Dive into the instructional strategy, design process, and development details behind Guiding Potential. If you’re just exploring, feel free to stick with the highlights above. 

The Problem: When Communication fails, students struggle

chool counselors play a vital role in shaping student success, yet many struggle to apply their interpersonal skills effectively in real-time conversations. Without structured opportunities to practice and receive feedback, they may unintentionally miss critical moments to build trust, provide meaningful support, and empower students to navigate challenges. This gap in applied communication training leaves counselors unprepared for the real-world emotional complexities students face.

Identified Performance Gaps:

Applying Empathetic Communication 

• Counselors understand the principles but may struggle to implement them effectively when navigating sensitive or emotionally charged discussions. 

Ensuring Culturally Responsive Interactions 

• Some counselors may unintentionally overlook students' diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, impacting trust, rapport, and engagement. 

Empowering Students Through Effective Guidance

• Without structured practice, counselors risk missing opportunities to build students’ confidence, reinforce their strengths, and encourage their aspirations. 

The Solution: Guiding pOTENTIAL

To address these challenges, I developed Guiding Potential—an innovative, scenario-based eLearning concept project designed to help school counselors actively practice their interpersonal skills in a risk-free environment. 

What Makes This Training Effective:

Designed for Immediate Application

• Training is built around realistic student scenarios rather than passive content consumption.

AI- Powered Feedback for Skill Mastery 

• Learners receive instant feedback on their communication strategies, helping them refine their approach.

Engaging and Interactive Format 

• Branching scenarios simulate actual conversations, allowing counselors to experience different student responses based on their choices.

By practicing real-world student interactions with immediate AI feedback, counselors can develop confidence, correct mistakes, and refine their approach before applying these skills in real conversations.

My Process: A Perfromance-Driven Design Approach

To develop this AI-powered training solution, I followed an Agile, iterative approach based on the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), allowing for continuous improvement and user feedback integration.

Development Process:

Action Mapping

• Used Cathy Moore's Action Mapping framework to ensure training focused on real world skills rather than passive knowledge transfer. 

Rapid Prototyping in Storyline 360

• Built a working model early in development to test scenario-based interactions and refine feedback mechanisms.

• Created branching interactions, ensuring realistic student response and adaptive learning paths.

Iterative Design Sprints & Feedback Loops

Applied an Agile approach with rapid design cycles, continuously refining the experience based on: 

• Peer Feedback from Instructional Designers 

• Industry professional input to ensure relevance to real-world counseling scenarios 

AI Driven Enhancements

• Integrated an AI-powered feedback system to personalize the learning experience, allowing users to receive tailored guidance based on their responses.

• Leveraged AI to assist in content generation, brainstorming and content structuring. 

Finalizing the Training Experience 

• After multiple iterations, the training evolved into a polished, immersive learning experience designed to help school counselors build confidence and refine critical interpersonal skills in high-impact student interactions. 

By using an Agile, iterative process, I was able to rapidly test, adjust, and optimize the training, ensuring that it provided an engaging and realistic practice environment for counselors to refine their interpersonal skills. While this is a concept project, it demonstrates the potential of scenario-based, AI-enhanced eLearning to bridge the gap between theory and real-world skill application in professional settings that require empathetic communication and supportive interactions. 

Action MapPing: Designing for real world behavior change

As both the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Instructional Designer, I used Cathy Moore's action mapping framework to ensure the training focused on behavior-driven learning objectives rather than passive knowledge transfer. While traditional action maps are often visual mind maps, I structured mine as a detailed, strategic document in Google Docs to precisely define the critical actions school counselors must take to support students effectively.

Identifying High-Impact Behaviors

To ensure maximum real-word application, I identified key behaviors school counselors need to master in order to develop empathetic communication, sensitivity toward other cultures, and student empowerment.

These include: 

Empathetic Communication

• Using affirming, supportive language to foster trust and open communication with students. 

Active Listening 

• Demonstrating verbal and nonverbal listening techniques to create a safe, judgment-free space for student concerns. 

Providing Encouragement & Growth Orientated Feedback 

• Offering strengths-based guidance that builds student confidence in their abilities. 

Navigating Difficult Conversations

• Addressing systemic and personal barriers in a way that validates student experiences and fosters resilience. 

Prioritizing Real-World Application

Instead of passively consuming information, I designed an AI-driven, scenario-based learning experience where counselors:

• Learn actively by practicing high-impact behaviors in a dynamic scenario-based branching interaction

• See the consequences of their communication choices -positive or negative-based on AI powered responses 

• Receive real-time feedback helping refine their communication and guidance strategies 

• Experience an adaptive learning path based off of the choices they made

Addressing Root Causes for Measurable Impact

 Why is this training necessary? 

