This case study discusses my work at Epic Systems Corporation. Because the nature of the work is confidential, I recreated all visuals and removed all proprietary information. For official Epic training materials and support, log in to the UserWeb.

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I was about 6 months into my time at Epic when the pandemic hit.

As March 2020 brought our world from "this is going to be the best decade ever!" to "how much banana bread is too much banana bread?", the training and instructional design teams at Epic faced a significant challenge. Thousands of healthcare IT executives and analysts needed to learn the ins and outs of Epic's vast suite of software, but common spaces such as Voyager Hall were no longer safe to hold large gatherings. With surging travel restrictions and work-from-home mandates, we urgently needed an alternative solution to keep our customers' implementations on track and on budget.

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The Problem:

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented in-person training, leading to the need for virtual alternatives. Fortunately, we had the means to pivot to a virtual platform with only a day's notice. But as educators, we knew that wouldn't be enough. People were overwhelmed, and learning is really hard when people are overwhelmed.

From a business perspective, this abrupt change in our environment occurred at the same time as another issue. Prior to the pandemic, learners were already having trouble passing their certification exams, which prevented them from joining projects on time, which ultimately impacted the organizations' implementation timelines and financial outcomes.

As the certification and curriculum owner for one of Epic's biggest applications (inpatient nursing), I experienced this impact on a pretty large scale.

The Goal:

Of course, I couldn't eliminate the pandemic or its profound impact on healthcare. So I focused on what I could control: training.

To feed two birds with one scone, my goal had two components:

• Adapt all in-person training materials to a virtual format with a focus on remote learner support and engagement.
• Determine which obstacles are holding learners back from completing their certifications on time, and decrease the average time it took for analysts to become Epic-certified.

Understanding the User

Like any good design project, this one began with research. I leveraged our existing processes for soliciting feedback while tailoring my research strategy for 3 different groups:

Pain Points

The feedback boiled down to 4 pain points which helped me see the roots of the problem.

How Might We...

After further defining the problem and pain points, I started brainstorming based on these questions:

• How might we fill the current void of at-the-elbow support?
• How might we build rapport and engage with learners, meeting them where they are during an unprecedented event?
• How might we adapt our training materials to be easier for all customers to follow, with little to no guidance?
• How might we restructure the class to refocus on the most important concepts an analyst needs to know?

Designing Solutions

At-The-Virtual-Elbow: Consistent Messaging for Reliable Support in a Diverse Classroom

Virtual training meant larger class sizes and less individualized support. Trainers could no longer look over a learner's shoulder to quickly troubleshoot configuration in class. One of the first changes I made to the training materials was making sure our language was specific enough to support learners during and after class.

Here's an example from the training manual:

I also added troubleshooting tips to the training manuals and exercise instructions. This addition got the most positive feedback from learners and other trainers. These tips covered the most common places people would run into trouble in an exercise, so that trainees could learn how to troubleshoot Epic build.

Another change I made was adding more visual variety to the training manual. We received feedback that the training manual contained too many large blocks of text that were difficult to scan for information. I put my UI design hat on and created consistent visual hierarchy throughout the training materials. I also incorporated more lists, tables, and images.

All Epic examples of this work contain confidential information, so I created a safer example with the well-loved Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Here you can see the same information in two different layouts:

This focus on consistent, specific language solved two of the pain points I discovered during my research:

• At-The-Elbow Support: To replace the typical in-person support trainees would receive in class, I included the most common pitfalls and more visual diagrams for learners to reference when they encountered problems or questions with their build.
• Diverse Abilities and Cultures: Clear visual hierarchy and language benefit many users. For example, learners with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often prefer bulleted lists and diagrams over walls of text. Our leaners who were not native English speakers appreciated the comprehensive instructions in the training manuals because they could take their time to translate as needed.

Empathy is King: Rapport Leads to Engagement

Another major challenge with the switch to virtual training was lack of engagement from learners. Based on my initial research, this was due to 2 main factors:

• Trainees were distracted by childcare, emails, and the general uncertainty of the world.
• Trainees could only communicate with trainers and other classmates by sending a virtual hand raise or typing a message in Zoom chat.

This is where the UX superpower of empathy came into play. My response to these challenges was mostly in the form of process improvement and providing guidance to trainers who led these classes.

For example, I noted class activities where there were multiple ways to deliver the content. I left notes in the trainers' lesson plans like this one:

"This section can be taught as a demo or an independent exercise. Read the room and decide which is best for your group of trainees. If your class has been struggling to get through exercises or if you're short on time, tell them to just watch you as you demonstrate this build. If your class has been completing exercises with ease, have them do this one on their own."

Empathy was incorporated into the training materials as well, as demonstrated in the troubleshooting boxes from the previous section:

Especially given the state of the world, I took every opportunity to show humanity in the training materials. Sometimes, people just need to hear that it's going to be okay.

Quality Over Quantity: The Path to Certification

The final piece of the problem was that customers weren't getting certified quickly enough to adhere to their organizations' implementation timelines. I learned from my interviews with implementation staff and product managers that this was due to excess content in the certification track.

The solution to this problem was fairly straightforward. I used feedback from fellow Epic staff to determine which topics were essential for an analyst to know right away, versus which topics wouldn't be helpful until later on. This resulted in removal of 2 lessons from the core certification class, which freed up about 2 hours of class time to recap the most important concepts. The lessons that I removed were saved to be used in advanced training modules.

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, especially from the trainers of the class who were grateful for the additional class time to answer questions and reinforce prior concepts. Learners also appreciated the extra study time.

The Results

As a direct result of my work on this project, the following metrics improved:

• Customer evaluation scores increased by 3%.
• The exam pass rate for this certification increased by 4% to meet the division-wide pass rate target of 80%.

Additionally, I received positive feedback from my colleagues, supervisors, and learners:

"This is one of the most well-written training companions I've seen." -Epic trainer with 6 years of experience on 2 different teams

"The visual/diagrams...helped me understand the broader context of whatever we were working on." -New Epic staff member

"Good pacing, easy to understand as a non-native English speaker." -New Epic customer

"The information is a lot to take in, but very easy to digest and comprehend. I feel confident that I will be very well prepared to apply the skills learned in these courses!" -New Epic customer

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What I Learned

While working on this project, I exercised 2 project management muscles that are essential in every job:

• Be persistent in finding the root of the problem, and keep that in focus throughout the project. Band-Aids are useful in the right situations, but they can distract us from thinking long-term.
• You don't have to implement every piece of feedback you receive. Look for trends, prioritize pain points, and choose the path that makes the most sense for your users. That's the beauty of iteration; there's always room to change!