The Design Process

I used the ADDIE process to guide me through the steps of this project.

Development

In the development phase, I created a text-based storyboard. This gave me a working script so I could start working on the visual design for the project. 

Visual Mockups

I reviewed a couple of visual design prototypes before deciding on a final design.

I started by showing a character to represent the user on the screen. I quickly realized that I could not get the effect that I was looking for. I did not have the correct artwork to show a runner running into the screen. Instead, I could only depict running in the plane of the screen or out from the screen.

In my next iteration, I thought about using a first-person point of view where you could see the characters running watch. I realized that showing a watch would not add to the experience.

I finally decided on using backgrounds that would change based on the type of run.

I realize that most coaches probably don’t meet with their athletes each day, but by using a daily check-in feature, the coach could reinforce the user’s consequences for the day. As a subtle feature, I included two different types of check-in screens.

Graphic Design

In the early part of the design phase, I scoured image repository websites for vector art to use in my project. I ultimately decided to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to create the artwork.

I used Midjourney and learned all about using the correct prompt to generate artwork close to what I had in mind. I found using Midjourney to create the backgrounds was reasonably straightforward.

I found it more challenging to work with when generating the cell phone used as a button to ask your coach for advice. It was also difficult to generate (imagine) the background when the user video chatted with their coach.

Gamification

I wanted to add a gamification element to make the scenario more realistic. There were two different iterations of when the stars should appear. At first, the stars appeared on the consequence screen, but after testing it in the functional prototype, awarding the stars during the coach check-in made more sense.

In the gamification process, I determined that my branched scenario had 216 possible paths. To determine the possible point values, I made a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate point values for each track. While the maximum point value was seven and the minimum was two, I decided to cap it at six points to allow users who made one or two poor decisions the chance to earn six stars. This is similar to training for a marathon; one bad day, one missed day, doesn’t mean a runner will not be successful.

JavaScript: Target Heart Rate Zones

Since the scenario was based on heart rate training, it would be very interactive to have the users enter their maximum and resting heart rates to see their zones. Adding this feature was one of my proudest moments of this project

I am familiar with coding, but I am not a coding expert. I knew what I wanted to do was something that could be coded. I found an online JavaScript editor and created the code to calculate the target heart rate zones.

I was ecstatic once I could pass the numeric entries from the Storyline player to the JavaScript and have the target heart rate zones returned to the Storyline player. Once I figured out this operation, I wanted to add data validation. It took me some time to play around with a workflow that would validate the data, but with triggers and layers, I could implement a basic data validation algorithm.

Implementation

I had a few runners, a triathlete, and a non-runner review the project and provide feedback. Generally, the project was well received. It was easy to follow and use. In addition, a couple of my test users made suggestions that I was able to incorporate into the project.

Multiple users told me that they had difficulty seeing the phone, which is used as a button for the user to ask the coach for advice. I switched out the graphics to a different phone.

One user suggested that a runner new to heart rate training may need to understand that Z2 stands for target heart rate zone 2. I made sure that I clarified this at the beginning of the project.

Two users thought sharing some information about the six major marathons would be good. I added this layer to the slide when the six-star feedback is explained as an optional button.

Evaluation

As a conceptual project, I could not collect data to see if runners were incorporating this information about heart rate training into their training blocks. However, a coach using a scenario-based eLearning experience like this project could collect data on their athletes to see who keeps their easy runs easy and their hard runs hard.  It would be interesting to see if there was a statistically significant difference in the improvement of marathon finish times for runners who used this experience compared to those who didn’t.

Additional Features

I would have liked to add a few features if I had more time to develop this project:

• It would be nice to set up a trigger to email the user’s personalized target heart rate zones.

• I also think some sound effects for the title screen and interactions with the coach would add to the realism of the project. For example, the sound of sending a text message when clicking on the phone for advice or the sound of opening a teleconferencing app could add to the experience and not create sensory overload. 

• Finally, I would like the option for the user to pick their coach. This way, users could select a gender for their coach with whom they would feel more comfortable. After the development phase, I thought of this idea, and a test user suggested it as well. I can see how to implement it with states and variables, but I did not have the time to add this feature.