noah noah.

applying gamification to increase sales training engagement

Company

Colonial Life is a USA-based insurance company that offers its customers voluntary group benefits coverage (accident, critical illness, cancer, life, etc.).

Task

Select a role within the department and research ways to make the training more engaging.

Solution

We created a web-based game where learners explore a day-in-the-life of Daryl, the benefits counselor. Throughout the game, learners help Daryl prepare for and complete a 1-on-1 voluntary benefits enrollment session with Ruby, a bakery owner. Learners participate in activities that closely model real-world scenarios with the added challenge of earning points, unlocking levels, and earning the opportunity to buy a sweet treat in the end.

Role: Learning Solutions Developer

Teammate: Jessie Liu, Graphic Designer

Duration: 3 months

Tools: Adobe Captivate, Adobe Illustrator

Identifying the pain points

Research Methodologies

Online surveys (31 participants)
Subject Matter Expert interviews

Research Goals

Identify target audience
Discover what motivates users
Identify level of interest in playing games
Learn more about gamification

Survey Findings

We surveyed and synthesized the feedback from the Sales Training department employees and identified two specific issues with the current training:

😴

training is boring

"Simply keep it fun and engaging... have humor."

🙄

not very realistic

"Incorporate relevant content and role-playing"

📖

text-heavy materials

"I don't have time to read all the materials"

☝🏾💡 Surveyors reported being highly motivated by the idea of winning, competing, and gaining knowledge. 45.5% reported that their game-playing interest level was a 10 out of 10.

🤝

compete

🏆

win

🧠

learn

Selecting a target audience

We reviewed current project requests and narrowed our focus to an area that aligned with our team and department goals. We determined that the benefits counselor role most directly impacted our customers during the open enrollment process, and there was a training gap we could help fill.

Problem

How might we design the benefits counselor training to increase user engagement?

Empathising with benefits counselors

Subject Matter Expert Consultation

We met with a benefits counselor subject matter expert (SME) to gain more information and asked the following questions:

What behaviors need to be taught?
Which experience level would most benefit from this type of training?
What knowledge gaps are we seeking to address?
What resources does our target audience already have access to?

This information helped us establish a user persona, journey map, and learning objectives.

Persona Development & Journey Mapping
We identified the key characters and the possible challenges faced by a benefits counselor in a real enrollment scenario.

Defining user needs and problems

During the design phase, we completed the following:

Developed learning goal and objectives
Identified the most important benefits counselors job responsibilities during an enrolling session
Identify a storyline with a setting, plot, characters, obstacles, timeline, etc.
Select the best gamification elements and mechanics to support the storyline and engage the learne
Determined the final delivery method

We chose to deliver the training as an online module as it was the best way to create a realistic scenario that would produce a repeatable formula for future projects.)

Brainstorming the Sequence and Structure
My teammate and I took to the hallway walls and quickly sketched out a vision for "A Day-In-The-Life of a Benefits Counselor". This included implementing the most essential parts: (1) pre-enrollment and (2) day-of enrollment activities. (All post-enrollment tasks were ultimately scrapped as it made the training too long.)

Applying Gamification Elements and Mechanics

From information gathered from a gamification workshop we attended as a part of our research, we determined that the following elements and mechanics would be the most engaging for our learners.

1/4

(1) points

In the game, learners can correctly complete tasks and answer questions to earn up to 70 points. Points represent measurable evidence of accomplishments.

(2) countdown

Typically, from start to finish, enrollment sessions take about 20 mins. Learners don't have forever to choose the right answer, so they had better choose quickly because time is ticking!

(3) reward

Depending upon how well they did, learners might be able to purchase an apple pie, cookies, or a slice of cake from the bakery.

(4) feedback

Whether your answer is right or wrong, you'll know immediately if you are on the right path or should think again.

(5) questions

Throughout the game, learners are asked questions relevant to the place in the game where they might appear in reality.

(6) penalty

Be careful! Carelessly selecting incorrect items might cost you points.

(7) levels

Learners encounter five levels that accurately reflect what should happen in a successful enrollment session.

Final Design

In this game, we meet Richard "Darryl" Simmons at his home as he prepares to complete an enrollment with the Proof Bakery staff (located in Seattle, Washington) the next day. During the day of enrollment, learners get to observe and participate in an enrollment session with Ruby, Proof Bakery's general manager.

Results

👍

project hits

Overall, learners appreciated the effort and difference in our approach to training.

"I really liked the design of the experience. The short clips of video mixed with interactive questions were much more captivating and interesting than the typical continuous video."

43%
of participants found the training to be extremely relevant to their role

48% found earning points for correct answers to be extremely effective

26% found obtaining a reward when finished to be extremely effective

56% found following a storyline to be extremely effective

56%
of participants were extremely likely to recommend this training to a new benefits counselor

👎

project misses

However, users had strong opinions about the design.

"As an experienced Benefits Counselor, I feel that the points that were brought up were valuable and necessary, but I feel that the presentation was too childish."

"I don’t need someone to read to me from a screen - I can read for myself. Training should be presented in a professional manner and not as a game."

Reflections

🥳 Proud Moments

My teammate and I collaborated so well and trusted each other to make the best decisions based on our respective strengths and current knowledge.
We took risks with the final design and it got a strong, positive reaction from leadership. So now we know what design parameters work best for our audience.

📝 Learning Opportunities

Choose a more "professional" design. The style chosen did not fit the taste of our learners; future design options will be tested to gauge audience suitability earlier in the process.
Document, document, document! Unfortunately, we made a plethora of small tweaks to the storyline and visuals but we failed to capture images and notes. This would have helped our teammates with creating future gamified content (and creating this portfolio)!