Background and Business Need
Based in the Sacramento, CA region, Raley’s is a family owned chain of 126 grocery stores employing approximately 11,500 employees with a corporate mission of nourishing people, communities, and the planet. The supermarket chain was seeking to digitize and transform its manager training processes with an eye toward promoting workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion. Raley’s partnered with KnowledgeWorks Global Learning (KGL) to assess and modernize its existing training on interviewing skills.
Raley’s believes in the importance of helping its existing and recently-hired managers, who are responsible for hiring new employees, to enhance their skills as interviewers. The company’s rationale is that skilled interviewers draw out the best candidates, who will eventually add to the overall business productivity and ensure quality customer service.
The client’s current interviewing skills material existed in the form of a PowerPoint presentation used in classroom trainings. As a result, there was considerable potential to transform the content from the flat presentation into an experiential online course to augment the classroom experience.
The scope of the project for KGL included:
- Identify learning goals and requirements
- Analyze the PPT to create a course structure
- Develop a storyboard
- Create visual design templates and an intuitive user interface
- Incorporate client feedback on an iterative basis
- Use Articulate Storyline 360 to develop audio-driven content with a seat time of approximately 30 minutes
- Ensure a scalable, responsive design with a single online version for Windows Surface Pro
- Deliver the final course to be deployed on the client’s Learning Management System (LMS)
Challenges
Given that the source content was a brief PowerPoint presentation, there were only a few slides of material covering different aspects of the training. To create a comprehensive and effective online learning solution, the main challenge was to write an engaging audio narrative to support the minimal text that would be presented on the screen.
Solution
KGL employed the ADDIE model to develop the online self-paced course:
Analysis
KGL reviewed the source PPT and worked with the client to determine the learning goals and requirements for the content and design.
Design
Using the client’s branding guidelines and color palette, KGL created a mix of static and interactive screen templates and activities to maximize learner engagement.
Static screens are intended to convey basic information in a simple, yet elegant manner.
Interactive screens, such as tabs, present categorical information and encourage active participation.
KGL designed five ethnically ambiguous, templated characters for brief animations distributed throughout the course. Each animation focuses on a key aspect of interviewing, such as conducting a phone screening, asking the right questions, the role of active listening, and avoiding unconscious biases.
The same animation template was used to present a live action video provided by the client.
A variety of interactive assessment templates were used—such as Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs), Multiple-Choice Multiple Select, and Drag and Drop—to help test the learners’ knowledge at different points in the course and provide immediate feedback.
The visually-engaging interface was designed to be easy to navigate, keep learners’ attention, and ensure a pleasant user experience.
Development
Upon approval of the design, templates, characters, and user interface, KGL created a course outline that described the content strategy for each screen. The proposed approach reinforces the learning objectives, allows learners to practice what they see in the course, and promotes collaboration. In the storyboarding phase, the audio/narration, type of template, onscreen text, and images (stock photos) required were finalized.
Implementation
Following the storyboard, all visual elements were created and integrated with the audio clips into the course, followed by a thorough quality check. By design, all screens except the Knowledge Checks are supported by audio.
Evaluation
Once reviewed and approved by Raley’s, the final build of the course was deployed on the client’s LMS.
Solution Highlights
- The online course caters to the target audience by using relevant real-world examples and scenarios
- A restricted navigation style ensures that learners are not able to skip a screen or proceed until the audio has completely played
- A mix of static, interactive, and animated screens keeps learners engaged
- Content disbributed progressively across multiple interactivities avoids cognitive overload
- Descriptive narrations accompanied by minimal text for every screen avoids text overload
- Intermittent Knowledge Checks motivate learners to apply and test what they learn in every section and assess critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
- Storyline 360 maintains compatibility with Windows Surface Pro via an HTML5-based SCORM v1.2 package
Outcomes
Raley’s was delighted with the final course. The attractive design and intuitive user interface added to the overall value and effectiveness of the interactive learning experience. Learners found the examples and scenarios used in the course relatable, which led to improved knowledge retention.
Attesting to the outcome, Saria Milano, Raley’s Learning & Development Manager, said: “Working with the KGLearning team was a great experience from start to finish. The entire team was so positive to work with, full of great ideas and super receptive to my feedback and updates needed for our course. The end result was just what I imagined.”
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