Need
Create an equitable alternative to a headset-based inventory audit without replacing authentic practice with a passive or diminished assignment.
Kitchen Cordon Bleu
Kitchen Cordon Bleu
What should an accessible alternative preserve—and what might it become when accessibility shapes the design from the beginning?
When the planned VR inventory audit could not equitably serve a learner with a severe visual impairment, I designed and developed a screen-reader-compatible simulation from scratch in Articulate Storyline. Kitchen Cordon Bleu preserved the professional performance at the heart of the assignment—investigating inventory, documenting evidence, and advising a client—while becoming a different kind of experience: a richly explorable desktop warehouse with characters, competing clues, two audit directions, and multiple levels of support. It served as the accessible companion to the larger ACT 4210: Auditing I redesign, but was substantial enough that any student could choose it.
AT A GLANCE
- Context
Senior Instructional DesignerNova Southeastern University2020–2021
Solution
Preserve the professional performance - not the headset - by designing an accessible desktop investigation with equivalent opportunities to gather evidence, exercise judgment, document observations, and recommend action.
Deliverable
A standalone, JAWS- and NVDA-compatible Storyline simulation with 240 inspectable boxes, guided and advanced modes, list-to-floor and floor-to-list auditing, randomized sampling, integrated workpapers, and an explorable narrative environment.
Impact
Offered to the full class instead of, or in addition to, VR, the simulation earned stellar ratings from its seven inaugural users. Ideas developed specifically for it later informed improvements to the evolving VR experience.
Takeaway
Accessibility inspired a richer product, but richness needed restraint. The simulation proved that an equitable alternative can stand on its own; student performance also showed me that narrative detail earns its place only when it sharpens the professional task rather than competing with it.
Methods & Tools: Articulate Storyline · Simulation architecture · Narrative design · JAWS · NVDA · Qualtrics