Many school counselors understand the importance of empathetic communication and student-centered guidance, but applying these skills effectively in real-time, high-stakes conversations is a challenge.

When counselors struggle to build trust, engage students meaningfully, or provide guidance tailored to students’ needs, it can lead to:

Missed Oppurtunites for Student Growth:

• Students may disengage or hesitate to seek support, limiting their academic and emotional development. 

Ineffective Communication Strategies:

• Without practice, counselors may unintentionally view students through a culturally biased lens causing them invalidate students’ lived experiences and fail to empower them. 

How Guiding Potential Guides Change

By using Action Mapping, I ensured that every learning interaction was directly tied to observable behaviors that drive real-world impact. This approach prevented content overload and kept the course focused on skill application rather than passive knowledge transfer.

As a result, this training not only supports For the Future’s market positioning as an innovative leader in AI-driven professional development but also ensures school counselors gain practical experience in high-stakes, student-centered conversations.

By aligning learning objectives with observable, high-impact behaviors, Guiding Potential provides a structured, scenario-based approach that drives measurable improvements in school counselor-student interactions through practical skill application, and measurable behavior change.

Guiding Potential isn’t just another training course—it’s a strategic, interactive learning solution designed to transform the way school counselors connect with and support their students.

Text-based Story Board: Designing for change

Rather than using a traditional text-based storyboard, I followed an iterative prototyping approach based on the Successive Approximation Model (SAM). This allowed me to refine storytelling, decision-making sequences, and learner feedback loops in real time instead of pre-planning every detail in a static document, allowing me to focus on real-world application from the start.

Iterative Development in Storlyine

Instead of scripting interactions in advance, I built, tested, and refined directly within Storyline—leveraging AI, peer feedback, and industry professionals. This approach allowed me to:

• Design and refine interactions in real time 

• Test and adjust decision-making sequences dynamically 

• Continuously refined interactions based on learner engagement and feedback to optimize the experience

By prioritizing real-world testing over pre-planned scripting, I created an immersive learner driven training that feels intuitive, and provides learners with authentic, scenario-driven challenges that encourage active decision-making and skill application.

Visual Design: Iterative Development First Approach

Rather than creating static visual mockups or wireframes, I took an iterative, development-first approach refining UI, layout, and interaction design throughout the prototyping phase in Articulate Storyline 360. Every visual decision was guided by usability, cognitive load reduction, and learner engagement to create an experience that was clear, learner-centered and immersive.

I didn't just design for aesthetics—I designed for functionality, focus, and learner impact.

Iterative Visual Design Enhancements

Optimized color schemes, typography, and layout 

•  Enhanced content visibility and learner focus.

Refined navigation and interactive elements 

• Ensured a seamless, intuitive learner experience.

Adjusted UI components based on feedback 

• Improved usability and smooth progression through the learning scenarios.

Enhanced scene design for storytelling 

• Strengthened visual flow to reinforce scenario-based decision-making.

By refining visuals throughout development, I ensured the training wasn’t just interactive—it was optimized for clarity, engagement, and knowledge retention while remaining fully aligned to the learning objectives.

Interactive prototype: Bringing ai powered learning to life

Instead of following a rigid Alpha → Beta → Final process methodology, I used a continuous, iterative design approach—developing, testing, and refining in real time to ensure a seamless, dynamic learning experience. My workflow followed the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), which emphasizes rapid prototyping, ongoing evaluation, and continuous refinement. This ensured the prototype evolved organically through continuous testing and refinement. 

Preparation Phase

Mapped Key Learning Outcomes

• Mapped Essential Learning Outcomes – Created an Action Map to ensure the training focused on behavior change over passive knowledge transfer. Defined critical skills counselors need to foster trust, support student agency, and navigate complex conversations.

• Designed AI-Driven Conversations – Developed realistic student interactions in Articulate Storyline 360, ensuring counselors actively engage with empathetic communication, cultural responsiveness, and supportive interventions. 

AI-driven Learning Refinements 

• Leveraged HeyGen to generate AI-driven scripts and videos for scenario-based interactions

•  Refined AI-Generated Student Dialogue – Ensured student responses felt natural, dynamic, and personalized to learner choices

• Tested & Adjusted Decision-Based Outcomes – Ensured that learner choices led to meaningful student reactions, reinforcing the importance of communication strategies

• Tested each AI-generated video for functionality, alignment with learning objectives, and learner engagement.

Interactive eLearning Development & UX Improvements

• Developed a branching narrative structure to ensure smooth, natural conversations.

• Refined screen flow, navigation, and design to reduce cognitive load, allowing counselors to focus on meaningful interactions.

