Instructional Designer & Corporate Trainer

Learning That Solves Real Problems

I design training that doesn't just inform — it changes behavior, closes skill gaps, and drives measurable results. Every project starts with a real problem and ends with evidence it worked.

Skills & Competencies

Needs Analysis Curriculum Design eLearning Development Scenario-Based Learning ILT Facilitation Job Aid Design LMS Administration Evaluation & Metrics

I Turn Expertise Into Engaging Learning Experiences

With 18+ years of professional experience, I've sat on both sides of the training table — as a learner, a subject matter expert, and now as an instructional designer. That experience shapes everything I build: I know what bores people, what confuses them, and what actually makes learning stick.

I specialize in diagnosing performance problems and designing targeted solutions — whether that's an eLearning module, an instructor-led workshop, a job aid, or a blended curriculum. I don't design training for training's sake. I design it because something isn't working, and I want to fix it.

Based in Houston, TX. Open to remote and hybrid opportunities in instructional design, corporate training, and L&D consulting.

18+
Years of professional experience
ADDIE
Framework applied across all projects
Results
Every project measured against business outcomes

Portfolio

Featured Projects

Each project below starts with a real business problem. Click View Full Case Study to see the story, the scenarios, and the results.

eLearning · Onboarding

Compliance & Onboarding · eLearning Series

New Hire Onboarding: From Overwhelmed to Ready

"Our new hires were quitting within 90 days. They said they felt lost, unsupported, and unprepared for their actual jobs."

— HR Director, mid-size logistics company

A logistics company with 400+ employees was losing 30% of new hires before their 90-day mark. Exit interviews revealed a common theme: the onboarding program was generic, policy-heavy, and left employees with no idea how to actually do their jobs. I was brought in to redesign it from the ground up.

Articulate Storyline ADDIE Learner Personas Branching Scenarios LMS Deployment Kirkpatrick Level 3

The Problem

The existing onboarding consisted of a 40-slide PowerPoint read aloud by HR, a binder of policies, and a "shadow your manager for a week" approach. There were no defined learning objectives, no practice opportunities, and no feedback loop. New hires arrived at their desks on Day 8 still unsure how to process orders, escalate issues, or find basic resources. The 30% early turnover was costing the company an estimated $8,000 per lost hire in recruitment and retraining costs.

My Analysis & Approach

I conducted stakeholder interviews with HR, 3 department managers, and 8 recent hires (both those who stayed and those who were exit-interviewed). I identified three distinct learner profiles with different job functions and pain points. The root cause was not lack of information — it was lack of context and practice. New hires had no safe space to make mistakes before Day 1 on the floor. I proposed a 5-module eLearning series with branching scenarios, replacing the policy-dump with role-specific, situation-based learning.

Results at 90 Days

↓ 50%
Reduction in early turnover within 90 days
92%
Learner satisfaction score on post-training survey
↓ 35%
Decrease in HR help-desk questions from new hires

Skills Demonstrated in This Project

Needs Analysis & Stakeholder Interviews Learner Persona Development Learning Objective Writing Storyboarding Branching Scenario Design Articulate Storyline Development Job Aid Design LMS Deployment & Testing Kirkpatrick Levels 1–3 Evaluation SME Collaboration
ILT · Leadership Development

Leadership Development · Instructor-Led Workshop

From Individual Contributor to Leader: A Manager Readiness Program

"We promoted our best employees into manager roles — and then watched team morale tank. We didn't prepare them to lead. We just gave them a title."

— VP of Operations, regional retail chain

A retail chain with 18 locations had promoted 45 frontline employees to store manager within a single year. Six months later, employee engagement scores had dropped 22 points and complaints about management had doubled. The new managers weren't bad people — they had never been taught how to lead.

ILT Facilitation Curriculum Design Scenario-Based Activities Job Aids Action Planning Kirkpatrick Level 4

The Problem

The previous "leadership training" was a 2-hour session on HR policies and how to run a performance review — delivered once, with no follow-up. Managers were expected to figure out the rest on their own. The result: managers who micromanaged because they didn't trust their teams, avoided difficult conversations because they didn't know how to have them, and scheduled unfairly because they didn't know how to handle push-back. The business impact was real: turnover at managed locations was 42% higher than the company average.

My Analysis & Approach

I shadowed three store managers for a full day each and interviewed 12 frontline employees across four locations. I identified the core competency gaps: difficult conversations, fair scheduling, and giving feedback without damaging relationships. I designed a two-day ILT workshop built almost entirely around real scenarios the managers recognized from their own experience. Every activity required a decision, a discussion, and a debrief — not just note-taking. I also designed a 90-day Action Plan each participant completed and shared with their district manager for accountability.

Results at 6 Months Post-Training

↑ 18pts
Rise in employee engagement scores at trained locations
↓ 60%
Drop in management-related HR complaints
100%
Of workshop cohorts requested repeat delivery — now a quarterly program

Skills Demonstrated in This Project

Needs Analysis via Observation & Interviews Root Cause Analysis Curriculum & Session Design Role-Play & Case Study Facilitation Facilitator Guide Writing Participant Workbook Design Job Aid Development 90-Day Action Planning Kirkpatrick Levels 1–4 Evaluation Stakeholder Reporting

How I Work

My Design Process

I don't start by opening PowerPoint. I start by asking: what problem are we actually solving?

A
Analyze
Define the performance gap through interviews, observation, and data — not assumptions.
D
Design
Map measurable learning objectives, choose the right format, and storyboard the experience.
D
Develop
Build content with real scenarios, realistic practice, and immediate feedback loops.
I
Implement
Launch, train facilitators, and support rollout so learners actually show up prepared.
E
Evaluate
Measure at all four Kirkpatrick levels when possible. If it didn't change behavior, we iterate.

Let's Work Together

I'm actively looking for instructional design, L&D, or corporate training roles — full-time or contract. If you have a learning problem worth solving, I'd love to hear about it.

Houston, TX — Open to remote & hybrid
svasquez2313@gmail.com
Available for full-time & contract roles