I believe that all instructional designers can attest to the fact that all projects are not created equally. Very rarely does the process of developing a training experience flow smoothly from start to finish. Between pleasing multiple stakeholders, getting buy-in, and working with multiple organizations, forward progress can be hard to achieve. You feel things coming to a grinding halt all the time – everything except your deadline, which remains set in stone. Luckily, I have some tips to share that helped me overcome many of those types of challenges.
My Project
Let me provide a bit of background on the project I will be referencing throughout this post to give context. The request was for an asynchronous learning experience, an eLearning, for police officers to learn about non-confrontational interviewing techniques. Because this project was funded through a grant, there were multiple organizations involved in approval rounds. A government agency was one of the organizations involved, and the vetting process was very complicated and lengthy. Throughout the process of designing and developing, I experienced constant changes in the requirements of the project – an ID’s worst nightmare. On top of the multiple reviewers and complicated development process, there was a lack of buy-in from the target audience.
My Take
My first priority was to overcome a lack of buy-in. I needed to demonstrate the credibility of using non-confrontational interviewing with practical ways to implement it. To do this, I used scenario-based simulations and immersive environments while partnering with subject matter experts (SMEs). I included compelling stories with the aid of my SME’s experience, given in context, to gain buy-in from police officers, showing those learners how to adopt a non-confrontational approach when they interview subjects.
My Tools
After determining my approach, I needed to decide what tools would best support my goals. With the project requirements often changing, I knew I needed a tool that made editing easy.
I chose two tools to use for prototyping: Twine and Articulate 360.
Twine, an open-sourced platform that’s perfect for text-based storytelling. Using Twine, I created branching scenarios that easily allowed my (many) stakeholders and reviewers to experience the flow of the narratives. I shared these narratives early in the process during calls with my stakeholders to gain their perspectives and make necessary updates. Since I chose Twine, it was simple to update the scenarios and options through many rounds of revisions.
![Screenshots of Twine prototype and Articulate Storyline interaction.](https://buildcapable.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Blog-post-1024x731.png)
To create an immersive environment and stay within budget, knowing the potential for many rounds of review, I needed to carefully consider my options when selecting a tool. After some research, I decided to use Storyline’s 360° interactive tool. I developed an online environment where learners explored their surroundings and assessed environmental threats to their safety – just as police officers would do on the job. Not only did this help with buy-in, but I could publish and share a prototype easily in Articulate Review. This allowed my stakeholders to review and weigh-in on these immersive activities, leaving comments for revisions and improvements. I was able to quickly update and iterate, rather than investing a lot of time into a final version only to be shown to my stakeholders at the end of the project. I partnered with them throughout development, thereby minimizing the number of edits at the end of the project.
![Screenshot in Articulate Storyline of interactive image of a kitchen where knives sitting on the counter are selected and indicate that they can be used as a weapon.](https://buildcapable.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-15-at-10.21.01-AM-1024x705.png)
My Take-Aways
The recommendation to prototype early and often is valuable and fairly simple, but I feel often overlooked or not considered at all. Recognize the challenges you’ll be working with early on, whether it’s with the audience, stakeholders, or both. Find ways to create buy-in by showing relevance and credibility with the training you’re creating. Carefully consider the tools you have in your disposal and if they will be well-suited for prototyping your project. By being proactive in soliciting feedback, you just may save yourself from that long exhausting list of revisions that come at the very last minute.