WalkMe for Performance Support

The Digital Adoption Platform WalkMe had been used within our organization, but never within the learning department. There were very few people who knew how to build with the tool, and none within Learning and Development.

I was tasked with aggregating existing training materials and providing recommendations for what, if any, role the tool might have within the current structure of our learning department and its feasibility for use with our Agile development practices.

Additionally, it was unclear how to approach learner needs with this tool since our supply chain distribution centers were undergoing rapid expansion, requiring speed to proficiency on the part of the workers.

After taking the product training, and working with it for the initial implementation, I assessed its usefulness and presented my recommendations on

• The key skills and core competencies that an instructional designer should have for working the tool

• A process and workflow for coordinating with IT and Operations on the development and release of the content

• Learner Experience standards for future releases, ensuring a consistent learner experience from platform to platform

• Processes/workflow for content development, and testing and archiving of releases

• A strategic plan for content maintenance

Since very few employees had experience with the platform, informational interviews yielded small returns. Several additional challenges arose including:

• The need for regular communication and trust-building between technical and non-technical stakeholders

• The need to operate in/navigate a situation with a great deal of ambiguity

• No existing documentation or historical data with regard to development times

• The need to find external peers for collaboration

• No reporting structure

To address the rapid hiring, the potential for high turnover, and the need for associates who could rapidly switch from one job function to another, I approached content strategy as noted below:

1. An initial set of content providing guidance on essential tasks for newly onboarding associates

• Primary focus on providing context for the tasks at hand

• Guidance given at key points to prevent errors and train on best practices

2. Setting display rules and other conditions within the tool (based on user on-screen activity) to mark off onboarding content as employees completed onboarding

3. A second set of content for more experienced employees as refresher training

   • Primary focus on automating steps for quick reminders

   • Available for use when completing tasks that an employee has not done recently

   • Additional on-screen cues and native-looking buttons to speed processes and shuttle between software applications, as needed

4. Developed a curriculum to address ongoing learner needs for additional job functions and facility platforms

Evaluation of this program is currently an ongoing effort.

In Q3, the learning strategy team would launch efforts to collect data and provide insights on learner usage. In collaboration with learning strategy, the approach to content development and user experience was to be adjusted as needed.