Project Overview

Walmart hires at massive scale, with over 1.6 million associates in the U.S. and its workforce tends to be younger, with almost 40% of hourly workers under 30. This project focused on redesigning new hire training to better engage a younger, mobile-first workforce in a hybid training environment.

The Challenge

Walmart's audience was evolving and many new hires were early-career employees accustomed to short-form, mobile content. As onboarding shifted post COVID to a hybrid environment, the existing training experience struggled to keep learners engaged. 

As a result:

• Engagement dropped significantly

• Learners struggled to stay connected and motivated

• Course completion rates declined

My Role

I was the Instructional Designer & Learning Experience Designer responsible for:

• Analyzing and redesigning onboarding content for a virtual audience

• Designing a scalable, mobile-first learning solution

• Developing microlearning and blended learning components

• Creating facilitator-ready ILT materials and gamified reinforcement activities

Design Approach 

Ideally, every designer would love ample time to design and develop training, but we know that's not always possible. The ability to adapt, think quickly, and pivot is crucial in the L&D field, especially with current uncertainties. 

This redesign project faced three main constraints:

• Quick turnaround time

• Solution needed to be simple to launch and scale

• Limited facilitator availability

I simplified the experience and met learners on their phones by breaking down training into short, mobile-first learning bursts with quick interactions. Prioritizing clarity over complexity ensured a rapid rollout. Lastly, I blended self-paced learning with facilitator support to maintain human connection, making the training more flexible and reinforcing learning.

Solution

My redesigned onboarding experience uses a mix of mobile-friendly microlearning and an in-person instructor-led training. 

Deliverables:

• Mobile-first microlearning using 7Taps

• eLearning modules for core concepts

• ILT facilitator guide with Canva presentation and gamified quiz

The ILT components included a Canva presentation for engaging visuals, a facilitator guide for easy delivery, and a gamification component at the end to reinforce learning in a fun, interactive way. This allowed new hires to learn in short bursts asynchronously, while ILT sessions reinforced key concepts, kept learners engaged, and created space for connection and questions.

Impact

The new onboarding experience used short, mobile-friendly content, aligning with the audience's preferred learning style and reduced cognitive load. I achieved a faster rollout by using simple tools and a simplified structure, enabling quick deployment. The blended learning format combined eLearning flexibility with human interaction.

This learning solution: 

• Increased learner engagement in virtual onboarding

• Improved course completion rates

• Reduced development and deployment time compared to traditional eLearning builds

• Created a scalable onboarding model that could be reused across teams