Getting from A to B
As an Instructional Designer (ID), you conduct a variety of analyses when engaging with a client so that you have a solid understanding of the contextual factors that may impact the solutions that you design and develop. You partner with your client and subject matter experts (SME) to learn more about the performance gap, the organizational goals, characteristics of the target audience, and any environmental considerations that may affect the success of any implemented training interventions. From there, how do you make the leap from the outcomes of these front end analyses to designing a potential solution?
In the LeaPS Model, bridging the “Empathize & Analyze Phase” to the “Design & Develop Phase” starts with clearly outlining performance requirements based on the information you’ve gathered so far (OPWL 537 Course Instructors, 2020, p.162). Using the front end analyses as inputs, performance requirements specify on-the-job performance, taking into account relevant job conditions and performance criteria (OPWL 537 Course Instructors, 2020, p.163).
As shown in Figure 2, performance requirements align the job tasks with the instructional materials, ensuring that “conditions, performances, and criteria remain consistent throughout the ID project.” (OPWL 537 Course Instructors, 2020, p.163).
Once you have the performance requirements outlined and reviewed by the client, you can begin prototyping and developing materials that will support those objectives. A common and popular ID strategy is leveraging Job Aids. Take a look around your work desk, house, or even your kid’s school: what items do you see and use to help you perform specific tasks? They could be cheat sheets, post-it notes, signage on a wall, or even scribbles on a piece of scratch paper. All of these are examples of formal and informal job aids. Willmore (2018) defines job aids as "an external resource designed to support a performer in a specific task by providing information or compensating for lapses in worker memory or skill" (Chapter 1). In other words, job aids include anything that provides guidance so that you can successfully complete a task. Job aids are a great, cost-effective way for IDs to have a positive impact on performance either as a standalone deliverable or in conjunction with a training event (OPWL 537 Course Instructors, 2020, p.142).
In my experience, I’ve seen my share of useful job aids as well as not-so-useful job aids. In my previous role as a consultant for emergency departments (ED) across the country, I once came across a “job aid” that unfortunately hindered performance more than it helped. Upon arriving at an ED, the first person that you typically see is the front registrar. The front registrar’s primary responsibility is entering your personal information into the ED system so that you can be seen by a clinician. In some EDs, despite not having a clinical background, the front registrar is also responsible for quickly assessing your symptoms so that any critically-ill patients are immediately attended to by a nurse or physician.
(Side note: A best practice in many EDs is for a triage nurse to also greet patients with the front registrar so that this clinical burden does not fall on someone who does not have the proper education or knowledge for patient evaluation).
We partnered with one ED that acknowledged that their front registration staff needed performance support, and thus had created a job aid to assist registrars with properly identifying patients who should be seen immediately by a clinician. Unfortunately, the job aid consisted of multiple pages of many rows of text, listing many possible symptoms, which required a significant amount of time to read through or scan. In speaking with the registration staff, I recall that they expressed frustration and increased stress after the job aids were introduced. Because the job aids were framed as something that would help them perform their jobs more effectively, they felt increased pressure to correctly identify all patients who needed immediate assistance while trying to use a tool that actually made their jobs more difficult. In truth, many of the registration staff ultimately chose not to use the job aid due to its lack of usability, which many complained hampered their ability to properly engage and interact with the patients and/or their families.
In order for job aids to be effective in driving desired behavioral changes, they need to be designed with ease-of-use and accessibility in mind (Willmore, 2018). If, as in the example above, they create more work for the performer or make their tasks more challenging, then not only will they fail in improving overall performance, they may even negatively impact outcomes. It is important to thoroughly understand and consider any relevant factors about the performers, their environment, or the organizational culture when designing job aids (Willmore, 2018). Job aids are a great instructional design approach, but they should be implemented cautiously and with a specific purpose: providing key information to support performers who are already trained and knowledgeable about the task. There are a variety of job aid formats, from checklists to data arrays to step job aids; specifying performance requirements and thoroughly understanding the contextual factors of your ID project will help lead you to job aid success.
OPWL 537 Course Instructors. (2020). Instructional Design Course Handbook. Boise, ID: Boise State Department of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning.
Willmore, J. (2018). Job aids basics: Vol. 2nd edition. Association for Talent Development.