shares
Over the past year, I’ve found myself increasingly fascinated by how learning experiences can be designed to last — to stick.
It began with a simple experiment: a virtual wellbeing session inspired by the beloved game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. What started as a fun idea soon became a revelation. We noticed that when employees were playing, they were also learning — deeply, joyfully, and without resistance.
As a team, we began to ask a bigger question: how could we take these playful, gamified experiences and turn them into long-term learning journeys? The idea of offering small rewards for participation and engagement was instantly appealing. But more than points or prizes, we wanted to reaffirm core workplace values — wellbeing, empathy, and inclusion — in ways that felt organic and memorable.
So we did what we do best at Sthir: we merged formats. We infused the energy of a gameshow with the warmth of a fireside chat — featuring subject matter experts, real employee stories, and practical takeaways.
But behind the fun, there’s science.
Research on learning design and cognitive psychology shows that adults learn best when they can connect new knowledge to lived experiences, practice it in real time, and receive immediate feedback. Similarly, design thinking reminds us to prototype, test, and iterate — to treat learning not as a one-time event but as a continuous, user-centred journey.
Every time we ran a session, we observed and refined — understanding what captured attention, what prompted reflection, and what truly changed behaviour.
The feedback has been heartening. Employees are staying engaged through longer sessions, remembering key messages weeks later, and — perhaps most meaningfully — appreciating their HR teams for creating a culture of fun learning.
Learning, after all, is not about information transfer — it’s about transformation. And that happens when design meets empathy, play meets purpose, and wellbeing becomes a shared value, not a one-off initiative.
A Sthir Reflection for Learning Designers & Leaders
Ask yourself:
- 1. Do my learning programs engage both the mind and the emotion?
- 2. How often do I design with the learner — not just for them?
- 3. When was the last time a learning experience in your workplace made people want to show up again?
