Along with implementing a new responsive theme, the Rockwell team wanted to add an employee training portal where employees could access training videos. Sounds easy right? The only catch, managers wanted to be able to track which employees had finished the videos. While outside of the scope of my previous experience, it was a challenge I was excited to take on.
It’s important to make the admin area as clean and easy to use as possible. Using WordPress I started with the user levels to give managers the ability to easily add new employees. I then created a custom training post type so that Rockwell managers could easily create new video tutorials. I also gave admins the ability to reorder the videos by simply dragging the posts into the correct order in case the training sequence needs to be rearranged.
Using video functions based on the duration of the video, I posted user activity to a new database table using ajax. When the video starts a new entry is made for that user, and upon completion a second function updates that entry so that managers can see which videos a user has started and completed.
After creating the tables of users, video lessons, and user activity, I needed to bring them together into an intuitive tracking interface. Using SQL joins within a custom WordPress admin plugin I was able to give managers the ability to sort through users and track activity for each video.
With the ability to collect which videos a user has started and finished, I realized I could make the front end interface more intuitive. For videos that were completed I added a green checkmark and lowered the opacity to make the other videos stand out. For videos that were started I added a blue icon, and new videos received a red exclamation point. This allows employees to quickly spot which videos still need to be completed.
Many websites today incorporate never ending video playlists to keep users engaged. I realized that the same idea would be perfect to help employees finish the training quicker. Using the same function that updates the video database entries, I also added a pop-up lightbox with a list of other videos the user still needs to complete. Instead of finishing the video and clicking back to the main training page, an employee can simply click on the next video and continue watching.
Nothing makes me happier than creating a complete product that looks professional with intuitive design and practical development. If you need a new website that will meet your unique needs, contact me below and let’s get started.
