Color Consultant Paint Sheen Guidance
Scenario Based eLearning
In this concept project a new color consultant at a paint retailer experiences real world customer interaction scenarios that help improve their ability to navigate product recommendations.
Target Audience: New color consultants at Ben Williams Paint.
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning Development, Action Mapping, Visual Design, Script, Storyboard, and Mockups
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Figma, Adobe Express, MindMeister, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Amazon Simple Storage Service (AWS)
The Problem
The client is a large retail paint company, “Ben Williams”. When their color consultants are onboarded they need to have an understanding of not just paint color, but knowledge of paint product sheens to better serve customers. If the knowledge gap persists it leads to a loss in sales revenue, product returns, bad reviews, and longer customer wait times.
The Solution
I recommended a scenario based eLearning simulation to allow new color consultants to practice their customer interactions and learn about paint sheen guidance. The practice is done through a 1:1 customer interaction scenario that ultimately leads to a final recommendation. The learner experiences real world consequences, in a risk-free learning environment.
I also proposed creating a quick reference job aid that is downloadable from the simulation for review and use in store.
The final component of the solution is additional hands on training to further understand paint sheens and substrates with in-person training.
My Process
After determining the client’s pain point, I created an action map and text based storyboard. I then created visual mockups including a mood board and wireframes. Throughout this process I sought feedback and used an iterative approach to refine the content.
I consulted a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to determine the biggest challenges and what solutions would help change color consultant behavior. Through this behavior change based scenario, color consultants are expected to see an increase in sales by 20%, and a 30% reduction in product returns. The action map ensured that I was designing learning experiences aimed at behavior change rather than solely knowledge based learning.
Text-based Storyboard
I developed a text-based storyboard to act as a blueprint for the final eLearning experience. I wanted to create a real world customer interaction, to showcase the various approaches a new color consultant may take to show different outcomes in a risk-free learning environment. I also included a mentor character and job aid to guide the audience through the experience and provide information on-demand.
Visual Mockups
To initiate the creative design process, I created a mood board for inspiration, designed a style guide for consistency and uniformity, and iterated on wireframes + mockups to solidify the layout for each type of slide.
Interactive Prototype
I planned my slides in Figma and then created an interactive prototype in Articulate Storyline 360 to get feedback on functionality. My prototype included an introduction, question, mentor slide and branching to incorrect consequences. I ran quality assurance checks and solicited feedback to improve the prototype. Project issues included hover state colors not matching consistently on the same object across the project. After multiple iterations, I moved on to the full development.
Full Development
I began full development after assessing the prototype feedback. I added voiceover to make the eLearning more engaging and to allow a more universal design for learners who prefer audio input. While it was suggested to add background music, I did not want to increase the cognitive load of learners who may use the project. At the end of the course, learners are provided a downloadable PDF job aid that summarizes key details from the eLearning experience.
Takeaways
As a former color consultant myself, I enjoyed breaking down the knowledge I have into an eLearning experience for potential future learners. Using a conversational tone and real world scenario helps make the experience more digestible and interactive for learners. This project helped me to understand the importance of mock ups in order to make the final development a much smoother process.