Basically, a design document is a detailed overview of the course. It is an important part of the instructional design process. It is created at the beginning of a project to ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page. It outlines the business goal, target audience, learning objectives, training recommendations, and the general flow of the course.
Click the image below to view the full design document.
Tools Used
Google Docs
Lessons Learned
Designing the course ahead of time proved invaluable for keeping all stakeholders aligned from the beginning. Creating the design document helped clarify the purpose and scope of the project, which made discussions more focused and prevented misunderstandings later in the process. By outlining the learning objectives, instructional strategy, and overall course flow early on, I was able to ensure that everyone had a shared vision of the final product. This upfront alignment not only streamlined the later stages of storyboarding and development, but also strengthened the quality and cohesion of the entire course.
Highlights
This document contains a strategic overview of learning objectives and desired performance outcomes, a clearly defined instructional strategy aligned to learner needs and business goals. It also has documented decisions around format, modality, and learner navigation, early planning for scenarios, assessments, and engagement opportunities, and a concise roadmap that guided storyboarding and development while maintaining alignment across the project lifecycle.
Deliverables
eLearning Module | Design Document | Storyboard | Job Aid-Types of Kayaks | Job Aid-The Six Steps of the Sales Pitch
Project Details
Purpose
This design document was created to establish a clear instructional vision before development began. Its purpose was to align stakeholders around the business goals, learning objectives, instructional strategy, and overall course flow, ensuring that design decisions were intentional and grounded in measurable outcomes. By defining expectations early, the document provided a shared understanding that guided storyboarding and development while reducing ambiguity and rework.
Process
I began the design document by reviewing the project goals and identifying the core learning objectives that would guide the structure of the course. From there, I mapped the content into a logical sequence, outlining how the learner would progress through the material and what skills or knowledge they would build at each stage. This step allowed me to establish the instructional strategy: determining where to incorporate scenarios, knowledge checks, multimedia, and opportunities for learner engagement.
Once the learning outcomes and instructional flow were defined, I documented the format and modality decisions, including how the content would be delivered, how learners would navigate the module, and what types of interactions would best reinforce the objectives. I also outlined the assessment strategy and drafted early ideas for tone, style, and visual direction. These foundational decisions set the stage for an intentional and cohesive learner experience and provided clarity for all subsequent steps in the development process.
After the instructional structure was finalized, I refined the document to ensure it communicated a clear vision for the course. I reviewed the alignment between objectives, content, and activities, making sure the design supported measurable learning outcomes. By the time it was completed, the design document served as a quick roadmap that informed every stage of storyboarding and development, ensuring that the final module remained consistent with the original goals and constraints.
This design document showcases my ability to think strategically about learning before moving into development. It demonstrates how I align business goals, learner needs, and instructional strategy into a cohesive plan that guides decision-making and reduces rework. The document also reflects my strength in translating complex requirements into a clear, actionable roadmap that supports collaboration and efficient execution across the project lifecycle.
Storyboards
After the design document is created and agreed upon, a storyboard is used to plan the structure, navigation, audio, interactions, etc. for the eLearning course. A storyboard details the look and feel of the course as well as adding in content. This is an important step and becomes a detailed roadmap for course development. The developer will want to get a greenlight from the stakeholders on the fine details and content before investing time and energy into the actual course development.
Click the image to view the full storyboard.
Tools Used
Google Docs
Lessons Learned
I’m naturally the type of thinker who prefers to jump straight into development rather than map out every detail in advance. But through this project, I gained a new appreciation for the power of a well-designed storyboard. It became a shared source of truth that kept the entire team aligned, reduced rework, and ensured that every interaction supported the learning outcomes. This experience reinforced that thoughtful front-end design ultimately accelerates the build.
Highlights
This document contains a slide-by-slide blueprint that translates learning objectives into visual and interactive experiences, a detailed documentation of layouts, characters, on-screen text, and voiceover scripts, clearly defined technical requirements including triggers, layers, object states, and navigation logic, accessibility considerations embedded into the planning process, and a comprehensive guide that supported a smooth and efficient transition into development.
Deliverables
eLearning Module | Design Document | Storyboard | Job Aid-Types of Kayaks | Job Aid-The Six Steps of the Sales Pitch
Project Details
Purpose
The purpose of this storyboard was to translate the instructional strategy defined in the design document into a detailed, development-ready blueprint. It served as the bridge between high-level planning and hands-on development, ensuring that visual design, narrative flow, interactions, and technical functionality were clearly defined before entering Articulate Storyline 360. By documenting these elements upfront, the storyboard reduced ambiguity and supported efficient, aligned course development.
