Spark Notes

NOTE: This work was created in my professional capacity and is owned by my employer. Due to its proprietary nature, the artifact itself is not available for public viewing. The case study below tells the full story of the work.

THE BRIEF
In the middle of a large-scale digital transformation effort, the workforce needed learning that could meet them in the flow of work, hold their attention for two minutes, and nudge real behavior change without adding to their workload. The audience was a professional workforce navigating new collaboration tools and new expectations around information sharing, and the objective was to build durable habits in three areas: managing cognitive load, practicing transparency as a trust-building behavior, and adopting Microsoft Teams as the shared home for collaborative work.

THE PROCESS
I designed Spark Notes as a repeatable microlearning format, where every card opens with a question, delivers one plain language insight, offers "Reflect On" prompts that turn the idea inward, and closes with a citation to the behavioral science behind it. The structure applies adult learning principles and cognitive load theory by design: one idea per card, curiosity before content, and reflection over compliance. Built in PowerPoint with a bold, recognizable visual identity that feels more like social content than training slides, the series scales from mindset sets on cognitive load and transparency into a deeper Microsoft Teams skill-building phase.

THE OUTCOME
Learners walked away with a working vocabulary for the invisible forces shaping their workday, including cognitive load, friction, silos, and ambiguity, plus concrete daily practices to counter them: sharing work in progress, putting the right message in the right space, and designing communication that does not make people guess. The repeatable format also gave the broader initiative a sustainable engagement channel that could carry new topics to the workforce without a new design effort each time.

SKILLS DEMONSTRATED
Instructional design through a scalable microlearning system with a consistent instructional architecture; adult learning theory through applied andragogy, cognitive load theory, and reflective practice; UX thinking through scannable, predictable card design that lowers the cost of engagement; and stakeholder collaboration through translating change management priorities like transparency and tool adoption into research-backed, learner-centered content.