Hey, I’m Mya!

I Empower Growth Through Purposeful Learning Design.

Featured Work

This is a scenario-based eLearning concept project designed to help managers develop the skills to effectively resolve conflicts within their teams, fostering better communication and collaboration. By equipping managers with practical conflict resolution strategies, the training improves team efficiency, reduces new employee turnover rate, and helps teams meet project deadlines.

Can you Guide your Team to Effective Conflict Resolution?

Audience: Managers who need training handling conflict on a team

Responsibilities: Instructional design, eLearning development, visual design, storyboard, and mockups 

Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Mindmeister, Figma, GIMP, ChatGPT

The Problem

The client, a global consulting firm offering management and technology services to government agencies and corporations, approached me due to a high turnover rate among new hires, which was impacting their ability to meet critical project deadlines. This project focuses on enhancing new employee retention by tackling the lack of managerial support, a key driver of employee attrition.

The Solution

To improve new employee retention, I proposed the creation of an eLearning training program that focuses on enhancing emotional intelligence, active listening, and empathy—key skills for managers to effectively support their teams. By incorporating scenario-based conflict resolution exercises, managers can practice addressing real-world workplace issues and improve their decision-making, helping prevent conflicts from escalating and reducing turnover among new hires.

Action Map

To define the focus of the eLearning simulation, I collaborated with a conflict resolution specialist who served as my subject matter expert throughout the project. I also conducted extensive research to understand the common reasons employees leave new jobs, the mistakes managers often make when addressing conflicts, and what employees need to feel more supported. Using this valuable insight, I created an action map with Mindmeister to guide the development process.

The action map was designed to clarify the key actions managers need to take to better support new hires and reduce employee turnover. By identifying critical steps that managers were overlooking, I was able to create an engaging and realistic eLearning experience that reflected real-world scenarios. After identifying the key actions required to address the high new employee turnover rate, these became the cornerstone of the eLearning experience and guided the development of the text-based storyboard.

Text-based Storyboard

When developing the text-based storyboard, I used the five high-priority actions from the action map as the correct answer choices, while the common mistakes were included as incorrect options. The other actions from the map were integrated into the scenario consequences. This approach, along with input from my SME, helped me determine realistic consequences that managers would face based on their decisions. 

The interactions throughout the experience involve the manager, new hire Daniel, and long-term employee Alexandra, and take place in settings such as a conference room or office. The first scenario presents a disagreement between Daniel and Alexandra during their morning meeting, which escalates to the point where the manager must intervene, ending the meeting early to help them improve communication and empathy. The next two questions explore how the manager can support Daniel in acclimating to the team and how to effectively communicate and contribute ideas to the team.

In all three scenarios, I included an optional mentor character that learners could engage with for additional support. This mentor, a seasoned manager with extensive experience in team management and conflict resolution, was designed to provide guidance whenever learners needed help with a question. By offering this resource, I ensured that learners always had a reliable point of reference to assist them throughout the experience.

Visual Mockups

After receiving approval for the text-based storyboard, I moved into the visual design phase. I began by creating a mood board and style guide, where I defined the font types, color scheme, and text weights for headings and body text. Once the style guide was complete, I used Figma to design visual mockups, helping to bring the project’s look and feel to life. This process allowed me to quickly iterate and integrate feedback before starting development in Articulate Storyline 360. I sourced graphics from Freepik, edited them in GIMP to match the color palette, and then incorporated them into the layouts I designed in Figma.

Interactive Prototype

Next, I created the interactive prototype in Articulate Storyline 360, using the visual mockups, visual storyboard, and text-based storyboard as guides. This allowed me to develop the introduction, along with the three questions and conclusion that made up the eLearning experience.

Creating the prototype allowed me to refine and test the functionality throughout the project. I incorporated subtle "fade-in" animations for the speech bubbles and characters, and I experimented with custom button hover states to enhance the user experience.

After receiving extensive feedback and making several revisions, I refined the layout, animations, and interactions of the project, allowing me to move forward with the full development of the 3-question eLearning experience. Developing the prototype early on was essential. If I had waited to get feedback on the complete project, I would have needed to redo all the animations for all three questions. By obtaining feedback on the introduction and the first two questions upfront, I was able to streamline the development process and make it far more efficient.

Full Development

Fully developing the project took time and it was a slow process, but in the end after getting back all of my feedback on each iteration, I was able to create a highly engaging and enjoyable interactive experience for learners. Some of the standout features I included was a personalized avatar slide and a custom designed messaging platform. These elements not only bring the interactions to life but also add a sense of realism, enhancing the overall experience. As a result, they help reinforce key concepts and improve information retention for the learner.

Results and Takeaways

The eLearning program I developed successfully addressed the company’s high new employee turnover rate by equipping managers with essential conflict resolution skills and improving their ability to support new hires. Through engaging, scenario-based training, managers gained the tools to handle workplace conflicts effectively, fostering a more supportive environment for new employees. As a result, the company saw a significant reduction in turnover, with the rate dropping to just 10% within a year. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of the training in promoting employee retention and creating a more positive workplace culture.

If I were to go through this process all over again, I would involve a broader group of stakeholders, including HR and department managers, to gather diverse perspectives on the challenges they face and ensure the content is even more tailored to their needs. Furthermore, I would include resources or follow-up modules to ensure that the skills learned are reinforced over time, helping managers continue developing their conflict resolution skills long after completing the initial eLearning program.

Key lessons I learned include the importance of constant feedback and iteration to refine both content and functionality. Early prototyping and testing allowed for quick adjustments, saving time and improving the final product. Designing engaging, real-world scenarios was crucial for enhancing user experience and knowledge retention. Additionally, being adaptable to feedback and changes was essential, as initial solutions sometimes needed adjustments based on new insights.