Process
Because I had already created a design document for this project, the storyboard phase centered on transforming those initial decisions into a clear, slide-by-slide blueprint for development. I used the design document’s learning objectives, course flow, and instructional strategy as the foundation, then began mapping out how those ideas would translate visually and interactively inside Articulate Storyline 360. This allowed me to focus on bringing the learner experience to life rather than reworking conceptual elements.
With the overall structure defined, I documented the visual and narrative details for each slide. I described the layouts, backgrounds, characters, and on-screen text, and paired these descriptions with the corresponding voiceover or dialogue. At the same time, I outlined the technical build requirements including triggers, layers, object states, and navigation logic, so the storyboard functioned as a complete guide to how each slide should look, sound, and behave. This ensured that anyone reviewing the storyboard could clearly envision the final course.
Once all slides were drafted, I reviewed the storyboard to confirm alignment with the original design document and to ensure that the pacing, interactions, and visuals supported the course objectives. I also incorporated accessibility considerations, such as reading order and alt-text guidance, to support inclusive design. After refinements were made, the storyboard served as a comprehensive, development-ready plan that made the transition into Articulate Storyline 360 smooth and efficient.
This storyboard showcases my ability to translate instructional strategy into a detailed, development-ready plan that bridges design and build. It demonstrates my strength in visual planning, technical specification, and accessibility-aware design, as well as my ability to anticipate development needs in Articulate Storyline 360 to ensure efficient, aligned course production.
Tools Used
Google Docs, ChatGPT
Lessons Learned
This project highlighted the importance of balancing creativity with instructional rigor. While designing a gamified experience opens the door to rich storytelling and visual flair, I learned how critical it is to keep every element (characters, dialogue, feedback, and game mechanics) anchored to the learning objectives. The more intentional the design, the more effective the gamification becomes.
I also learned the value of planning within technical constraints. The time limit of Vyond’s free version required careful prioritization, forcing me to refine the narrative and streamline interactions without losing instructional depth. In the end, this constraint strengthened the final product, helping me create a highly focused, memorable training experience that delivers meaningful learning in just a few minutes.
Highlights
This document showcases a mission-based storyboard built around a gamified narrative to support skill-based learning, character-driven scenarios that model effective and ineffective sales behaviors, scripted decision points with aligned feedback to reinforce learning objectives, detailed planning for visual and audio elements including transitions and narration timing, documented game mechanics such as points, badges, and progression, and a tightly paced blueprint designed to meet Vyond’s time limitations while maintaining instructional impact.
Deliverables
Project Details
Purpose
The purpose of this storyboard was to design a concise, gamified learning experience that allows sales professionals to practice decision-making in realistic scenarios. It served as a detailed planning tool to align instructional goals, narrative flow, and game mechanics before development began. By mapping out the story, learner choices, feedback, and pacing in advance, the storyboard ensured that the final video would be both engaging and instructionally sound within the constraints of a short, video-based format.
Process
To create the storyboard for Level Up Your Sales Game, I began by defining clear learning objectives centered on practical sales skills such as building rapport, handling objections, and closing deals. From there, I developed the mission-based narrative Sales Quest, using gamification to immerse learners in a dynamic, game-like world. I created a cast of characters to model different learner behaviors and designed Alex (the animated trainer) to guide learners through each challenge. With the narrative framework in place, I outlined three core scenarios that reflected realistic sales situations and mapped how each would unfold.
As I built the storyboard, I scripted every decision point, ensuring each learner choice aligned with the instructional goals. I wrote multiple character responses to reflect both strong and weak sales behaviors and added immediate corrective or reinforcing feedback to support skill development. I also planned the visual and audio direction early, noting transitions, camera moves, spotlights, and timed narration cues to help create a polished, cinematic experience. These details ensured that each moment of the story contributed to learner engagement and supported the overall instructional intent.
Gamification was central to the design, so I incorporated points, badges, and a simple leaderboard to motivate learners as they progressed through the scenarios. I documented each slide in Google Docs, capturing visuals, script, interaction cues, and audio direction to maintain a cohesive flow from start to finish. Because the course needed to fit within Vyond’s 3–4 minute export limit, I revised the storyboard for clarity, pacing, and brevity without compromising the integrity of the learning experience. This allowed the final video to remain tightly focused, instructionally meaningful, and highly engaging.
This storyboard showcases my ability to design engaging, scenario-based learning experiences that blend instructional strategy with narrative and gamification. It demonstrates my skill in aligning learner choices, feedback, and game mechanics to specific performance outcomes, as well as my ability to plan visual and audio elements in advance to support pacing, engagement, and production efficiency within real-world constraints.
