Macy's Fine Jewelry Mobile Training Modules

Roles: Project Management, UX Research, Design, Instructional Design, Development, Motion Graphics

While working as a consultant under my LLC (Bill Jordan Design, LTD), I was hired by Macy's to create a series of mobile training modules for the Fine Jewelry department.

The goal of these modules was to provide highly engaging interactive experiences that would teach new sales associates about the various Fine Jewelry products available at Macy's -- and how to best communicate with customers about them.

The modules were designed to be used on mobile devices, making it easy for sales associates to access them while on the sales floor.

I acted as a one-person development shop, creating these modules from discovery to delivery.

Here's an overview of what I did:

Led discovery sessions with SMEs to gather content and business goals
Conducted user research with associates and customers on the sales floor
Designed consistent and effective visual language for all modules
Created a custom "Choose your own adventure" workflow that led sales associates through scenario-based interactions with virtual customers, complete with dynamic scoring and situational feedback
Created custom drag & drop and slider interactions
Created custom animations and instructional videos using After Effects
Developed the modules using Angular and PhoneGap

Screenshots of Home/Welcome screens for two of the modules (Diamonds Bridal and Gemstones).

Early iterations of design concepts.

Choose Your Own Adventure

At the heart of each of these modules was a series of interactive scenarios that featured virtual customers. I based them on the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books I loved as a kid. Each scenario involved branching paths that led the sales associate through a series of interactions with the customer. The associate would have to make choices about how to respond to the customer's needs and preferences by following nuanced best practices.

Each choice affected the associate's overall score and the outcome of the interaction. Multiple paths could be taken, leading to different outcomes and feedback each time. There were a variety of factors that could affect the outcome, including the customer's mood, which was affected by the associate's choices. The customer's mood was represented by a dynamic "happiness meter" and influenced the associate's ability to upsell.

Detailed feedback was provided at the end of each interaction, including a breakdown of the associate's choices and how they affected the outcome. This feedback was designed to be actionable and provide a learning opportunity for the associate. If the outcome was below a certain threshold, the associate would be encouraged to try again.

To manage the complexity of these interactions, I created a custom decision tree system that allowed me to easily create and manage the branching paths, scores, outcomes and feedback. This system was designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing for easy updates and additions to the content.

A sample of the decision tree. Click the image to see a full PDF version.

Various screenshots from the application.

Modules in Motion

There were 5 modules in all: Diamonds Bridal, Gemstones, Pearls, Precious Metals and Watches. In addition to the scenario-based interactions, each module featured an instructional video, which I created using Photoshop & After Effects.

Each video began with a comprehensive storyboard that we used to refine the script and plan the animations. I then created the animations in After Effects, using a combination of custom illustrations, stock images and motion graphics. The final videos were integrated into the modules and served as a visual introduction to the content.