Email Safety and Phishing

This eLearning experience was designed for employees of a fictitious car insurance company, including customer-facing, administrative, and support roles, to help them identify potential threats related to email phishing and improve overall email safety practices.

• Audience: Employees of a car insurance company (customer-facing, administrative, and support roles).
• Responsibilities: Instructional design, needs analysis, action mapping, storyboarding, visual design, and eLearning development.
• Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Adobe Express, MindMeister, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Google Docs.

The Problem

The client is a fictional car insurance company with around 2,000 employees. They've been using a mandatory 40-minute eLearning course to train staff on email safety and phishing, but it hasn't been very effective. The course is mostly text and images, followed by a quiz, and employees find it boring and easy to tune out. Because of that, important information isn't sticking, and many people still aren't sure how to spot or respond to phishing attempts leaving the company at risk.

After analyzing the course's performance and reviewing user feedback and quiz data, I realized the problem wasn’t just the content, it was the delivery. The passive format failed to capture attention or promote meaningful engagement.

To solve this problem, the company is looking for a fresh, more engaging approach to training. They want an eLearning experience that feels relevant and interactive, something that captures attention and helps employees actually remember what they've learned. The goal is to boost awareness and build real confidence around email safety so that staff can recognize and avoid phishing scams before they become a threat.

Proposed Solution

I proposed an interactive eLearning experience designed to actively engage employees with hands-on, practical training. Instead of relying on static content, this solution uses interactive slides that present common phishing tactics, allowing learners to explore examples of suspicious emails in a safe, guided environment.

The design breaks down complex cybersecurity concepts into short, focused modules that are easy to digest. Each module includes interactive elements to maintain engagement, reinforce key points, and help employees build lasting skills in recognizing and responding to phishing threats.

Process

After identifying the client's main challenges with their current training, I worked closely with a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to define clear, targeted learning goals. From there, I created an action map to visually outline the key decisions learners would make throughout the course. This helped guide the instructional flow. I then developed a detailed text-based storyboard and designed mockups in Adobe XD, making sure everything aligned with the learning objectives. This phase wrapped up with a comprehensive visual storyboard, which I submitted for client review and approval.

While waiting for feedback, I began building a working prototype in Articulate Storyline 360. Once the client provided their comments and suggestions, I revised the prototype and finalized the course, ensuring all requested updates were included.

Action Map

To develop the Action Map, I collaborated with the organization's IT manager, who served as the Subject Matter Expert (SME), to define the overall learning goal. Together, we pinpointed the areas where employees most often struggled with recognizing and handling email threats. Based on those insights, I proposed that the eLearning experience focus on four key topics: understanding the basics of email threats, identifying phishing attempts, following best practices for email security, and knowing how to respond effectively to phishing.

Text-Based Storyboard

Once the action map was approved, I worked closely with the SME to develop a detailed, text-based storyboard that mapped out the structure and flow of the course. The goal was to introduce key concepts around phishing and email threats in a way that felt clear, engaging, and easy to follow.

To help reinforce learning, each section includes quick review questions with immediate feedback, giving learners the chance to retry if they miss an answer. The course includes real-life examples of phishing attempts that employees might actually encounter in their day-to-day work, helping them connect the content to practical situations. This approach supports retention while also making the training more relevant and applicable. To progress through the course, learners must actively engage with the content. At the end, there's a final quiz that covers all the material. If learners don't pass on the first try, they can retake it, giving them another opportunity to succeed. Once passed, they receive a certificate, reinforcing their achievement and recognizing their new skills.

Visual Mockups

I created visual mock-ups in Adobe XD, starting with the design of a background that aligned with the course's theme. To achieve a cohesive and visually appealing look, I combined a relevant image with a complementary background color, creating a clean, modern foundation for the course layout.

Once the background was in place, I explored different color schemes and refined the alignment of visual elements, paying close attention to spacing, contrast, and overall balance. I made careful adjustments to ensure everything worked together seamlessly.

Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with the client—sharing drafts, gathering feedback, and making revisions until they were fully satisfied with the color palette, button placement, and overall design. This iterative approach helped ensure the final layout not only met the client's expectations but also supported a smooth and engaging user experience.

Visual Storyboard

After finalizing the visual design and receiving the client's approval, I combined the text-based storyboard with the visual layout, incorporating triggers, actions, and programming notes to create a complete and detailed visual storyboard.

Interactive Prototype

I developed an interactive prototype in Articulate Storyline 360 to test the course functionality and give the client a chance to provide feedback before moving into full development. The prototype included several interactive slides featuring key content, knowledge checks, a drag-and-drop activity, an email simulation, a quiz, and a score summary screen. I shared it with both the client and the SME for review.

To ensure the design was clear and effective for all learners, I also tested the prototype with a small group of users who had limited knowledge of phishing. Their feedback offered valuable insights from a fresh perspective.

Based on the input I received, I made improvements such as refining the prompt text, especially where instructions were needed to complete an activity, and improving the usability of slides that involved tab interactions.

Full Development

Once the visual design was finalized and feedback from the prototype was applied, I moved into full development in Articulate Storyline 360. With the core design elements and interaction framework already in place, the development process was smooth and efficient.

I built out the rest of the course by adding additional content slides, interactive activities, and the final quiz with score feedback. I used features like states, layers, variables, and triggers to make the course feel more dynamic and engaging. Each element was designed to support the learning objectives and keep users actively involved throughout the experience.

Takeaways

This project was a valuable opportunity to grow and strengthen my instructional design skills. I learned to work more confidently with tools like Adobe XD and Articulate Storyline 360, applying what I learned through hands-on development and continuous iteration. Each round of revisions helped me refine both the content and the overall learning experience.

Throughout the process, I became more detail-oriented, paying close attention to the visual and functional elements that enhance learner engagement. I also improved my ability to receive and apply feedback thoughtfully, using it to make meaningful improvements. Overall, this project helped me deepen my skills and gain a stronger understanding of how to design clear, effective, and interactive eLearning content.