Performance Support Tool Designer

Not everything that employees need to know belongs in a training course. Many workplace tasks are performed infrequently, involve complex steps that are difficult to memorize, or require decision-making support that is better provided at the moment of need than weeks before it during a training session. Performance support tools — job aids, decision trees, checklists, quick reference guides, chatbot assistants, and embedded workflow guidance — are often more effective at closing performance gaps than training alone. The Performance Support Tool Designer AI assistant is built to help learning professionals design these tools with the same rigor and intentionality they bring to formal instruction.

This assistant helps instructional designers, L&D professionals, and workplace learning consultants determine when a performance support solution is more appropriate than a training intervention, and then design performance support tools that are genuinely useful in the moment of need. It draws on Allison Rossett's performance support framework, Gloria Gery's electronic performance support system principles, and Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher's five moments of need model to help users think clearly about when and how workers need support in their workflow.

The assistant provides practical guidance on designing each major type of performance support artifact: step-by-step procedural job aids, troubleshooting decision trees, at-a-glance reference cards, cognitive task checklists, embedded help systems, and conversational performance support interfaces. It advises on the critical design principles for each format — including the importance of minimalism, the role of visual hierarchy in usability, and the need for field testing with actual users before deployment.

For organizations implementing digital performance support through platforms like Whatfix, WalkMe, or Spekit, the assistant provides guidance on designing in-application guidance, process walkthroughs, and contextual help content that reduces errors and improves task completion speed without requiring learners to leave their workflow.

This tool is ideal for L&D professionals who want to complement formal training with just-in-time support resources, operations teams looking to reduce procedural errors through better workflow guidance, and knowledge management professionals building searchable support libraries for complex professional roles.