Featured Project: The Case of the Leaked Itinerary
This scenario-based project helps remote workers and business travelers identify the risks of data breaches while outside the office.
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Role: Instructional Designer & Visual Developer
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Tools: Articulate Storyline 360, Adobe Creative Suite, AI Image Generation
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Format: Gamified Scenario-Based Learning
The Challenge
Corporate security training is often viewed by employees as a "click-through" compliance chore. However, for a global organization with a high volume of traveling executives, the stakes of a data breach are real and expensive. The goal was to transform dry "InfoSec" protocols into an engaging, immersive experience that improves retention of three critical travel safety behaviors: avoiding unsecured Wi-Fi, preventing visual hacking, and identifying compromised charging ports.
The Solution
I designed a noir-inspired detective mystery that puts the learner in the role of a "Cyber Investigator." By utilizing a narrative-driven branching scenario, the learner must "solve" a security leak by retracing an executive’s steps through a busy airport and hotel.
Key Design Features:
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Active Discovery: Instead of reading bullet points, learners use a "magnifying glass" tool to find security red flags in the environment.
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Just-in-Time Learning: An interactive "Evidence Folder" serves as a persistent resource, providing deeper policy details only when the learner needs them to solve a clue.
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Immediate Feedback: Choices carry narrative weight. A wrong decision results in a loss of evidence.
The Instructional Strategy
This project utilizes Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction, specifically engaging the learner through narrative and stimulating recall of prior knowledge through realistic environmental cues. By using Scenario-Based Learning (SBL), the module moves beyond knowing a policy to recognizing a threat in a high-distraction, real-world context.
Text-Based Storyboard
I began the design phase of this project by creating a text based storyboard. This served as a blueprint to follow during development. I wanted to immerse the user in real world experiences, and have them select the best response. There are correct choices and distractors with feedback to match either choice.
I used an avatar to be a guide throughout the module to help introduce the different scenarios.
The Visuals
This project blends a minimalist noir aesthetic with a strategic blue-scale palette to focus the learner’s eye on critical interactive 'clues.' A central detective avatar serves as an instructional guide, humanizing the technical content and ensuring the user remains engaged and supported throughout the investigation.
Technical Implementations
To bring this vision to life, I utilized Articulate Storyline 360, leveraging advanced triggers and variables to power the Evidence Folder states.
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Custom Interactions: I built a custom 'spotlight' layer for the magnifying glass tool to simulate active investigation.
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Asset Creation: I used a combination of vector illustration and AI-assisted image generation to maintain a consistent noir aesthetic while ensuring a rapid development cycle.
Reflection & Results
This project demonstrates that compliance training doesn't have to be a 'check-the-box' exercise. By shifting from passive content delivery to active problem-solving, we see a significant increase in learner retention.
If I were to expand this project further, I would implement xAPI statements to track which specific 'evidence' learners struggle with most. This data would allow the organization to refine its physical security policies based on real-time learner behavior. Ultimately, 'The Case of the Leaked Itinerary' proves that when we respect the learner’s intelligence with high-quality design, they reward us with higher engagement and better retention.