Constant Contact

Instructional Design & Internal Training Systems

A blurred screenshot of a computer screen showing a messaging or email interface with a list of folders on the left and message content on the right.

This case study is intentionally light on visuals. The work focused on instructional systems, delivery, and accuracy rather than interface design or presentation artifacts.

I took ownership of internal sales training and instructional systems at Constant Contact, refining how learning content was structured, maintained, and delivered to improve clarity and adoption across the sales organization.

The work focused less on visual output and more on continuity, clarity, and reliability. Training needed to consistently reach the right people and remain easy to maintain over time.


Role: Instructional Designer / Visual Designer (Internal Systems)

Tools: Articulate 360 Rise, Excel, Google Docs

Timeline: Ongoing support during team transition

Context: Internal sales enablement, training systems, team transition

The Challenge

During my time at Constant Contact, the instructional designer responsible for sales training left the organization, creating a gap in ownership while training needs continued. Sales teams still required onboarding materials, product education, and updates tied to active initiatives, and the work needed to continue without disruption.

Beyond content creation, there were also issues with distribution and tracking. It wasn’t always clear who had received which training, where overlap existed, or where gaps had formed. Without addressing these underlying problems, even well-designed training risked missing its intended audience.

My Role

I took on responsibility for instructional design and training delivery alongside my existing design work. This included learning new tools, building training modules, coordinating reviews, and supporting launches as initiatives moved forward.

As the work progressed, it became clear that content alone wasn’t the primary issue. I also focused on understanding and improving how training was tracked and distributed so learning efforts were consistent rather than fragmented.

Solution:

Instructional Content Design

To support ongoing training needs, I independently learned Articulate 360 Rise and used it to build internal learning modules for sales teams. The modules were structured to be clear, concise, and practical, with an emphasis on real-world understanding rather than presentation.

I coordinated testing and reviews prior to live launches and supported training rollouts—often outside normal working hours—to ensure materials were accurate and ready when needed.

Training Distribution & Systems

While working on training content, I asked how distribution had been handled previously and learned that participant lists had been manually maintained for years.

To understand the scope of the issue, I used Excel to analyze training records and cross-reference participant data. This surfaced missing trainees, redundant assignments, and gaps in coverage. Replacing manual inputs with a more reliable system improved consistency and reduced reliance on follow-ups or workarounds.

Digital interface with a sidebar menu on the left, a report or article with graphs and text, and a checkbox section, all in shades of blue, purple, gray, and white.

Outcome & Impact

BAs a result of this work, internal training reached more employees and was delivered more consistently than before. Gaps in participation were reduced, and sales enablement efforts became easier to manage across initiatives.

The systems put in place continued to function beyond individual launches, supporting ongoing training without requiring constant manual intervention.

Reflection

This project reinforced how much impact lives outside visible design output. Creating instructional content was only part of the responsibility; ensuring it reached the right people and held up over time mattered just as much.

It also highlighted the value of stepping into ambiguity, identifying where systems were breaking down, and making practical decisions that supported the work long after launch.