Video: Stocking Ergonomics
As my teammates and I began to design a new training program for retail store employees, we found an enormous gap in the existing training: stockers weren’t being trained on safe-lifting techniques. And as you can imagine, stocking groceries on shelves is such physical work! We needed to get something together ASAP to keep our employees safe and reduce risk to the business.
I sprang into action to design a training video demonstrating ergonomic techniques for employees. The content needed to be memorable…so I decided to camp it up a bit. You’ll see!
Software Used
Camtasia | Audacity
Roles
LXD | On-Screen Talent | Narrator | Developer
Teammate Contributions
Video Production | Motion Graphics
DESIGN PROCESS
We didn’t have an in-house SME for this content. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I began by researching ergonomic basics on YouTube/Google & attempted to validate the information by referencing the latest OSHA literature: OSHA – Guidelines for Retail Grocery Stores (2004).
I gave it a valiant effort, but my bullet-point list of best practices wasn’t going to cut it! I decided to bring on a licensed physical therapist as a consultant SME. Through a series of discovery calls with the PT during which we discussed and practiced safe-lifting techniques, I was able to create a content storyboard and script for the video.
Note: I prefer to create text-based storyboards with just brief descriptions of shots and on-screen elements. I’ll include graphics & mock-ups only where I feel it’s needed. During this stage of design, I want SME reviewers to focus entirely on the accuracy of content rather than being distracted by the visual details.
DESIGN PROCESS
Once the storyboard was approved, it was time to lace up my steel-toed boots and record footage for the video. With the help of a teammate well versed in video production, as well as a shot list I created by distilling content from the final storyboard, we captured all the necessary footage in half an hour. The following day, I recorded the narration for the video in Audacity.
I spliced the footage/narration files together in Camtasia and added basic transitions and lower-third titles throughout. I then passed the file on to my super talented teammate who polished up the editing and finalized the video with flashy motion graphics.
Note: due to the importance of the content, the video went through 3 rounds of review & revision with a cross-functional group of stakeholders.