In addition to having several Step types, many of those Steps can be used in multiple ways, giving you even more options!
Part 3 of our Writing Guide focuses on the original and alternate methods you can use the following Step types:
Demo
Demo
The Standard Demo Approach
The Standard Demo Approach
A step-by-step guided tutorial that teaches and tests learners on how to get from “Point A” to “Point B” in specific software. All screenshots should be full-page, and each hotspot should be actual clickable spots in the depicted software to emulate the experience accurately.
Example cases include showing learners:
How to log in to your company's app
How to pay a bill online
How to edit your online profile
Design Pattern - The Tour/Guided Practice Mode
Design Pattern - The Tour/Guided Practice Mode
Lead learners through a non-graded “tour” of how software works and/or where to find critical things on a page. It often includes multiple “hotspots” in a single stage, where each hotspot expands on the part of the image being highlighted. We recommend full-page screenshots, but cropped segments can be creatively incorporated.
Example cases include:
Going through the motions of checking a lead in your company's CRM software, highlighting each area of importance on each new page to provide context
Indicating required fields on a particular form (along with an explanation of why they're necessary)
Demo - Simulation Mode
Demo - Simulation Mode
Simulation
The "Simulation" option within the Demo Builder has no particular goal in mind, so there is no need for a tutorial with guiding text. It focuses solely on the user’s interaction journey.
The Software Simulator
The Software Simulator
Screen images are linked together to replicate how a given software works when interacted with. Typically, it includes multiple hotspots that are shown simultaneously and can be selected in any order, each leading the user to its corresponding image to familiarize them with the software without requiring direct access. All screenshots should be full-page to accurately emulate the user's experience as they navigate the depicted software.
Example cases include:
Offering clients a chance to "try" your software before downloading it
Allowing staff to freely explore company software without requiring them to log in
Design Pattern - The Feature Focus
Design Pattern - The Feature Focus
In a more simplified version of Software Simulator, users start on the main feature page with only feature options selectable. Each feature option leads the user to its corresponding "page," where just one hot spot is available — the button/link that takes the user back to the main feature page.
Example cases include:
Offer a glimpse/introductory tour of your software via the main menu
Have users focus on a specific section of your software
Design Pattern - The Presentation
Design Pattern - The Presentation
Unique screens are shown one at a time in a particular order, resembling a "slide show" presentation. Users view each screen and select its hot spot to move to a new screen. It is best used when an image includes visuals and a brief amount of text.
Screenshots/images can be of any size - ensure they can comfortably read/view them!
Example cases include:
Introducing users to product and service offerings
Quickly touching on a specific company process
Design Pattern - The Reveal
Design Pattern - The Reveal
The "same" image is shown from start to finish, where each time a user selects the hot spot, it reveals a new part of the image. Screenshots/images can be of any size - ensure they can comfortably view/read them!
Note: This isn't one image but several images, each photoshopped with different amounts of revealed information and presented in a specific sequence.
Example cases include:
Emphasizing the importance of following a single step-by-step process
Revealing new updates to software via an "infographic-style
Human
Human
The Standard Human Approach
The Standard Human Approach
This Step requires that learners meet virtually or in person with a mentor. You can include this in either a one-on-one or group setting.
One-on-one mentors confirm the learner’s participation and/or assign a grade to the learner. With Group Connections, mentors issue a connection code that students enter into LemonadeLXP to receive attendance credit.
Example cases include:
After learning all about best customer service practices, the learner must demonstrate what they've learned with an actual customer while the mentor observes
Your company is hosting a webinar on how to secure new leads, requiring that all sales reps attend and confirm their attendance by using the Group Connection Code supplied at the end
Design Pattern - The Hide-and-Seek Approach
Design Pattern - The Hide-and-Seek Approach
Learners are tasked with completing a "Group Connection" by reading a passage of text (ideally linked via a hyperlink in the Step's description). To complete the Step, learners must find the hidden Group Connection Code within the text and enter it in their LemonadeLXP.
Example cases include:
Get learners more comfortable with finding information in your database by hiding a code in a key location and having them locate it
Test learners' navigational knowledge by leaving a clue at each step that leads to the next clue, with the code as the final "reward" on the last page
MultiChoice
MultiChoice
Design Pattern - Single Answers
Design Pattern - Single Answers
Learners are expected to select just one correct answer per question. Use incorrect selections as custom learning opportunities via each selection's feedback.
