Canvassing Simulation

Articulate Storyline 360, Blush.design, Canva, Freepik, Google Docs, Google Slides, NaturalReader (AI text-to-speech tool), Vyond

This e-learning was created for Hamkae Center, a nonpartisan Asian American nonprofit. It was designed for their part-time trainee canvassers, who are typically 2nd-generation Asian Americans from 16 to 35 years old. They are relatively tech savvy and tend to lean progressive, and they are motivated by the opportunity to gain civic engagement skills and positively impact Asian American communities.

Their previous program involved a single virtual training session before entering the field, leading to limited knowledge retention and extended training times in the field. Additionally, since many of Hamkae Center's trainees are new to canvassing, they have difficulty navigating the MiniVAN canvassing app and interacting with frustrated or nervous voters. Fear of rejection and/or objections hold some back from engaging more deeply with voters. 

This e-course facilitated mastery of essential canvassing skills and knowledge through progressively difficult voter scenarios and MiniVAN simulations. Additionally, a section at the start of the e-learning asks learners to recall what they learned in the initial virtual training, as the new canvassing training program was designed (upon Hamkae Center's request) to start with the vILT first and then move to the e-course for reinforcement of the content imparted during the vILT.

The e-learning successfully allowed trainees to learn best practices for promoting civic engagement and gain confidence when using MiniVAN and interacting with voters. In feedback given after the course, learners reported loving how interactive it was and how it exposed them to different voting scenarios. Consequently, the overall time Hamkae Center staff spent training canvassers, starting from the initial live virtual training to the last in-field shadowing session, has decreased by 20%.

The process of crafting the final Storyline e-learning started with creating an IDD to outline the trajectory of the course. The skills covered in the e-learning include navigating the MiniVAN app and encouraging voting despite voters' concerns, frustrations, and/or questions. Through video demonstrations, interactive elements and scenarios, formative and summative assessments, and feedback for correct and incorrect answers, the course cultivates learners' canvassing skills and voting knowledge so they can encourage civic engagement when in the field.

After my stakeholders approved my IDD, I started on the course's storyboard. When crafting the course's look, I referenced Hamkae Center’s website. I wanted to keep the course modern yet still inviting and engaging, which felt true to the website’s feel and the organization’s optimistic mission and grassroots community engagement work. That's why I used a sans serif font, rounded corners on all course elements, and flat icons. I also referenced the organization’s brand guide, incorporating their primary and secondary colors into the course’s elements and iconography.

Since the e-learning would feature scenarios with Asian American voters of different ethnicities, I sourced character illustration packs that allowed for a broad representation of different ethnicities. Additionally, to keep the course’s design engaging, I specifically chose modern-looking illustrated characters rather than stock photos. Then I sourced backgrounds that matched the characters’ style as well as my broader vision for the course’s design.  After deciding on these style elements, I compiled them into a style guide, which is featured in the opening slides of my storyboard.

I created the course's script alongside the storyboard. I kept the tone of the script light yet engaging by making it jargon-free. Most importantly, I drew upon the storytelling skills I had honed during my previous roles as a writing consultant and researcher. I focused on the characters introduced during each course module, fleshing out each voter's personality by imagining what issues would resonate with each of them. By exposing the learner to different voter profiles, I allowed them to simulate adapting to different people when in the field and responding appropriately to their needs and/or concerns.

Additionally, I had learners interact with enthusiastic and neutral voters first before exposing them to more difficult voters. This culminated with their final application/knowledge check, where learners interacted with John, a Chinese American voter aggravated over rising food costs (shown below). This facilitated learner engagement and promoted retention of the course material.