Phone Etiquette 101

an office phone screen

Phone Etiquette 101 is a concept project designed and developed for secretarial staff. It is based off of this blog post on Indeed.

Tools Used

  • Articulate Storyline
  • JavaScript
  • Canva
  • Clipchamp

The Problem

I recently decided to revisit some previous projects so I could either update or redesign them depending on how accessible, interactive or engaging they were. 

I chose to redesign this project because it was not engaging enough and felt like what Marie-Jo Leroux refers to as “infoware”. Infoware is learning content that provides information but no opportunity to practise any knowledge acquired.

My goal was to redesign the project as a learning solution that did not just present information but was experiential.

The previous version of the project was basically a click to reveal presentation and looked like what you see below.

Previous version of the Phone Etiquette 101

The Process & Challenges

To make Phone Etiquette 101 feel like a learning experience, I gave the entire post content a context and crafted the different what-to-dos/points as scenarios. This way a learner could actually ‘receive a call’ for each scenario and then choose the appropriate to-do or action from a list of options . .

I built this project using Articulate Storyline 360. I also used a little bit of JavaScript so I would not have to use so many triggers. I designed the graphics and layout in Canva and converted the client/customer scripts into audio files using the text-to-speech feature in Clipchamp. The project is keyboard accessible and follows a logical focus order.

The Solution

The final learning solution is more interactive and engaging as learners can through an integrated feedback rather than through a stand-alone knowledge check. 

Key Features:

  • Interactive: Learners can hear and view incoming calls on a simulated phone screen.
  • Multimedia : Calls for the customer/client are in audio files .
  • Accessible Design: Built with clear and legible text, high contrast, harmonious colours and logical focus order.

Working on this project gave me another chance to practise applying adult learning principles to my work, especially the experiential learning aspect.