Safe Lifting Training
A 20-minute safety training playlist for manufacturing employees to upskill proper lifting techniques, prevent injuries, and promote workplace safety.
Tools： Articulate Storyline/Canva/Figma/Photoshop
My Role: Instructional Designer & User Researcher
Time: May/2024 - 4weeks
Background
A mentor recommended the E-learning Challenge from the E-learning Designer Academy, led by Tim Slade, during my networking process. This challenge provides monthly opportunities to gain practical instructional design experience. I chose the safe lifting training topic as it's a common corporate training subject.
Problem
Briggs Engineering is a manufacturer of large metal automotive components. It has witnessed a rise in lower back injuries among shop floor employees, impacting productivity and leading to chronic health issues. Current OSHA safe lifting guidelines posted on the shop floor are ineffective, necessitating an engaging, interactive eLearning course to improve safe lifting practices and reduce injuries.
My Solution
I developed a 20-to 30-minute interactive eLearning playlist to help employees understand the importance of safe lifting and learn how to apply safe lifting techniques in their work environment.
My Design Process
Research
First, I conducted a literature review regarding the safe lifting regulation nationwide and the current situation regarding its importance. Then, we identified the users’ current knowledge level. Meanwhile, we noticed the following safety violations via observation and interviews with SWE.
Bending at the waist and twisting while lifting the product
Lifting loads over the designated weight limit (50 pounds)
Carrying large stacks of product, obstructing vision and resulting in off-center loads
Moving loads without a clear plan to lift and transport products safely and efficiently through the shop
Not consistently using lifting assistance (such as push carts, dollies, pallet jacks, or other devices）
Learning Objectives
After synthesizing insights from the secondary research, along with the interview results, observations, and identified knowledge gaps, we established the following learning objectives.
Understand how improper lifting techniques can lead to bodily injuries.
Identify the "Power Zone" and describe its importance in promoting safe lifting practices.
Apply OSHA’s four stages of safe lifting from assessing the environment to carrying loads using safe practices.
Evaluate when and how to use lifting aids such as push carts and dollies to enhance safety
Design Rationale and Alignment
I selected three key design elements to align with the learning objectives: interactive instructional content, diverse summative and formative assessments with immediate feedback, and gamification. The e-learning playlist includes three modules tailored to the learning objectives, along with a final summative assessment module. The entire course is designed to be completed in 20-30 minutes, making it convenient for employees to fit into their schedules.
I then used the storyboard as a reference to visualize the flow of content, activities, and assessments, which made it easier to see how everything fits together. This approach also helped gather ideas and plan for future iterations.
Learner Testing
Even though there were technically no actual learners in this E-Learning challenge, I still conducted learner testing with two of my mentors. They expressed a strong interest in the visual design and the wide use of gamification elements. Meanwhile, she provides the accessibility suggestions and then I add the subtitle and improve the color contrast for visibility.
Next Step
Once the lesson is completed, an evaluation should be conducted to refine and improve the design. While this E-learning Challenge doesn’t include an evaluation phase, I believe it’s crucial to incorporate both formative and summative evaluations to fully understand the training’s effectiveness if this were a real corporate setting with sufficient resources. Formative assessments can involve one-on-one sessions and small group evaluations to assess the clarity, impact, and feasibility of the course. For summative assessment, implementing the Kirkpatrick Model would offer a comprehensive evaluation, ranging from gauging learner reactions to measuring the long-term impact on organizational outcomes.
Thank you for reading my project!
Short training (20-30min) is preferable for a company setting
Accessibility is crucial
Always follow the style guide to meet the business need
“Great design! The gamification elements are really engaging and look great. To make it more accessible, maybe add subtitles and improve the color contrast.”