Quicksilver
We used to call this our Rapid Development Process, or RDP, but have given it a newer, catchier name.

Nevertheless, we’ve successfully used this process in many projects in the past, and can apply it when you already know a lot about the scope, objectives, structure, audience, and content of the training that you’ll deliver over the Web to your learners.

The process is quicker because it’s leaner. It’s a process that “cuts to the chase” with outlines and static graphic layouts as inputs for full development and production, and with fewer client review cycles than other processes.

Analysis and Design
In a typical project, we begin both the analysis and design stages immediately after the project kickoff. Our instructional designers use their “chunking skills” to document a high level outline of your course or program, usually to the module and lesson levels. Meanwhile, our artists work with you to produce the treatment you’d like, such as background and interface graphics (affectionately known as the “look and feel”), and the types of presentation, interactivity, practice, and evaluation to be contained in the program. With the Quicksilver process, we’re usually ready to go into full-scale development and production within a week after kickoff.

Development and Production
The development stage is also cut back to consist of fewer review cycles than other processes. Like we said, this is when you already know a lot about your content, such as when you may be converting an instructor-led course to an e-Learning format, or producing an interactive software training course using input primarily from the application’s online help information. We create a detailed outline of each discernable unit of instruction (such as a module, lesson, or learning object), and then use that outline and additional SME and existing material input to produce each unit of instruction (along with the storyboards or scripts) for your review and testing.

Final Delivery
After Beta review and testing, we make the revisions and publish the program or course for final uploading onto your LMS or platform. At this stage, any changes are residual in nature (meaning no additional content or treatment changes) for final delivery.

Goldmine
You may have previously known this model as a Waterfall Development Process applied in the IT, engineering, and yes, instructional design worlds. Well, welcome to the Goldmine. Although the concept of going down the waterfall is the same (not being able to go back up), in this case, the waterfall is a process that changes lead into gold. What a concept!

Project Initiation
This stage is more than a project kickoff. Our Project Scope Document, or PSD, not only defines your business needs and goals (which is the reason for the initiative, right?), project assumptions, team roles, and project schedule, but identifies the scope and proposed treatment of the deliverables as well. This document often contains the high-level content outline and design and functionality requirements before starting more in-depth analysis and design activities.

Analysis and Design
Content analysis in this process is typically more in-depth, and can depend on the nature of the program. In cases such as new processes or business initiatives, a task analysis or state-change analysis may be performed to define the technical content. A state-change analysis differs from the traditional task analysis by structuring content according to the “state-changes” of a process, rather than the duties, tasks, and steps performed on the job. In other cases, a detailed content outline may be documented at this stage with further content provided during development and production.

Prototype Development
This is an important stage in this process. Why? First, your stakeholders may not be able to “visualize” the way the program will look, feel, and work from scripts and screenshots of the interface and visual treatment. This is also an opportunity to test the program before going into full production. It’s one thing to design a program to your minimum technical specs, and another to test on a network with low-end machines and find out those extra technical things that can affect performance. It’s better to find out now than later.

Development and Production and Final Assembly and Delivery
The Development and Production stage in the Goldmine process has three parts: content development, alpha production, and beta production. Our clients and SMEs usually review and approve the scripts or storyboards during content development, as well as reviewing and approving the Alpha and Beta versions of the program. The part in this process for your stakeholder review is up to you, but is typically conducted during the Beta version. Once those reviews have been rolled up, we’re ready to finalize and deliver.

Alchemy
In all of our processes, our instructional designers bring their knowledge of learning theories to the table, such as Knowles’ adult learning theory and Gagne’s nine events of instruction, and apply those principles in their designs to create engaging, interactive, and effective programs. We’re also very cognizant of the need to affect learning that will not only pass the “smile sheet” and “80% score” evaluations, but have positive levels 3, 4, and 5 evaluation results where the learners’ application of knowledge, skills, and attitudes will have positive business impacts and returns on investments. It’s one reason we’re all in the e-Learning business, right?

So what else could there possibly be, you may ask? Well, in real estate, they say there are three primary considerations in making a wise investment – location, location, location. And in our Alchemy process, the difference makers are design, design, design.

A Backdrop
Since way before most of us were born, industries such as film making and publishing have been applying principles of visual design sciences, such as where our eyes first focus on a visual, and developing themes, rhythms, moods, and climaxes that impact visual communication and our resulting experience and retention.

Like any media, an e-Learning program has a beginning, flow, pace, and an end, and in our Alchemy process, we’ve developed methods geared to better understand and partner with our clients and in “raising the bar” in our program designs for those clients.

A New World in e-Learning
Welcome to leitmotifs, memes, red threads, and dummies. Well, other visual communication industries may call it a dummy, but since our business is education and training, we’re working on renaming it.

Whatever the name, the process of using the dummy to establish and map the leitmotifs, memes, and red threads during program design results in delivering an e-Learning program with visual and verbal styles that reflect an organization’s culture and increase the learner’s experience. After all, learning should not just be a collection of information.