Theme: Compliance
Organization: Accounts Payable Team
Deliverables: Microlearning Scenario
Tools: Articulate Storyline, Photoshop, ElevenLabs
Audience: Accounts payable staff
Seat Time: 15 minutes
The Problem
Phishing emails remain one of the most common causes of security breaches. But most cybersecurity training relies on static content that explains warning signs without giving people a chance to actually practice recognizing them. Accounts payable staff are high-value targets. They need to build the decision-making skills they’ll need in the moment, not just awareness of warning signs.
Annual compliance videos don’t stop invoice fraud. AP teams get bombarded with fake vendor emails, urgent wire requests, and spoofed manager messages. Reading a policy document about cybersecurity doesn’t help when an employee is rushing through forty emails before lunch.
What I Did
Instead of a checklist approach, I built a scenario-based microlearning experience that replicates the decision employees actually face during daily work. The interaction starts with a short introduction that establishes the situation, then moves into a simulated email interface designed to resemble a typical workplace inbox. Replicating that familiar environment helps learners evaluate the message the same way they would during their normal workflow. [Inbox Interface screenshot]
The email includes several common phishing indicators—unusual sender domain, urgent language, request for financial transfer. Learners must decide how to respond by selecting one of three possible actions. This decision point encourages them to analyze the content rather than simply identifying warning signs from a list.
After they make a decision, they get immediate feedback explaining the consequences and highlighting the indicators that reveal the phishing attempt. The feedback reinforces the cues they should look for when evaluating suspicious communications. [Feedback example]
I used ElevenLabs for voicemail messages instead of booking voice actors, which kept production fast and budget low. [AI voicemail sample]
What Happened
The microlearning format keeps the experience focused and repeatable without pulling staff away from work for long. It replaced a boring 30-minute slide presentation with a 7-minute focused practice session that staff actually finish.
Leadership also got a repeatable simulation template they can use to test new scam types as threats change.