Case study 04 · Nova Learning and Design · Consulting engagement
A right-sized blueprint that cut manual work without losing the human touch
Most recommendations shipped within months: self-serve workbook ordering with no address errors, self-service cohort transfers, one-click calendar invites, a microlearning pilot for graduates and a new self-paced resource library.
My role: I led the engagement end to end: staff interviews, tool audit, participant journey map, options analysis, the staff priority-setting workshop and the final recommendations.
The problem
The academy was known for warm, highly personal programs, but that hospitality ran on heavy manual work at every stage, especially onboarding and enrollment. The tools they already paid for were used well below capacity, and staff wanted room to grow the program without burning out.
What I did to understand it
I interviewed staff, audited the tools, and mapped the participant journey from first application through alumni life, marking the pain points at each stage: hand-managed calendars, workbooks printed and shipped in bulk with frequent address errors, evaluation data uploaded in messy batches, and 2,500+ alumni with no one owning their engagement.
The key decision
I laid out three paths: optimize existing tools, add a training management system and resource hub, or adopt a full learning platform. The full platform looked like the obvious answer, but there was no one to own it and little staff capacity, so it would have become more overhead, not less.
I recommended right-sized moves first, and made protecting the personal touch a design rule: automation should remove admin work, never the human moments.
Designing with staff
Staff placed every option on an impact and effort chart, which became their roadmap. We also co-wrote seven online learning principles, starting from a research-based draft and adapting it to their own programs, so future learning design decisions had a shared standard.
What shipped
- Free on-demand workbook ordering, mailed with a welcome kit: no address errors, no bulk shipping deadlines.
- A training management system with polished confirmation emails and self-service transfers between cohorts.
- One-click calendar invites for events, replacing bulk-uploaded registrant lists.
- An opt-in, four-week microlearning email series for graduates.
- A self-paced resource library.
What happened
Months later, the client shared the impact and effort chart again and wrote that they were “kind of stunned to see how much we've done since the summer.”
What I'd do differently
Set two or three baseline measures, like staff hours per cohort, before rollout, so the time saved could be shown as a number.
The participant journey, before and after
- 1. Application
Pain point: Applications monitored by hand
Change: Address checks at the source
- 2. Enrollment
Pain point: Calendars managed manually
Change: Self-service registration and transfers
- 3. Onboarding
Pain point: Workbooks shipped in bulk
Change: Free on-demand workbook ordering
- 4. Delivery
Pain point: Rescheduling by email chain
Change: One-click calendar invites
- 5. Closure
Pain point: Messy bulk evaluation uploads
Change: One standard evaluation form
- 6. Alumni
Pain point: 2,500+ alumni, no owner
Change: Microlearning series and resource library
Three paths, right-sized
Low: optimize existing tools
4–6 weeks
Automate invites, on-demand printing, email templates, cleaner evaluation data.
Recommended
Medium: training management + resource hub
2–4 months
Centralize scheduling and registration; add a searchable library.
Recommended
High: full learning platform
About 6 months
One platform for everything, but no owner and the steepest adoption curve.
Not now
Seven online learning principles, co-written with staff
- Choice, clarity and accountability
- Predictability and structure
- Inclusive peer participation
- Confidentiality with access
- Action and alumni engagement
- Feedback and self-reflection
- Community as core learning