The Briefing Room 

Before thinking about screens, interactions or visual treatment, I worked backwards from the behaviour that needed to change.

Polaris didn’t need its analysts to know more grammar rules for writing. It needed them to produce documents to help busy readers find what they need, understand it and act on it faster.

I connected this performance problem to 3 clear business goals: reduce review cycles, improve first-pass clarity and protect client relationships.

To meet these goals, I used Kathy Moore's "Map It" framework to develop an action map. This process identified key decisions writers need to get right from the start. After brainstorming potential tasks and gathering feedback, I defined 3 high-impact moments: lead with a complete core message, write subheadings that carry the arguments and edit for plain language.

SUMMARISE IT  ·  STRUCTURE IT  ·  SAY IT

Now the learning design had somewhere concrete to go.

With the full experience narrowed to 3 high-leverage decisions, I mapped it out in a text-based storyboard: from the "cold open" to hook learners by having them experience an initial challenge before the scenario formally starts, to decision points, consequences and mentor pro tips.

Each moment reflects common scenarios writers face at work: like jumping straight into a draft without first planning, or writing for themselves rather than considering their reader.

Rather than rely on instruction, I let learners make choices and see the outcome for themselves. They can ask their mentor, Ava, for help at any point, but the story continues regardless of their choice to seek help.

That balance gave the experience an authentic and approachable feel, without sacrificing guidance.

I used Magnific to create characters and locations, then built a reusable custom style, #goldenagecomic, to keep the visual world consistent. In Storyline 360, I brought the pieces together: interactions, character exchanges, document treatments, feedback layers and consequence moments – all built around Jesse’s three workplace decisions.

The goal was simple: make it memorable, but never let the design compete with the learning.

I implemented the prototype as a small-scale pilot with five target learners, giving them the working Storyline experience and observing how they navigated it, interpreted the instructions and responded to each decision.

I also introduced the project progressively to government stakeholders – from early concept to wireframes to the first completed decision – so the experience could be tested in the context it was designed to serve.

This wasn’t a full organisational rollout. It was a controlled pilot: enough real-world exposure to see whether the experience could stand on its own before taking it further.

Testing showed me where the design was helping – and where it was asking learners to do too much. User feedback revealed that the outcome strip carried too many signals at once, so I removed it. I also cut an unnecessary second step from one challenge after watching learners struggle with the added cognitive load.

Those changes pushed the experience away from complex interaction for its own sake and towards focused workplace insight. For a full implementation, I’d carry that same logic into evaluation: measure whether the writing itself changes – clearer openings, stronger subheadings, fewer review rounds and less rework.