Project: ADDIE Model at a Glance
Reference poster / job aid | Canva | 24 x 18 in

The problem: Instructional designers — especially those newer to formal ID work — need a fast, reliable reference for the ADDIE framework that goes beyond dictionary definitions and shows what each phase actually produces and how AI tools can support the work.

My approach: I broke the ADDIE model into a five-column, at-a-glance format covering Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Each phase includes the core purpose, key questions to ask, expected deliverables, and — as a practical, current-relevance layer — where AI can realistically assist (e.g., drafting learner personas, generating quiz questions, summarizing survey feedback). This turns a standard framework reference into a tool someone could actually use mid-project, not just study once.

Design choices: A bold, high-contrast color-coded system (one color per phase) makes the poster scannable at a glance, even at a distance — appropriate for its use as a physical 24×18 reference poster. Black content blocks against a light background keep each phase visually distinct while maintaining a consistent structure across all five columns, and the closing note ties the poster back to ADDIE’s iterative nature rather than presenting it as a rigid linear process.

Tools: Canva

Project: 6 Building Blocks for Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Reference poster / job aid | Canva | 6 building blocks

The problem: Psychological safety is widely cited as a driver of team performance and innovation, but the concept often stays abstract for managers and leaders — easy to nod along to in a workshop, hard to translate into specific day-to-day behaviors that build or erode it.

My approach: I broke down Amy Edmondson’s psychological safety framework into six concrete building blocks — Inclusion Safety, Learner Safety, Contributor Safety, Challenger Safety, Open Communication, and Trust & Respect — sequencing them from foundational (feeling like you belong) to advanced (feeling safe to challenge leadership). Each block pairs the concept with a plain-language description of what it looks like in practice, so a manager can recognize both the behavior to encourage and the failure mode to watch for, like employees hiding what they don’t know or leaders reacting defensively to pushback.

Design choices: A numbered, color-coded card layout lets the poster function as a quick reference rather than something read start to finish — a manager could scan straight to “Challenger Safety” mid-conversation. Consistent iconography and a bold, high-contrast palette keep it readable as a physical poster, while the progression from foundational to advanced blocks subtly reinforces that psychological safety is built in stages, not achieved all at once.

Project: Why Adults Forget Training
Reference poster / job aid | Canva | Learning science overview

The problem: Organizations invest heavily in training, but retention often fails silently — employees sit through sessions and forget most of it within weeks. Without understanding why training fails, L&D teams tend to fix the wrong thing (more content, better slides) instead of the actual gap (no practice, no reinforcement).

My approach: I structured the poster as a direct comparison — five common reasons training fails paired one-to-one with the learning-science-backed practice that addresses it. Information overload maps to retrieval practice, passive learning maps to scenario-based practice, lack of reinforcement maps to coaching — so the poster doubles as both a diagnostic tool (what’s going wrong) and a design checklist (what to build instead) for anyone creating training.

Design choices: A two-column layout with contrasting colors (gray/problem vs. navy-pink/solution) makes the cause-and-effect relationship visually immediate without needing arrows or extra explanation. Consistent iconography anchors each row for quick scanning, and the closing takeaway reframes the whole poster around a mindset shift: forgetting isn’t a learner failing, it’s a design gap — a subtle but important point for an L&D audience to internalize.

Tools: Canva

Project: Steps to Find Your Modules in Canvas LMS
Student-facing job aid / how-to guide | Canva | 4 steps

The problem: Students (and often parents) navigating a new LMS need a fast, visual way to locate their coursework — without a support ticket or a phone call to the teacher. Text-only instructions tend to get skipped or misread, especially for a multi-click process across several screens.

My approach: I broke the login-to-assignments workflow into four numbered, sequential steps, each paired with an annotated screenshot of the actual interface so students can visually match what they see on their own screen to the instructions. Arrows point directly to the click targets, and each step calls out details that commonly trip students up — like the modules link not being highlighted the way the example shows.

Design choices: A bold number badge anchors each step for quick scanning, and alternating background colors visually separate the four stages so the eye can track progress down the page. Real interface screenshots (rather than generic icons) were used deliberately, since the goal is recognition — a student should be able to glance at their own screen and immediately match it to the guide.

Tools: Canva

Project: Executive Function Toolkit
Reference guide / job aid | Canva | 4 skill areas

The problem: Professionals often know a co-worker or student is struggling with executive function — losing track of time, not knowing where to start, missing steps — but don’t have a quick, practical reference connecting the challenge to a concrete strategy in the moment.

My approach: I organized the toolkit around four core executive function skill areas — Time Management, Task Initiation, Planning & Organizing, and Self-Monitoring — pairing each with the common challenges that show up in a workplace or classroom and specific, low-lift strategies that address them (like the 2-minute rule for task initiation or body doubling for focus). The framing deliberately treats these as teachable, strengthenable skills rather than fixed traits, which shapes how a co-worker or teacher approaches intervention.

Design choices: A clean quadrant layout lets a user scan straight to the relevant skill area under time pressure, with consistent iconography and a shared challenge/strategy structure across all four sections so the format stays predictable. The closing message reinforces the toolkit’s core premise — small supports build independence — rather than framing these students as needing constant accommodation.

Tools: Canva

Project: Helping Teachers Find High-Quality Resources Faster
Problem/solution case study | Canva | 5 slides

The problem: Teachers use Pinterest constantly to find classroom resources, but the platform’s generic search surfaces thousands of results with no way to judge quality upfront — outdated content, wrong grade levels, standards misalignment, and no previews. The result: teachers spend more time hunting than teaching.

My approach: I mapped teacher pain points through interviews and search-behavior observation, then defined what teachers actually needed — better filtering, richer previews, and built-in organization — before moving into wireframes and UI design. The solution reimagines Pinterest’s discovery experience specifically for educators: smart filters by grade, subject, standards, and reading level; rich previews so teachers can evaluate a resource before clicking in; auto-organized collections by instructional category; and contextual notes on saved pins (e.g., “use next week,” “review before benchmark”).

Design choices: I followed a four-stage process — Discover, Define, Design, Refine — refining toward simplified navigation, reduced visual clutter, a neutral color palette, and large touch targets for accessibility. Every decision traces back to four principles: empathy for real teacher workflows, clarity before the click, sustainable organization, and efficiency through fewer clicks.

Tools: Canva

Project: Working Well From Anywhere — Remote & Hybrid Team Norms
Reference deck / job aid | Canva | 14 slides

The problem: Remote and hybrid teams often operate without shared norms for communication, meetings, and visibility — leading to misread silence, meeting fatigue, and eroded trust between teammates who are rarely in the same room.

My approach: I designed a concise, scenario-driven reference deck that translates common remote-work friction points into clear, actionable norms. Drawing on six years of fully remote work experience, I grounded the content in real situations — like a delayed Slack reply being misread as disengagement — rather than generic best-practice lists, to keep it credible and immediately usable for teams adopting hybrid work.

Design choices: Content is structured to move from problem (a relatable “day gone wrong” scenario) to practical framework (sync vs. async decision table, meeting hygiene checklist) to tangible takeaway (a fillable Team Working Agreement template teams can adapt on the spot).

Tools: Canva

Note: This is a static reference deck, not an interactive e-learning course. A future iteration in Rise 360 would add branching scenarios and knowledge checks to build in practice and reinforcement.