Builder

It’s not enough to learn about something - great learning experiences should give learners the tools to actually make changes in their lives and workplaces. The final section of the module walks learners through the process of creating their own personalized deep work action plan. Based on the issues they identified in Part II, they are led through a series of questions that pinpoint specific, actionable next steps. They can then email their action steps directly to themselves from within the module.

Experience the project

The challenge

Success in today’s fast-moving world requires more focus and intentional action than ever. And yet knowledge workers - from marketing managers to software engineers to college professors - report greater difficulty than ever focusing on the tasks that really matter for them, professionally and personally. As a result, many find themselves accomplishing less throughout the work day, and having a harder time disengaging at the end of the work day.

By now, there are countless articles and social media posts about this phenomenon. But none of them prompt readers to take actions toward actually addressing the issue in their own lives.

My solution

I created a three-part learning module in Articulate Storyline to introduce learners to the core strategies shared by Cal Newport in his book Deep Work, then lead them through the first steps toward applying those strategies. Building on research by fellow productivity experts and organizational psychologists, Newport explains why deep work is so important, and offers several strategies to achieve it. Inspired by Cathy Moore’s action mapping approach to learning design, I aimed to develop a learning experience that would allow learners to quickly and intentionally develop a concrete, actionable plan to work more deeply whatever their current habits and contexts. I decided on a three-part structure: first, a concise, engaging interactive overview of five strategies for working more deeply and intentionally, which I synthesized from Newport’s lengthy book; second, a self-assessment which gives learners an opportunity to reflect on their current habits; and finally, a guided action-plan builder based on their self-assessment.

Development process

After developing a storyboard in Google Slides, I built a prototype of the module in Articulate Storyline 360. I then asked a sample of knowledge workers to complete the module and share feedback on their experience. Based on their feedback, I modified the final section of the module - the action builder step - to be even more personalized based on responses to the self-assessment. I also programmed the final slide in the action builder step to allow learners to email their proposed action steps to themselves. Finally, I updated the focus order and alt-text on all sections of the module to ensure accessibility for learners using screen readers.

JavaScript integration

To create an actionable learning experience, I knew that I needed to give learners something to take with them into their daily lives after completing the module. For this project, I wrote the code for emailing learners their action plans in Visual Studio Code, then tested it using JSHint, and finally added the code to the “Email action plan” triggers on the corresponding slides within the Storyline module.