Affirming Care for LGBTQ+ People
- Tools:
“End users routinely name Veronica’s product as the very best training they have taken over their many years at our organization.” ~ Dr. Animesh Sabnis, Director of Health Equity Analytics and Strategy (UCLA Health System)
Overview
I led the development of an interactive eLearning module that equips UCLA Health employees across California with the knowledge and skills to create more equitable and inclusive clinical environments for LGBTQ+ patients.
Since its launch, the module has attracted interest from healthcare systems beyond UCLA Health and is currently under consideration for licensing and adoption by hospitals and facilities across California.
My Role
My role encompassed project leadership, visual design, media production, and eLearning development.
Project Leadership
Managed all aspects of the project, including:
- Defining project scope, budget, and timelines.
- Setting up project tracking systems via Google Sheets.
- Facilitating all stakeholder meetings to ensure alignment.
- Ensuring the project was completed on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
Visual Design
Developed the project’s visual identity, including:
- Creating a Style Guide to ensure consistency across all assets.
- Producing all banners, graphic collages, custom vector art, and software-specific recreations.
- Ensuring all visual elements aligned with project goals.
Media Production
Led all media production efforts, including:
- Planning and coordinating all project videos.
- Overseeing script development and creating detailed visual storyboards.
- Curating and organizing stock b-roll footage for video production.
- Post-production of all videos using both Camtasia and Adobe Premiere.
eLearning Development
Building the course, including:
- Developing interactive knowledge checks and complex scenario-based activities in Articulate Storyline.
- Building the complete Articulate Rise module to ensure a seamless user experience and Cornerstone LMS integration.
Approach
In collaboration with UCLA Health and LGBTQ+ health experts and community members, we designed a scenario-based learning experience for healthcare staff to practice affirming behaviors and apply inclusive best practices through realistic, hands-on exercises.
We prioritized authenticity and empathy at the core of our design, ensuring learners could engage with content that was both relatable and actionable. To achieve this, we incorporated:
People-centered visuals reflecting UCLA Health staff and an uplifting tone.
Diverse representation of LGBTQ+ identities across various roles.
Interactive knowledge checks promoting retention & self-reflection.
Decision-based scenarios guiding learners through patient interactions.
Character voiceovers to create a more immersive learning experience.
Integrated resources to support continued learning & exploration.
Process
I led the design and development of the course, creating and implementing a custom iterative process grounded in action mapping, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback cycles. This process fostered strong collaboration with subject matter experts and key stakeholders, ensuring alignment, efficiency, and shared ownership throughout development. The process included:
1. Discovery
- Gathered project requirements, defined scope and budget, identified key stakeholders, and facilitated Action Mapping sessions to uncover the core business need and performance gap.
- Developed a Project Charter to align expectations and establish a clear foundation for the course build.
2. Design
- Collaboratively developed a comprehensive Design Document outlining learning outcomes, content structure, and instructional strategies.
- Created a Style Guide with visual mockups and prototyped key interactive and UI elements to ensure a consistent learner experience and secure early stakeholder alignment.
3. Development
- Built the course module and supporting assets using a range of authoring and design tools, including Articulate Rise, Storyline, Adobe Creative Suite, and Camtasia.
- Ensured WCAG accessibility compliance, keyboard accessibility, and responsive design across devices.
- Incorporated iterative stakeholder feedback and refined interactive elements and visuals to enhance engagement and usability.
4. Deployment
- Deployed the final module to UCLA Health’s Cornerstone LMS.
- Conducted thorough quality control reviews to ensure functionality, accuracy, and accessibility.
- Documented implementation details and outlined recommendations for future updates and maintenance.
AI Highlights
For this project, artificial Intelligence played a key role in helping us accelerate production timelines and reduce costs. Here’s how:
Visual Customization: AI features in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator helped me modify stock photos, transform backgrounds into clinical settings, and adjust elements like scrubs, colors, and features to reflect diverse patient populations.
AI-Generated Voiceovers: ElevenLabs streamlined voiceover production with quick, cost-effective character narration. Real-time revisions eliminated the need for third-party VO artists. This saved time, money, and weeks of production.
AI-Driven Content Support: ChatGPT ensured consistent alt text for images, media, and graphics while generating ideas for diverse character profiles and scenarios to enrich course narratives with varied perspectives.
Examples
Here are a few samples from the project.