To use this design pattern successfully:
Step description must include a note that learners should only select one answer per question
"All of these" should never be used as an answer option (to avoid confusion)
Example cases include:
Teaching compliance and thoroughly covering why each incorrect answer is incorrect
Going over account fees and regulations, using incorrect feedback to explain each wrong answer's unique requirements
Polygraph
Polygraph
The Standard Polygraph Approach
The Standard Polygraph Approach
Introduce learners to new content in a multi-paragraph or list setting. Deviations are of more straightforward words, never the new content itself, as the learner’s reading comprehension/observation is still being tested.
Example cases include:
Introducing product options that are available to your company's customers
Reviewing a case study relevant to the course's theme
Design Pattern - The Review
Design Pattern - The Review
The Review consists of a body of text covering content the learner should realistically already know. Deviations use the subject matter to test if the learner is paying attention.
Example cases include:
Reviewing the learner's knowledge of available product options for customers
Testing learners on critical terms and topics they've learned previously in the course
Design Pattern - Spot-the-Difference
Design Pattern - Spot-the-Difference
Give learners a document (ideally via hyperlink in the Step's description) that contains a body of text. Learners must use the copy to compare with the Polygraph's text to find and correct the mistakes.
Example cases include:
Introducing new key content to the learner
Including short pieces of text in the curriculum that need to be learned but may not be a good fit in other training games
Design Pattern - The Slogan
Design Pattern - The Slogan
When you want your learners to remember your company's slogan or another integral phrase, Polygraph it! Set it up so most, if not every part, of the phrase is deviated, and learners can "rewrite" it to return it to its proper state. (This approach also works as a Sequence!)
Example cases include:
Introduce your company's slogan to the learner
Confirm your learner understands and recognizes your company's slogan
Scenario
Scenario
The Standard Scenario Approach
The Standard Scenario Approach
Learners “speak” with a customer in a role-play scene, choosing the best answers to help the customer in a simulated scenario.
Example cases include:
The learner must de-escalate an irate customer
The learner must identify opportunities to make product recommendations to a customer
Acting as a manager, the learner must find the most amicable approach as they discuss an issue reported by an employee
Design Pattern - Sage on a Stage
Design Pattern - Sage on a Stage
This pattern mirrors a teacher-student relationship. The avatar shares knowledge while users navigate the conversation by selecting options that reflect common questions or by confirming their understanding. It's an effective introductory step and usually doesn't contribute to game progress.
Example cases include:
Going over the step-by-step process of verifying a customer's identification (and stopping the process if something is missed)
How to identify when an issue should be escalated and when it should be noted but not necessarily reported
Design Pattern - Dialog-Based Chunking Pattern
Design Pattern - Dialog-Based Chunking Pattern
This method effectively simplifies complex topics by breaking them down into a conversational format. It reduces cognitive load by chunking the information into easily digestible sections, similar to chatting with a colleague. Users learn not only from the avatars' responses but also from the available answer choices. Typically, this pattern serves as a reference step and doesn’t contribute to progress in the game, making it an excellent tool for introductory material.
Examples cases include:
Telling the learner about how someone was injured on the job, from setting the scene to how they got hurt
Introducing a course or concept to the learner in a low-pressure setting
Design Pattern - Navigate the Conversation
Design Pattern - Navigate the Conversation
This pattern guides participants through real-world scenarios, such as a sales conversation, a teller interaction, or a sensitive discussion with a colleague. Participants are challenged to navigate the conversation accurately, avoiding common pitfalls. The pattern includes both correct and incorrect answers and typically contributes to the learner's progress.
Example cases include:
Helping a customer deposit a check at a bank teller station
Discussing an HR-sensitive topic with a colleague
Sequence
Sequence
The Standard Sequence Approach
The Standard Sequence Approach
Sequence has learners position action statements in the correct order of events, from top (first thing to do) to bottom (last thing to do).
Example cases include:
Teaching a new keyholder their operating procedures (e.g., Opening Procedures, Day-to-Day Operations, Closing Procedures)
Going over the steps one must take to verify and deposit a check (this would pair well with a Scenario round!)
