UX Design
As a UX-minded Instructional Designer, I applied user-centered design principles to reimagine how medical professionals within the Veterans Health Administration engaged with online learning. By leveraging research-backed frameworks — including Mayer's Multimedia Learning principles and the ADDIE model — I designed interactive experiences in Articulate Storyline that prioritized learner needs, reduced cognitive load, and measurably improved knowledge retention.
Drawing on game design theory from graduate-level study in Language Learning Video Games, I introduced interaction patterns and feedback loops that transformed passive content into engaging, goal-driven experiences — the same mechanics that make good UX sticky and intuitive. I also led the end-to-end design and development of an internal cybersecurity training initiative, owning the full process from needs analysis through delivery.
My work consistently balanced user goals with organizational constraints — scoping projects to meet quality standards, timelines, and budgets without sacrificing the learner experience.
Interactive Exercises
By implementing interactivity into a course, learners get significantly more engaged and it’s proven to help retain the information for much longer periods of time. In this example, learners use the mouse to move the slider on each prompt towards the answer they believe is correct. In this case they can go back and forth freely but in a testing scenario the answers would be locked in after confirming. Any approach that elevates the experience beyond a boring slideshow and still remains within the bounds of evidence-based instructional design is a plus!
Advanced Organizers
This game-inspired section header clearly lays out the trajectory of the educational course in a fun and creative manner. This is an example of always communicating to the learner exactly how far they are in their progress, with all that’s been learned and what to expect ahead.
Knowledge Checks
Allowing learners to check their own knowledge throughout a course helps solidify that information and smooth its transition from short-term to long-term memory. I designed highly interactive skill checks at several strategic points of each course to make sure learners stay on top of what they are understanding and what needs to be reviewed before a final assessment.