Guiding The Conversation

Some key takeaways from my chat with Amira Rahmanovic from MCWH:

I developed a text-based storyboard to map the learner experience before prototyping. Three branching scenarios, each representing a different student context, were designed to help Peer Health Advocates practise the core behaviours identified during the needs analysis: building trust, responding empathetically within role boundaries, and guiding students to appropriate healthcare services.

The storyboard documented dialogue, learner choices, mentor feedback, and branching logic to ensure alignment between the learning objectives and the final learning experience.

After finalising the storyboard, I designed a simple visual system that keeps the focus on the conversations rather than the interface.

I used plenty of white space, a clear layout and consistent interactions to reduce cognitive load and help learners concentrate on making decisions. The colour palette was inspired by women's health and university wellbeing services, using warm reds and neutral tones to create a sense of trust and safety.

To make the scenarios feel authentic, I placed learners in familiar campus environments with speech bubbles, character illustrations and a mentor that provides guidance when needed. Keeping the interface consistent throughout helps learners focus on practising real conversations instead of figuring out how to use the experience.

With the storyboard finalised, I developed the learning experience in ActivePresenter, translating each scenario into an interactive prototype. Branching conversations, mentor feedback, knowledge checks and practical resources were integrated to create a realistic practice environment where learners could build confidence through decision-making and reflection.

Alongside the interactions, I designed a cohesive visual system, custom illustrations and interface components that reinforced the conversational tone of the experience while maintaining consistency, accessibility and ease of navigation throughout the course.

I applied the Kirkpatrick Model using a backward design approach (Levels 4–1) to ensure each learning objective aligned with the intended impact. Starting with the desired outcomes helped identify the behaviours, knowledge and skills learners needed before designing engaging learning experiences to support them. The methods shown outline how the effectiveness of the program could be evaluated if implemented.

This project challenged me to think differently about designing for learning. Coming from a Service Design background, my instinct is to improve systems and services. Through this project, I learned that instructional and learning design focuses on building people's knowledge, skills and confidence to create meaningful change within those systems.

One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of designing backwards. Rather than starting with content, I began with the behaviours and outcomes I wanted learners to demonstrate, which helped me create more purposeful learning objectives, scenarios and evaluation strategies.

I also gained hands-on experience designing a complete learning experience, from learner analysis and storyboarding to prototyping in ActivePresenter. Creating branching scenarios reinforced how authentic practice and feedback can be more effective than simply presenting information.

While this was a concept project, the research was based on my major project with real research conducted during that time, demonstrating how women's health organisations and students can collaborate effectively. This project showed me how my Service Design skills complement instructional design. User research, empathy, journey mapping and systems thinking provided a strong foundation for understanding learner needs and designing experiences that are both human-centred and outcome-focused.