About Me
Who I am
I’m an instructional designer who focuses on creating practical, learner‑centered experiences that help people perform more effectively in real‑world contexts.
My background blends teaching, design, and problem‑solving work, which led me naturally into instructional design. Over time, my focus has shifted from delivering content to designing learning experiences that are relevant, accessible, and aligned with clear performance goals.
I approach learning as a problem-solving discipline. I start by understanding learners, context, and constraints before selecting solutions; whether that’s eLearning, microlearning, job aids, or multimedia resources. Format follows purpose.
My work is grounded in evidence-based learning principles, usability, and accessibility. I aim to design learning that respects learners’ time, supports application on the job, and works for a broad range of users.
This portfolio reflects not just what I build, but how I think. Each project includes context and design rationale because thoughtful decision‑making is central to effective instructional design.
I’m especially interested in projects that support adult and professional learners, prioritize meaningful application, and treat learning as a strategic tool.
Background
I got my start in quality assurance at AMD where I was working with a group to find bugs in their graphics drivers. But, no one could really explain to me what a bug was, how to identify them, or how to go about finding them. My supervisor had a holistic approach, “use software the way a normal user would and see if anything bad happens.” Rather than hunting for edge cases, he wanted to find the problems most likely to occur. It was from this position that I learned the value of concrete documentation, visual examples, and organizational knowledge (what to do, how to do it, and why).
I moved on from that position to a help desk and training support position at a non-profit consortium that provided training and technical support to public libraries in Northeastern Massachusetts. After a few years on the help desk I gained a better appreciation for the struggles of people on the front lines of a support profession. I saw the kinds of things that gave them trouble, areas where they needed more direction and support, and what ways I could structure my answers to best suit their needs. When I was promoted to head of training I was able to use that experience to completely overhaul our existing offerings and make them not only learner-centered rather than content-centered, but I was able to make them focused and relevant to the kinds of needs that staff were seeing in real life scenarios.
I was later promoted again to administrate the ILS (Integrated Library System) platform. Bringing my client-first service perspective I was able to leverage my training experience during our large software migration. Working closely with the implementation consultants of our SaaS partner, I was able to guide the direction of our software configuration to limit expected pain points and fashion documents and job aids preemptively. I then developed and conducted the roll-out training for over 600 professional library staff to ready them to use this new software and further improve and tailor our ongoing support infrastructure based on historic needs.
After leaving my position I decided I wanted to augment my informal training education by studying instructional design to better learn the frameworks and methodologies underpinning design choices so that I could go forward as an even better trainer and designer and help people improve.
Design Philosophy
I prefer to think of instructional design as a tool belt, and each tool has its own ideal scenarios. Rather than being an adherant to any specific learning theories or design methodologies, I like to take a buffet approach and take the bits I need from each area as appropriate. I generally lead with a Backwards Design thinking process, “what is the change that needs to happen that lets us know we’ve achieved our goal?” From there, I move to the beginning of ADDIE (Analyze). But, rather than treating ADDIE as “waterfall” design process, I treat each step in the design journey as an opportunity for evaluation, reflection, and iteration, thereby bringing in the defining elements of SAM (Successive Approximation Model).
My focus is always squarely on the learner and how we can bridge the skill gap between where they are and where the client needs them to be. As much as possibile I prefer to us authentic, real-world scenarios to tailor my instructional development around so that practice looks and feels like performance. Not only does this build mastery and foster behavioral change, but it also builds reinforcement and confidence to assist learners.
Additionally, I always try to foster a strong relationship with clients, stakeholders, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure that I’m not training in a vaccuum. New knowledge can be gained by learners, but lasting behavioral change can only truly happen in an environment that supports and reinforces it. Management needs to know how to coach employees as they begin using new methods and administrators need to support management by allowing learners time to fully integrate changes.