Designing and Developing Job Aids - NPS: Common Learning Portal

Overview

Formal learning events like training are often a great way to promote foundational learning content. However, training can be costly to develop and time consuming for learners to attend. Learning research indicates that many learners struggle to apply what they learn in the classroom, and that organizations should do more to support learners in their work environment.

If you’re trying to move the needle on a workplace issue, consider integrating job aids into your learning strategy. According to the Learning & Performance Ecosystem Model, job aids are a form of performance support designed to help employees complete a task with fewer errors and in less time. For example, posting a job aid with images of the different types of identification cards and passes used by park visitors may help a new Visitor Use Assistant quickly calculate entry fees.

Have you used a SPE/GAR card to help conduct a risk assessment? A mobile app to get directions? Job aids can be as simple as a notecard or as robust as a system integration. They can be used as a planner to help get someone ready to perform a task, or a sidekick to help someone perform a task (Rossett).

Designing Job Aids

Choose job aids when you want to help team members or employees perform tasks that:

Are complex;
Involve coordination with multiple people and processes;
Are performed infrequently;
Are new;
Have changed; or
Are critical to our mission.

Select a design that makes sense for the type of job performance being supported and available development resources:

Checklists or templates for processes or procedures
Org charts and swim lanes for roles and workflows
Flowcharts for process mapping and decision-trees
Concept maps or infographics for macro-level context
Guidebooks, reference material, screenshots, or contact lists for critical information
Multimedia or tutorials for just-in-time learning bursts

Be smart about your design. Make sure that your job aids are:

Versioned so that you can update them when content changes;
Accessible per best practices in Section 508; and
Easy to access/download so they can be shared.

Developing Job Aids

Define the need.
- Who are your target learners or performers?
- What tasks and steps will they be performing? What do they need to know in order to perform (concepts, principles, facts, procedures, processes)?
Select the tool.
- Decide whether job aid will be used for planning or performing.
- Review the list of design variants above. Which will best support the employee performance?
- Think about the performance environment. Decide what format will be most useful and accessible to employees at the moment of need. A printed document? A video?
Develop the prototype.
- Create something that can be used to test and gather feedback.
- Do not spend a lot of time on visual design, just generate a skeleton.
Test with targets.
- Get your prototype into the hands of people who would use it on the job.
- Observe them attempting to use the job aid.
- Ask questions; take notes.
Iterate until you have an effective solution.