IDOL Academy Volunteer Client Case Study

Case Study: The Game of Success

Designing Game-Based Learning for Nonprofit Client Education

Project Overview

Organization: Mothers Helping Mothers
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Project Type: Interactive eLearning Course Development
Duration: 20 Minutes
Role: Volunteer Instructional Design Intern
Deliverable: "The Game of Success" - A gamified eLearning course for the CARES program

The Challenge

Mothers Helping Mothers, a nonprofit organization in Sarasota, needed an effective way to educate young women (ages 16-25) about their new CARES program. The organization faced several challenges:

• Complex program information that needed to be communicated clearly to a young audience

• Limited engagement with traditional training materials

• Need for scalability to reach clients without requiring one-on-one orientation sessions

• Diverse learning needs among a vulnerable population of young mothers

The organization required a solution that would not only inform but also engage and motivate their target audience to enroll in and complete the CARES program.

The Process

Phase 1: Discovery & Needs Analysis

Initial Meet and Greet

• Conducted stakeholder interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

• Established working relationships and communication protocols

• Identified key stakeholders and their roles in the project

Training Needs Assessment

• Developed a detailed learner persona based on demographic and psychographic data

• Created an interactive online client survey to gather firsthand insights

• Analyzed existing program documentation and client feedback

Key Findings:

• Target audience: Young women aged 16-25

• Learning preference: Interactive, visually engaging content

• Pain point: Confusion about program steps and requirements

• Motivation factor: Clear path to success and goal achievement

Phase 2: Problem Definition & Stakeholder Alignment

Kick-Off Meeting

• Presented comprehensive findings from needs assessment

• Facilitated collaborative discussion with SMEs to prioritize needs

• Led stakeholder alignment on project scope and objectives

Outcome: The team collectively determined that an interactive eLearning course explaining the CARES program was the primary need, rather than traditional training materials or in-person orientations.

Phase 3: Design 

Content Gathering

• Received CARES program policies, documentation, and publicity materials from primary SME

• Analyzed content for learning objectives and key concepts

• Identified the six critical steps in the CARES program journey

Instructional Strategy Development

• Proposed "The Game of Success" - a game-based learning approach

• Rationale: Game mechanics would increase engagement and motivation for the young target audience

• Client enthusiastically approved concept and requested addition of shopping element

Design Documentation

• Created comprehensive design document outlining:

  • Learning objectives for each module

  • Game mechanics and progression

  • Assessment strategy

  • Technical specifications

• Developed detailed storyboard mapping the learner journey

Phase 4: Development

Course Structure: The final design featured a 6-stop game board, with each stop representing a critical step in the CARES program. Highlights of the course include:

Shopping Mall Scenario - Goal Setting Module

1. • 6 different shops representing different areas:

     1. 1. Education

        2. Employment

        3. Finances

        4. Health

        5. Housing

        6. Parenting

Interactive Elements Throughout Course:

1. • AI-Generated Video Content - Providing engaging visual narratives

   • Voiceover  Dialog- Featuring agency personnel and ElevenLabs AI voices

   • Flip Cards - Revealing key information interactively

   • Drag-and-Drop Activities - Reinforcing learning through kinesthetic interaction

   • Place-in-Order Interactions - Building understanding of sequential processes

   • Gameboard Animations - Providing progress feedback and motivation after each completed stop

Tool Selection:

• Storyline 360 - Primary authoring tool for course development

• AI Video Generation (Hedra) - For scalable, professional video content

• ElevenLabs - For high-quality voiceover narration

• Custom Graphics & Animations (Adobe Creative Cloud) - To create an engaging, cohesive visual experience

Quality Assurance:

• Iterative review cycles with SMEs

• User testing with representative learners

• Technical testing across devices and browsers

• Peer review and feedback

• IDOL Academy review with learning badges

Phase 5: Implementation

• Automated notification system informing both learner and agency of course completion

• Direct enrollment link provided at course conclusion

• Seamless transition from learning to program participation

• Option for revised iteraction within 4 weeks of implementation

"The Game of Success" is a fully interactive, gamified eLearning course that transforms the CARES program orientation into an engaging learning experience.

Key Features:

• 6-stop game board progression that mirrors the actual program journey

• Shopping mall scenario that makes goal-setting concrete and relatable

• Multiple interaction types (flip cards, drag-and-drop, sequencing) maintaining engagement

• Rich multimedia content including AI-generated video and professional voiceover

• Progress animations providing immediate feedback and motivation

• Automated completion tracking streamlining enrollment process

Instructional Design Principles Applied:

• Scenario-Based Learning - Real-world shopping context for abstract goal-setting concepts

• Gamification - Game board, progress tracking, and achievement elements

• Microlearning - Content chunked into 6 manageable modules

• Multimedia Learning - Integrated video, audio, text, and interactive elements

• Active Learning - Multiple interaction types requiring learner engagement

• Immediate Feedback - Animations and progress indicators after each section

Phase 6: Evaluation

Engagement Metrics:

• Pending

Business Impact:

• Scalable onboarding solution reducing staff time for individual orientations

• Consistent program messaging across all new clients

• Increased enrollment conversion from awareness to participation

• Enhanced professional image for the organization

• The potential to create a Spanish and Creole version for different members of the local community

Client Feedback: Pending

Key Takeaways & Skills Demonstrated

Instructional Design Competencies:

• Comprehensive needs assessment and analysis

• Learner persona development

• Stakeholder management and facilitation

• Learning objectives development

• Instructional strategy selection

• Storyboarding and design documentation

• Game-based learning design

• Assessment design

Professional Skills:

• Client communication and presentation

• Collaborative problem-solving

• Project management

• Iterative design process

• User-centered design thinking

Lessons Learned

1. The power of stakeholder collaboration - Involving SMEs in the problem definition phase ensured buy-in and resulted in a solution that truly met organizational needs
   
   

2. Audience-appropriate design matters - Choosing game-based learning for a young audience significantly increased engagement potential compared to traditional approaches
   
   

3. Flexibility in design - Being open to client suggestions (like adding the shopping element) led to a stronger final product that better connected with learners
   
   

4. Technology as enabler - Leveraging AI for video and voiceover content allowed for professional-quality deliverables within nonprofit budget constraints
   
   

Portfolio Artifacts

This case study includes the following supporting materials:

• Learner persona document

• Design document excerpt

• Storyboard samples

• Course screenshots/demo video

Conclusion

"The Game of Success" demonstrates how thoughtful instructional design can transform compliance-oriented content into an engaging learning experience. By combining thorough needs analysis, appropriate instructional strategies, and innovative use of technology, this project successfully addressed Mothers Helping Mothers' training needs while creating a scalable, sustainable solution for client education.

The project exemplifies the instructional design process from initial needs assessment through final implementation, showcasing both technical proficiency and strategic thinking in creating learner-centered solutions for real-world organizational challenges.