Design Pattern - The Slogan
Design Pattern - The Slogan
When you want your learners to remember your company's slogan or another integral phrase, put it in a Sequence round! Set it up so each phrase (or word) is its own list item, and learners must reorder it to return it to its proper state. (This approach also works as a Polygraph!)
Example cases include:
Introduce your company's slogan to the learner
Confirm your learner understands and recognizes your company's slogan
Sorting
Sorting
The Standard Sorting Approach
The Standard Sorting Approach
Sorting presents learners with a single fact and multiple categories for answer options. Each fact relates to a single category, and each category can have several associated facts. Learners must “sort” each fact by selecting the appropriate category it’s associated with.
Example cases include:
Teaching learners which materials are considered hazardous and which are not (e.g., bleach versus dish soap)
Having learners identify which products are "standard" and which are considered "premium"
Letting learners practice their understanding of key terms in the course
Design Pattern - Only and Both
Design Pattern - Only and Both
You can use this approach when comparing two categories that share some facts. To do this, you would name your categories:
"Category 1 only"
"Category 2 only"
"Both category 1 and category 2"
This way, you can also highlight similarities between the two categories without causing any confusion! (Note that this only works when comparing two categories — more than two will be confusing!)
Example uses include:
Comparing different services (e.g., similarities and differences between Mobile Banking and Online Banking)
Comparing roles and responsibilities within a company (e.g., cashier vs. sales rep responsibilities, where shared facts include "customer service" and other items like "customer purchases" and "product marketing" would differ)
Design Pattern - Matching Game
Design Pattern - Matching Game
For each category, there is a single fact associated with it. This is done with “matching”-style content where one word/phrase from column “A” matches one word/phrase from column “B.”
For each category, Sorting will show one correct answer with three randomly pulled incorrect answers with each play-through. Learners will have to figure out which one is the right one!
Example cases include:
Identifying key terms with their unique definitions
Identifying products and their overall purposes within the company
Streak
Streak
The Standard Streak Approach
The Standard Streak Approach
Each question has several potential answers, single-word or full-phrase options, rephrased to test whether the learner is paying attention.
Example cases include:
Have learners identify what a particular acronym stands for
Ask learners to determine the best product to offer for a specific situation
Design Pattern - Action Assessment
Design Pattern - Action Assessment
Questions test learners on whether they know the correct way to approach a given situation.
Example cases include:
Confirming if learners know when they should and shouldn't escalate an issue
Having learners confirm what should and shouldn’t be sent to customers in a given situation
Design Pattern - Comparisons
Design Pattern - Comparisons
This is a Sorting-style set of questions with the same answer options to highlight differences between crucial topics.
Example cases include:
Comparing the differences between two similar terms, such as what "over-limit" means versus "over-drawn"
Comparing different product types, such as what a "deposit" account is versus a "savings" account
Design Pattern - MultiChoice Mutation
Design Pattern - MultiChoice Mutation
Questions with several answer options are rephrased, asking the learner to identify what would NOT be considered a correct option. This is especially useful when addressing an item/topic/phrase/etc. that many believe is correct but isn't.
Example cases include:
Having learners identify a lousy customer service practice out of several good ones
Learners must identify one item that is not required to complete a project
Design Pattern - All or One
Design Pattern - All or One
Questions within a single round include “both/all of these” as correct and incorrect answers.
Example cases include:
Challenging learners to recognize several factors that are important when establishing your budget
Challenging learners to know that sometimes only one factor is essential, even if it feels like other factors are relevant
True or False
True or False
The Standard True or False Approach
The Standard True or False Approach
Questions are in the form of positive statements, and learners must choose whether it’s a fact (“True”) or fiction (“False”).
Example cases include:
Verifying that learners generally understand how online and mobile banking work
Reviewing best and worst customer service practices
Design Pattern - This or That
Design Pattern - This or That
For Sorting-style questions, each question is a “fact,” the learner must answer True or False based on the Step description’s assignment of those answer options.
Example cases include:
Reviewing best and worst customer service approaches
Addressing best and worst work safety approaches
Want to see another part of our Writing Guide?
Check out Part 1 here: Guide to Writing Effective Questions & Answers
Check out Part 2 here: Guide to Maximizing Each Step Type's Teaching Potential