In this insightful case study session, award-winning instructional designer Kim Lindsey shares how storytelling transformed a highly technical, content-heavy pharmaceutical training into an engaging learning experience that drove real behavior change.
Kim walks participants through the design of a 90-minute eLearning course created for an international pharmaceutical company after the FDA released new guidance on patient-focused drug development (PFDD). Faced with a complex audience of PhD scientists, medical doctors, statisticians, clinical research nurses, and lab teams, Kim illustrates how her team used narrative—not scenarios—to bring clarity, credibility, and motivation to a dense and highly regulated subject.
Through nine interconnected stories, animated patient perspectives, and character-driven conversations modeled on real job roles, Kim demonstrates how storytelling made abstract regulations concrete, relatable, and actionable. She reveals why stories were more effective than traditional scenarios, how domain expertise and SME partnership ensured authenticity, and how narrative design helped shift an entire research culture toward patient-centered practices.
The result? A Gold Brandon Hall Award–winning program that improved knowledge retention, influenced clinical practices, and gave scientific learners a new lens on their work.
Join Kim as she breaks down her approach, shares design takeaways you can apply to any industry, and shows how well-crafted stories can support even the most technical learners—helping them make decisions, adopt new frameworks, and succeed in the real world.
