Gamified Lab Safety Training
This sample project was designed for newly hired chemistry-major lab technicians to practice and learn how to respond appropriately to lab emergencies. After delivering the training, it helped maintain 100% safety compliance, reduced the incident rate by 50%, increased the Lab Safety Test Pass Rate to 90%, and improved learner engagement and satisfaction from 72% to 90%.
Audience: Novice lab technicians
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning Development, and Visual Design
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Vyond, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Canva
Time Spent: 130 hours

Design Approach: ADDIE Model
In my instructional design approach, I follow the ADDIE Model, a structured framework that ensures the creation of effective and engaging learning experiences. This model consists of five phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

Needs Analysis
The Problem
The client, a university lab center, reached out to me to improve their onboarding training for lab technicians who will be conducting experiments in laboratories during the upcoming year. In the previous year, over 35% of lab technicians did not pass the lab safety test, stakeholders believe this leads to potential safety issues and highlights the need for a more effective training program.
Business Goals
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Increase the Lab Safety Test Pass Rates from 65% to 90% through improved training design.
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Enhance compliance and decrease reported lab safety incidents by 50% by the end of the year.
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Improve learner engagement and satisfaction from 72% to 90%, as shown in post-training surveys, by using interactive and engaging formats.
Constraints
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One-hour training
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One-week development time
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No extra budget
Data Collection
To identify key training needs and knowledge gaps, data was collected using the following methods:
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Interviews with SMEs and Lab Technicians: All expressed concerns regarding safety issues, technicians lack knowledge of best practices for handling different lab emergencies.
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Incident Reports Review: Analyzed past accident records and identified Identified that fire incidents are the most common risk area.
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Observations of Lab Practices: Conducted direct observations of lab activities and found that only 55% of technicians adhered to safety protocols, with multiple risky behaviors identified.
Conclusion
After collecting and analyzing the data, I identified the learning goals and needs. I found that these novice chemistry lab technicians have limited or no experience in responding appropriately to emergencies in the lab. Their lack of knowledge and skills in emergency response and protective measures poses a significant risk to both their safety and that of their surroundings. To address this, I helped identify the critical actions they must take while working and when faced with an emergency.
My Solution
I proposed to use the branching scenario-based approach to create story-driven exercises for those novice lab workers. This demo piece included two stories and five scenario-based questions, each of which has two to three options that lead to separate routes depending on what actions the learners take. This approach challenges the learners to make real-world decisions regarding how to take correct reactions in case of emergencies.


Design & Development
After scoping the project, I formalized your proposed training solution into a design document (build form), which outlines the structure of the learning intervention, including a timeline, learning objectives, strategies, assessments, and modalities for how I planned to deliver the training.
I began to process by collaborating with the Subject Matter Expert (SME), the lab safety manager, to identify the common safety rules while doing lab-related projects. Furthermore, I worked with the lab safety manager together to identify the actions that should be taken in a specific situation to protect these novice lab technicians and surrounding co-workers from getting injured or losing their lives.
I proposed scenario-based eLearning to provide real-world context for novice lab technicians to practice responding to cases of emergency and safeguarding co-workers. Based on the information shared by the SME, I created an action map to identify the actions that the learner should perform to complete the goal.

Based on the action map, I created a text-based storyboard that has two stories. Each one includes two to three scenario-based questions, each of which has two to three options. Based on the option the learner chooses, they can learn whether it is a satisfying option and its impact from each option they choose. The storyboard, upon its completion, was sent to stakeholders for review and feedback.

Furthermore, to make the scenario authentic, I used Vyond to design and create animated characters with gestures and facial emotions, and modern labs with contemporary-style props. To better present the story, I also added background music and sound effects for videos.

For the visual mockup, I used Adobe XD to create a slide for each changing scene in my learning experience.I imported gifs created from Vyond into Adobe XD and created custom vector graphics (play icons, pause icons, replay icons, tokens) in Adobe Illustrator. I chose to use light gray, blue, and white as primary color. Then I moved everything into Storyline to refine the details.


Using Articulate Storyline, I developed an interactive prototype to get feedback on functionality and development. This prototype consisted of slides for the title, intro, two scenarios, and outro, and I added triggers, states, animations, videos, and background sounds.
Some of the feedback noted that to reduce the time that learners spent on reading texts. Therefore I chose to use animated video to present each story and used GIFs to present the results of each option, I also added audio narration to help learners understand. As assistance, I still put text on the slides, however, it can only be viewed when you click the "Ask Mark" icon. I also adjusted the color contrast of the question textbox and button and added button hover effects according to some other feedback. There is also a token reward system keeps track of learners' progress and engagement.
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Following the prototype structure, I continued developing other learning modules. We followed the review checklist, completed the three rounds of internal team review (instructional designers), and sent it out to three volunteers (SMEs and learners) outside of the team for testing. I fixed all language issues, broken buttons and non-working audios. In addition, based on the feedback, I adjusted line spacing and video speed to better the learner experience.

Implementation
During the implementation stage, I delivered the instructional interventions to the target audience.
I published the Storyline project as an xAPI (Tin Can) package and uploaded it to the Learning Management System (LMS). I successfully enrolled members from the target audience in the course and notified them that the courses were available. By utilizing xAPI, I enabled advanced tracking of learner interactions beyond traditional SCORM limitations. This setup allowed us to capture real-time data on learner engagement, including time spent on activities, video progress, interaction with simulations, and quiz performance.
As self-paced e-learning courses, students need to complete the modules independently, following the structured learning path. They are required to engage with interactive activities, watch instructional videos, and complete knowledge checks to reinforce their understanding. The also need to complete a survey at the end of the training.

Evaluation
The Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation is a popular approach to evaluating training programs. I used the model to evaluate training programs and instructional design initiatives. It covers four distinct levels of evaluation:
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Level 1: Reaction (how satisfying, engaging, and relevant they find the experience)
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Post-Training survey at the end of the course via LMS (created by TypeForm)
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Participants are asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 5, how relevant they found the training to their jobs, how engaging they found the training, and how satisfied they are with what they learned.
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Level 2: Learning (Did the training program help participants learn the desired knowledge, skills, or attitudes?)
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Summative Assessment at the end of the course (10-question multiple choice assessment measure the cognitive-level knowledge; Role-play activity measure physical skills: participants follow step-by-step procedures under the supervision of an observer while ensuring safety compliance.)
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Level 3: Behavior (Metrics being tracked: incidents report rate, performance review to see their changed in working environment)
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Level 4: Results (Didn't evaluate, time and budge limit)
Results & Takeaways
Evaluation phase gave me some positive information: 1. Post-Training Survey: learner engagement and satisfaction rate increased from 72% to 95%, met the business goal. 2. Lab Safety Test Pass Rate: increased from 65% to 95%, met the business goal, The supervisor reported that 100% of participants correctly followed the safety procedures while conducting experiments, ensuring full compliance with safety standards. 3. Incidents Report: decreased by 78%. Due to the time and budget limits, we didn't evaluate the ROI, level 4, this is an good area we can improve in the future.
To be more specific, participants expressed that the instructional design effectively guides them toward the final result. They particularly appreciated the authenticity of the scenario-based exercises, noting that they help build knowledge unconsciously. Some students even suggested replacing the animated videos and GIFs with AI-generated videos. I share their sentiment and believe that leveraging a text-to-video model like Sora by OpenAI holds great promise for instructional designers in the future!
This project has been instrumental in broadening my understanding of scenario-based learning design while allowing me to refine my skills in video editing and graphic design. I'm excited about the prospect of applying the knowledge and techniques gained from this experience to future projects and endeavors.