Job-Aid Design: Tips, Tricks, What to Include, How to Format?

Best resource (IMO) to break it down to essential actions and support resources is Cathy Moore's Action Mapping: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/action-mapping-a-visual-approach-to-training-design/

After going through Cathy's process, look at context, and format carefully.  A user at a desk with a computer may have access to multimedia or clickable links to unveil each layer of information as it's needed, with progressive depths of information.

A user in a fire with a fire extinguisher needs a sticker on the side that can be understood in under 5 seconds.

So after Cathy's process, I find context/format (the function) to drive the best choices for form.

Hi Nicole, 

This is a great discussion.  I recently had to develop some for regulatory compliance at a call center.  As everything else we do, I started with the business need.  Our business need was for agents to be completely aware of Medicare regulations regarding a customer's right to an appeal.  I used PowerPoint in a portrait layout to build the attached job aid. It seemed to work well along with dedicated coaching from supervising staff.  In terms of formatting, I always picture a job aid to have a START and STOP point.

Not really a specific suggestion, but it always helps me to try to imagine myself as a frustrated user of whatever the job-aid is being created for. What would make me happy to see? What would get in the way? Should it be step-by-step, or a list of helpful items? 

I really imagine myself seeing the job-aid, and what I would be looking for. That helps me to avoid the trap of a pre-defined template that might be easier to create, but may not quite be the thing the end user will find most helpful.

Then, make it blue. Blue always works.

Nothing to add here other than Dave Ferguson's Ensampler. He's been studying, designing, and developing job aides for a couple of decades and has a wealth of information. 

Way to much to explain here so I'll just leave you this gem: http://www.ensampler.com

A lot of really fabulous tips here... thanks for everyone's insights... some of the top tips I think I'm pulling from this are...

• Put yourself in the learners shoes and consider what they need/want on the job 
• Understanding work environment, business requirements, and the context is key to ensure the job-aid is usable in a real-life situation
• Consider  creating an infographic or something more visual 

These are awesome tips so far! You guys rock :)

Ok, so this is not so much related to the format of the job aid, but one think I can add is that it's also extermely important where and how easily users can find the job aids. I've seen dozens of projects with great job aids not adding much value because users don't where to look.

When writing a procedural job aid e.g. data entry steps - has anyone found a format that is easy to use, attractive and easily transferable to accessible technology such as JAWS for the visually impaired?

Just came across this thread. Thanks to Kevin and Nicole for their kind words, and apologies to Tracy -- I had a malware problem on both my blogs, which has since been fixed.

Creating job aids won't reduce the crabgrass on your lawn or make you a better singer, but if you use them when the nature of the task suggests them, you'll help your audience save time and money, avoid stress, and (most important) achieve results that matter.

I've just returned from the Institute for Performance and Learning's 2016 conference, where I offered my Building Job Aids workshop. That's spurring me to share ideas more often at Ensampler.com, including how-tos and makeovers of less-than-optimal job aids.

If David didn't post it, I was going to.

Are you creating a Just in Time job aid, or something more complex. If you were in need of the job aid, what do you need to know??

Depending on what the job aid is to be used for, I might suggest an infographic.