Feedback Driven Enhancements & Quality Assurance

• Incorporated Peer & Expert Feedback throughout development, Iterating based on insights from instructional designers, a school counselor, and L&D professionals.

• Validated Against Situated Learning Theory ensuring cognitive load was managed and learning maximized. 

• Tested AI-Generated Learning Paths assessing student responses and ensuring scenarios felt natural and reinforced effective counseling strategies. 

Adaptive Feedback Mechanisms

• Embedded feedback for seamless learning by ensuring necessary information is naturally integrated into the learner’s experience, reinforcing skills through action, feedback, and reflection rather than static content.

• Ensured real-time, contextualized student reactions by ensuring Markus' responses dynamically adjust based on the learner’s choices, subtly signaling when an approach is ineffective and encouraging self-correction.

• Designed authentic cause-and-effect Learning by ensuring poor communication leads to disengagement, while effective guidance fosters trust, allowing learners to experience the real-world consequences of their communication style.

• Integrated personalized skill reflection at the end of the scenario. Learners receive a performance summary with targeted insights on key skills, reinforcing strengths and highlighting opportunities for growth.

• Created choice-driven feedback loops by leveraging learner centered design. Rather than passive instruction, learners refine their approach through decision-based interactions that provide immediate, meaningful reinforcement.

Full Build: Bringing AI- Driven Scenario-based Training to life

After rigorous testing and iteration, I developed the final version of Breaking Bias in Articulate Storyline 360, ensuring that it provided an immersive, AI-powered learning experience that effectively trained school counselors in the critical interpersonal skills they need to affect change. Rather than just refining surface-level interactions, I focused on enhancing learner engagement, decision-based consequences, enhancing scenario realism, and optimizing UI/UX for seamless learner engagement and impactful instructional design.

Key Refinements & Enhancements

Minimizing Text, Maximizing Action

• Restructured the experience to be immediately interactive, removing lengthy explanations and allowing learners to engage in decision-making from the very first slide.

Expanded Learner Consequences

• Introduce learner-specific consequences that directly reflect real-world career impact in addition to real-world consequences for Markus.

Refining AI Enhancements & Scenario-Based Learning

AI Driven Scenario Interactions

• Fully integrated story-driven, scenario-based learning with generative AI-powered interactions to create an engaging and immersive experience.

• Adaptive branching decision paths allow learners to shape their experience by making choices that directly influence student responses, reinforcing behavior-driven learning. 

Learner Driven Consequences and Reflection

• Behavior-driven feedback Loops directly impact student trust, engagement, and willingness to seek guidance, reinforcing real-world consequences.

• Personalized reflection points help learners understand how their choices shape students trust, confidence, and success.

• Dynamic learning paths ensure realistic, emotionally responsive conversations that reflect the learner’s approach.

Final Quality Assurance & Professional Validation

To ensure the training was accurate, relevant, and delivered measurable learning value, I conducted extensive testing and gathered expert feedback from multiple perspectives:

Industry Professionals (School Counselor & L&D) 

• Verified training relevance, engagement, and instructional clarity from both a counselor and instructional design perspective.

Peer Reviewers (Instructional Designers & LinkedIn Network) 

• Provided feedback on usability, accessibility, and learner experience improvements.

Final Outcome: An AI-Powered Training Solution That Drives Real Change

The final version of Guiding Potential is an AI-driven, scenario-based training tool designed to equip school counselors with the skills to effectively and empathetically support and communicate with students. 

Why It Matters for Clients & Organizations:
This project showcases my ability to blend cutting-edge AI with instructional design, creating a high-impact training solution that addresses a critical industry need while providing a scalable, adaptable eLearning model for organizations investing in behavioral change and DEI-driven learning initiatives.

The Impact: real world relevance

Since this is a concept project, no formal learner data was collected. However, from the very first prototype to the final design, the project has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from industry professionals, peers, and instructional designers on LinkedIn. Their feedback highlighted the strong scenario-based design, innovative AI integration, and the real-world applicability of the training. This validation reinforces the project’s potential to drive meaningful skill application and its alignment with best practices in instructional design.

Whats Next?

AI Powered Learning Solutions

Guiding Potential is one of two AI-powered, scenario-driven learning experiences I have developed—each designed to push the boundaries of interactive learning and real-time feedback. This project reinforced the power of consequence-driven learning, proving that real-time decision-based scenarios can drive behavioral change and skill development in meaningful ways. 

Guiding Potential was met with overwhelmingly positive reception from industry professionals and peers confirming that AI-driven learning solutions hold transformative potential. Moving forward, I will continue to innovate within AI-powered training, refining immersive, adaptive experiences that drive real-world performance improvements. If you'd like to experience that innovation for yourself, click the project photo.