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This case study describes authentic workplace learning design. I've handled the typical NDA considerations by adapting details and recreating artifacts, but the strategy and impact are real.

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Background

Charles Schwab's Digital Retail Tool Talk is a monthly learning series focused on software skill-building sessions that help Digital Retail team members learn new tools or level up in their existing tools.

When one of the UX Research team members reached out to see if we could have a session on Excel, they described a common frustration: they had seen other UX Researchers use tools like Pivot Tables or shortcuts and features to help clean data, but they didn't know enough to even know what words or phrases to Google to learn more. This was a perfect example of the "advanced beginner" challenge: learners who had moved past basic functionality but lacked the vocabulary and framework to advance their skills independently.

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Course Details

Created For: Charles Schwab

Audience: UX Researchers, UX Designers

Skill Level: All levels

Duration: 1h 00m

Release Date: August 2024

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Key Project Skills

Needs assessment, Instructional design, Presentation design, Facilitation

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Key Project Tools

Microsoft Excel, Figma, Teams, Snagit, SharePoint

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The challenge

UX Researchers at Schwab understood when to use Excel but struggled with the vocabulary gap that prevented efficient work. If you want to add drop-downs for consistent data entry, would you know Excel calls that feature "Data Validation"? If you want to analyze data from different angles without changing the original dataset, would you search for "Pivot Table"?

This terminology barrier created frustrating learning blocks: researchers could see colleagues working more efficiently but couldn't bridge the gap between "I know there's probably a better way to do this" and "I know what it's called so I can learn it." They needed both the vocabulary to unlock self-directed learning and enough foundational knowledge to recognize which Excel approaches would solve their specific UX workflow challenges.

The learning strategy behind the class

I designed the session around bridging the vocabulary gap that prevented self-directed learning. Rather than comprehensive Excel training, my approach focused on terminology acquisition and feature recognition to unlock independent skill development.

The learning strategy emphasized:

• Vocabulary building: Teaching Excel-specific terms alongside practical demonstrations
• Feature awareness: Showing what's possible so learners could recognize opportunities in their own work
• Search strategy: Providing the "magic words to Google" for continued learning
• Workflow integration: Connecting Excel outputs to existing UX processes (like importing charts to Figma)
• Resource amplification: Curating Schwab learning resources to extend learning beyond the session

What I built