Defending Against Phishing

A scenario-driven, story-based learning experience designed to help remote employees identify and respond to phishing attempts through real-world decision-making.

Project Snapshot

Audience: Remote employees (early-career professionals)

Goal: Improve phishing detection and secure decision-making

My Role: Instructional Design, Scriptwriting, Storyboarding, Multimedia Development

Format: Scenario-based, story-driven eLearning (video-style interactions)

Tools: Articulate Storyline 360, Figma, Adobe Suite

The Problem

Remote employees at GreenPaws were increasingly exposed to phishing attempts and frequently violated basic security protocols, such as using unsecured networks and personal devices.

Many employees were early in their careers, with limited cybersecurity awareness despite being tech-savvy. The organization needed a scalable solution to standardize secure behaviors and reduce data breach risks.

The Solution

I designed a scenario-based, story-driven learning experience where learners make decisions in realistic workplace situations.

The experience uses branching scenarios, immediate feedback, and visual consequences to simulate real-world outcomes, helping learners understand the impact of their choices.

A gamified progression system (armor leveling) reinforces correct behavior and maintains engagement throughout the experience.

My Process

I followed a structured instructional design approach, starting with identifying key learner behaviors and mapping them to real-world scenarios.

I translated these behaviors into a narrative-driven storyboard, followed by visual design, prototyping, and iterative development based on feedback.

Action Map

I created an action map to identify critical decisions learners need to make when encountering phishing attempts.

This helped prioritize key behaviors and align learning objectives with real-world actions, ensuring the experience focused on decision-making rather than passive knowledge.

Text-Based Storyboard

I developed a detailed text-based storyboard that translated learning objectives into a narrative-driven experience.

The script simulated real-life cybersecurity decisions, using branching paths and consequence-based storytelling to reinforce learning without overwhelming the user.

The storyboard served as the blueprint for visual design, interactions, and learner feedback.

I focused on writing concise, conversational scripts that simplified complex cybersecurity concepts and aligned with real workplace scenarios. Each decision point was designed to feel realistic and relatable to the learner.

Visual Mockups

I translated the storyboard into a cohesive visual experience using a cyberpunk, game-inspired design to enhance immersion while maintaining instructional clarity.

Interactive Prototype

I developed an interactive prototype in Articulate Storyline to validate functionality, user flow, and engagement before full development.

Full Development

Once the prototype was validated, I expanded the experience by developing additional scenarios, multiple outcomes, and a structured review of learning objectives.

I used variables and branching logic in Articulate Storyline to track learner decisions and guide them through personalized pathways. A gamified progression system was implemented, where learners “leveled up” their armor with each correct decision, reinforcing positive behavior.

The experience includes two distinct endings based on learner performance. Learners who make consistently correct decisions unlock the successful outcome, while others are guided through a review and restart path to reinforce key concepts.

This approach ensured that learners not only engaged with the content but also experienced the consequences of their decisions in a realistic and meaningful way.

Results and Takeaways

This project demonstrated how scenario-based storytelling and gamification can enhance engagement and improve decision-making in cybersecurity training. By simulating real-world situations, learners were able to apply concepts in a practical, low-risk environment.

Through this project, I strengthened my ability to design story-driven learning experiences, write engaging scripts, and develop interactive multimedia solutions that align with learning objectives.

Key Takeaways:

Patience: Designing effective learning experiences requires iteration, attention to detail, and continuous refinement across all stages of development.
Prototyping: Early and iterative prototyping is essential for identifying usability issues, validating design decisions, and improving the overall learner experience.
Collaboration: Feedback from users, peers, and stakeholders plays a critical role in refining both the instructional and visual design of a project.

As this is a conceptual project, formal evaluation was not conducted. In a real-world implementation, effectiveness would be measured using the Kirkpatrick Model (reaction, learning, behavior, and results).

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse