Estevan Saenz
Design Document for
Millard's Ageism Training
Needs statement
Mr. Millard, the owner of Millard’s Department Store in Puritan Springs, has recently learned
that customer complaints from elderly shoppers in his store have increased. An initial meeting
with Mr. Millard and follow-up data collection is detailed in Appendix A of this document.
Testing an initial training prototype with a sales manager, gathering data from focus groups,
sharing the data with a SME (gerontology professor), and observations from the sales floor are
analyzed.
Two themes emerged from the analysis and suggest training and non-training interventions.
These themes should be addressed in a revision of the prototype and in non-training
interventions (such as changes in management processes).
Youth orientation
Millard’s has a youth orientation. The salespeople are predominantly in their early twenties,
the marketing department are in their early thirties, and the managers are somewhere in
between their twenties and late-fifties. Observations of the marketing department reveal that
advertising is geared mostly for the young because, as stated by one account manager “the
young change styles more often, and buy more clothes.” Other evidence of a youth culture was
loud music playing throughout the store that would appeal mostly to the late teen, early
twenties crowd.
Solutions to these problems are likely to be non-training in nature. For example, management
might explore changing the type of music played in stores. Sales incentives might not be based
solely on dollar amounts but on type of sales as well. Marketing initiative need to be reexplored. I will bring these thoughts up with Mr. Millard.
Differential treatment
Both of the elder people interviewed complained of feeling invisible or of being treated like
they were weaker than they were. Salespeople complained that old people were too slow and
demanding and took their time away from customers more likely to spend money and help
them earn sales commissions. I sensed that the salespeople were highly uncomfortable talking
about the elderly because they did not make eye contact while talking about them and they
were not as forthcoming with information. Almost all of the Millard’s employees interviewed
did not seem to think of themselves as having any bias or prejudice towards the elderly, yet
many of the comments indicated stereotypical ways of thinking as well as a lack of empathy for
the aging experience.
Learner analysis
Initially the learner appeared to be the salesmen/women working the department floor. Focus
group interviews with two people from the sales department, two people from the sales
manager group, and two people from the marketing department revealed that sales managers
as well as Millard’s marketing department would benefit from learning more about age
discrimination.
Millard salesmen and women are in their early twenties, earn minimum wage plus commission,
and work part-time rather than full time. Professionals in the marketing department are in
their early thirties, have college educations and work full-time, with an average of three-years
experience at Millards. Managers worked full time, ranged in age from low thirties to upper
fifties, and had a wide range of experience (from one to 10 years).
Analysis of focus group interviews revealed that all three groups valued a “youth culture” and
displayed differential treatment towards elderly customers. See Appendix A for additional
information.
Training for these groups will need to be presented in a “just-in-time” format that allows
learners to take part in the instruction during normal work hours, preferably during slow
periods of the day when fewer customers need assistance.
Several non-training interventions need to be explored including incentives to improve sales to
the elderly population. The marketing department might consider analyzing and reassessing
their marketing plan to include the elderly population. Creating a more elderly-friendly
shopping experience should also be explored. Better lighting, signage and sound systems are
needed throughout the store.
Objectives
Content type and level
Objective
Metacognitive: Integrate
as well as Affective:
Integrate
Terminal Objective
(see Appendix chart at
the end of this
document)
Affective:/Select

Given achievement of Objectives 1, 2, and 3 below (C),

Millard’s employees (A)

will create/produce (in writing) (B)

two (D)

plans to improve treatment of elderly customers (B).
Enabling Objective 1

Given a definition of discrimination and a store-based
scenario about discrimination (C)

the Millard’s employees (A)

will identify behaviors and attitudes reflecting
discrimination(B and D)
New
Concept:
Organize/Integrate
Enabling Objective 2

Given sales related demographics

the Millard employees (A)

will imagine/predict potential consequences of biased
thinking and actions
Affective: Select
Enabling Objective 3

Given three "tests" of prejudice (1. old/young test, 2.
description of self as old, and 3. the greeting card test) (C)
Concept: Organize

Millard’s employees (A)

identify how they stereotype age groups (B & D)
Enabling Objective 4

Given historical facts of age discrimination (C)

the Millard employee (A)

will identify that ageist attitudes have increased over time

Fact:Select
from a list of true/false statements
Enabling Objective 5

Given a reading and brief test of aging facts (C)

the Millard employees (A)

will select and identify characteristics of growing old (B and
D)
Macro Instructional Strategies
Sequence your objectives and describe type of overall strategy used.
A combination story strategy and familiar to unfamiliar sequencing is used. Objectives are
sequenced from enabling objective 1 to enabling objective 5, ending with the terminal
objective :
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Enabling objective 1 (learner identifies discrimination in a story scenario)
Enabling objective 2 (learner predicts consequence of discriminatory behavior)
Enabling objective 3 (learner identifies their own stereotypical thinking)
Enabling objective 4 (learner identifies the historical roots of ageism)
Enabling objective 5 (learner identifies fact related characteristics of the elderly that
influence shopping at Millards)
6) Terminal objective (learner writes two plans to improve the elderly customer experience
Assessment
Objective
Terminal Objective

Given achievement of Objectives 1, 2, and 3 below (C),

Millard’s employees (A)

will create/produce (in writing) (B)

two plans for improving customer/salesperson interactions(rubric will show criteria for
each plan) (D)
o
Plan can be implemented in the next two months (1, 2, 3
points)
o
Plan clearly works to reduce discriminatory behaviors or enhance nondiscriminatory behaviors (1, 2, 3 points)
o

Plan shows creativity (something new and exciting) (1, 2, 3 points)
plans to improve treatment of elderly customers (B).
Enabling Objective 1

Given a definition of discrimination and a store-based scenario about discrimination (C)

the Millard’s employees (A)

will identify discriminatory behaviors(B)

by identifying which of the following is NOT discriminatory:
a. Disliking an elderly customer because they were demanding and ungrateful. (correct)
b. Thinking most older people are unfriendly based on your experiences with an
unfriendly
neighbor.
c. Avoidance of elderly people because they make you feel uncomfortable.

and by identifying 3 discriminatory behaviors that took place in the case study, such as:
1 - stereotypical thinking - “old people are poor”,
2 - “old people are hard of hearing”,
3 - “old people are less intelligent.” (D)

Enabling Objective 2

Given a list of age related demographics (C)

the Millard’s employees (A)

will imagine/predict potential consequence of biased thinking and actions (B)

by stating at lease one problem among these options (D):
o Millard’s is losing money since sales to other age groups are constant and
sales for the elderly population are declining.
o There is increased competition from the mail order industry.
o Millard’s could remain competitive by attracting and maintaining elderly
customers who have the resources to increase our profits.
Enabling Objective 3

Given three tests of prejudice (1. old/young test, 2. description of self as old, and 3. the
greeting card test) (C)

Millard’s employees (A)

recognize their biased on unbiased thinking of different age groups stereotype age
groups (B)

by reading that the selection of either "old" or "young" from the following statements
reflects biased










thinking:
Keep their distance from other age groups
Drive dangerously
Think the world owes them a living
Opinionated
Never satisfied and always complaining
Can’t depend on them as employees
Hang around parks and shopping malls
Forgetful
Have more freedom than other people
Don’t act their age (D)

by using negative adjectives when they describe themselves as an elderly person (D)

and by identifying the negative stereotypes in two greeting cards. (D)
o
(It’s your birthday, have a rocking time - old people spend their birthdays in
rocking chairs and wear themselves out)
o
(Get out your glasses for …. Another birthday – in small print, old people are
forgetfull and near blind)

Enabling Objective 4

Given a history of age discrimination (C)

the Millard employee (A)

will identify that ageist attitudes have increased over time(B)

by answering the following True/False questions and learning that all statements are
true:
o
Puritans believed that age was considered a sign of favor
o
Puritans taught their youth to treat the elderly with respect
o
Henry David Thoreau said “I havelived some 30 years on this planet and I have
yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my
seniors.They have told me nothing and probably cannot teach me anything.”


Enabling Objective 5

Given a reading and brief test of aging facts (C)

the Millard employees (A)

will select and identify characteristics of growing old and what this means to Millards (B)

by answering true/false questions below and reading the application of that knowledge
to improved customer relations
o People who are older do not see or hear as well as they did when they were
younger. (T) (make signs legible, use strong lighting, keep music low enough for
hearing)
o
A majority of the elderly population is mentally depressed. (F) Maintain friendly
and curtious behavior
o
Older people have less muscle mass than younger people. (T) Carry heavy items
or provide assistance when warranted
o
The elderly have more automobile accidents. (F)
o
Older people cannot adapt to change.(F) Provide information elated to trends.
o
Learning new information is much slower for older people. (T) Include adequate
instruction.
o
Older people have more in common with each other than other age groups.(F)
o
Older people are socially isolated. (F)
o
Medical professionals tend to ignore the elderly. (T)

Content
The objectives above as well as the final prototype list specific content. The following
content may be needed for audio and multimedia purposes:
The story
Last fall an elderly woman shopped in a department store to find clothing for an
upcoming vacation. She stood for a while at the clothing rack trying to locate
something she liked. While she searched, two sales clerks were talking and laughing
nearby.
Both sales clerks assumed that the woman was poor since was wearing an old dingy
raincoat and carried a plastic bag that appeared to be her purse. Clearly the older
woman didn’t seem to be the kind of person who could afford to be shopping in that
department anyway.
After 10 minutes a young couple walked in. One of the sales clerks immediately asked
the couple if there was anything in particular that they were looking for. The other
sales clerk walked to a different section of the store.
Eventually the elderly woman found a number of clothing items she liked. These she
piled
10 inches deep onto her frail arm. As she walked towards the dressing room, several
items trailed onto the floor. The salesclerk stopped her scolding loudly “You’ve got
too many items for the dressing room.”
The woman apologized meekly while the salesclerk pointed to a barely legible sign
illuminated poorly under a dim light. “5 item limit per dressing room”
While the woman dressed she didn’t receive help when she needed a change in the size
of the clothes, nor did the sales clerk offer to exchange the old items for the ones she
hadn’t yet tried on.
The old woman left the store without purchasing anything. Instead she went home and
ordered her clothing from a mail order catalog.
When her son called her that evening she shared her story. The son guessed that his
mother had worn her old raincoat and carried her money in her famous plastic bags.
She had more than enough money, but because she had lived through the depression
she would never abandon her value of thrift.
The next day the son went to work and called the two clerks who had failed to help his
mother the day before into his office. He just happened to be the store manager.
This is a true story, and regrettably it took place here, in Millard’s Department Store.
Definition of discrimination
Discriminatory behavior is behavior that assigns characteristics to people that are similar in
some way. For example, “Old people are senile”. “Women are bad drivers”. These
stereotypes are then generalized to all people that share the similarity. For example all old
people or all women. Thus, individuals who may be old and non-senile, or individuals who
are women and excellent drivers, are unfairly lumped into a stereotypical category.
Biases, stereotypical thinking, and prejudice (all considered to mean the same thing in this
lesson) take place because human minds like to simplify. It is much less work and thinking.
The problem is that characteristics categorically assigned to groups may not be fair or
reasonable.
Cognitive Load Decisions
Efforts to reduce intrinsic load: Increased navigational cues (used bolding to help learners
notice the most important words, used headings to help learners chunk information into more
meaningful units, created a clickable table of contents to help access specific topics and see
the “big picture”, showed the number of total screens to help learners see where they are in
the bigger picture. Eliminated the use of distracting visuals. Plan for the use of narration to
decrease cognitive load by reducing the amount of text to be read.
Efforts to increase germane load: Used the active voice and “you” language to make
information personal. Created a customer service story to provide a relevant context for
salespeople. Used self-tests to make information meaningful.
Implementation Plan/Formative Evaluation
Describe usability testing and formative evaluation
Usability tested three prototypes of the unit. Final testing indicates a need for a multimediabased story, and audio narration throughout the lesson. All clip art replace by photography
with similar visual theme to multimedia elements.
Summative Evaluation
You will not get a chance to do a summative evaluation. In all likelihood the product you
create this semester will be an early prototype that you continue to refine. Use this space to
describe how you would conduct a summative evaluation if possible.
Evaluate the number of ideas generated by the lesson.
Monitor sales and customer service complaints.
Appendix A
Learner Analysis
Front end analysis
Information from initial analysis is shared in six sections:
1) Testing the prototype with the sales manager (we didn’t want to start out with the sales
people until we tested it out at this level first)
2) Sharing results of the testing and the initial prototype with Mr. Millard (the stakeholder)
3) Gathering additional data from focus groups
4) Sharing the data with a SME for advice/suggestions
5) Observing how salespeople interacted with customers
6) Summarizing and analyzing the data
1. Testing the prototype with the lead sales manager
I asked the lead sales manager from Millards to test my Powerpoint using a talk aloud
procedure. These are the comments he made as he worked through my lesson. I inserted my
interpretations in brackets.
“The picture [the old man on the first slide] seems … (laughs) like this is supposed to be funny?
Are you perhaps reinforcing a stereotype?”
“The writing [typeface]is too hard to read. It looks nice though.”
“I don’t like the graphics, they don’t match [each other, the style is inconsistent)
(Yawns)[The information doesn’t seem to engage the user]
“I think you should be more positive about aging”
[I notice while observing the user the slides seem disconnected, there isn’t much flow.
Sometimes the ideas from one screen to the next are lost.]
[The bullets make it seem like it should be presented by a live instructor]
“[Referring to questions on the last slide]. Am I supposed to do these things? What with?
When/how do I do these? [Needs to be specific about time and format, such as pen and paper,
computer input.] Who do I give [it] to? Am I done now? [Very confused]
2. Sharing results of the testing and the initial prototype with Mr. Millard (the stakeholder)
I met with Mr. Millard to share my progress and data (tester comments.) We both agreed that a
lot more information and work was needed, but it was a start.
I suggested to Mr. Millard that to learn more about the content for instruction, we conduct a
focus group interview, or perhaps several focus group interviews, if time permits. (A focus
group is a collection of people who represent different viewpoints or perspectives). I also
mention that I’d like to observe what is taking place in the stores by watching salespeople
interacting with elderly customers.
3. Gathering additional data from focus groups
I shared with Mr. Millard that ideally a focus group would involve people of a similar rank. For
example you wouldn’t conduct a focus group with salespeople and their managers. The
salespeople might find it uncomfortable opening up and sharing their opinions in a setting with
managers present. Mr. Millard and I considered a focus group of elderly Millard’s shoppers and a
focus group of managers and people from the marketing department. Because Millards is a
relatively small department store, and the budget for the project is limited, we identified two
people form each area to interview:




elderly customers
salespeople
managers
the marketing department
I decide to use Allison Rossett’s (1999) suggestions by centering my questions on the gap
between optimals and actuals. In other words, what is going on now at Millards and what
“should” be going on? This involves asking “where are we now at Millards?” and “Where should
we be at Millards?” questions.
Elderly-customer focus group
The following chart shows the data collected from interviewing two elderly customers of
Dillards. Both customers were female. It would have been better to interview both a male and
female, but no males agreed to the interview.”
Questions and prompts
Responses
Describe your shopping
experience at Millards?
What is it like? [prompt
with “what do you like
and not like about the
experience.”]
Customer A:
Generally positive. I like the merchandise and garments. The quality
is good. I wouldn’t shop here if I wasn’t satisfied with the
experience.
Customer B:
I like the product fine, sometimes the clothing for our age seems a
little fuddy-duddy. Way too many of the clothing are for younger
people. Only a small section of the store works for the elderly
customer.
Customer A:
[Laughs]. Yes many of our clothes are a bit drab. Now that I think
about it, I DO get bothered by salespeople who seem insincere in
their friendliness. You know. Big smiles at you, but not really
listening.
Customer B:
I’ve also found that some of the salespeople aren’t friendly in a
genuine way. I don’t just want some one to ask me “Can I help you?
I want them to anticipate what I need.”
Can you tell me more
about what seems
unfriendly, or how they
seem insincere?
Customer A:
Oh, just not being very helpful. Like [Customer A] said, when they
don’t anticipate things. If a size isn’t correct I’d like help finding
the right size. I probably wouldn’t even need help if the clothing
racks weren’t so jammed I can’t push the clothes far enough to get
a good look at things. It would be nice if [salespeople] would sort
out duplicates of the same size to help me look.
Customer B:
I’d just like some attention. Sometimes they talk to each other and
ignore me. They are all just so … young! A little silly when they are
together. The just make me feel invisible.
Customer A:
I know what you mean. I feel invisible too … until I ask for
something.
I’m hard of hearing and the salespeople tend to speak too softly. So
when I ask them to speak up they sometimes overdo it and literally
shout at me. What really annoys me are the ones who think I’m
incapable of doing anything and they overdo everything, acting as if
I’m nearly blind or deaf or utterly dependent upon them.
What would make your
shopping experience
ideal?
Customer B:
Truly helpful salespeople. Good lighting, uncluttered clothing racks,
attentive salespeople.
Customer A:
Respect for me as a person.
Customer B:
A good product line. Not overdoing the attention in a way that is
condescending. I don’t want to feel old.
Customer A:
That is true. That can be very degrading. I’ve been shouted at when
all that needed to be done was to turn down the music or to
enunciate more clearly.
Salespeople focus group
These are my interview notes. One male and one female participated in this focus group. Both
salespeople had approximately 3 years of sales experience with Millards.
Questions and prompts
Responses
“Describe your
experiences working
with the elderly shopper
(someone over 65 years
of age) at Millards? What
is it like? [Prompt with
“what do you like and
not like about the
experience?”]
Salesperson A:
I find them harder to please. They seem to have more
“requirements” for the things they want to buy. It can get pretty
hard to help them find what they want.
Salesperson B:
Yeah, they seem to take forever to make a decision.
Salesperson A:
[Laughs]. Some are pretty slow. They shuffle everywhere. It takes
them an hour to get into the dressing room and back. Some of them
are sort of normal. I hate to say I resent helping them when I can be
making a commission on someone who is actually going to buy
something.
Salesperson B:
I find all of them to be picky or pure mean.
Are there things you like
about the experience of
helping the elderly
shopper
Salesperson B:
Yeah, when it is over.
What do you think the
sales experience is like
for the elderly
customer?
Salesperson B: They have a good time. They don’t have anything
else to do and most of them have tons of money.
Do you see things that
might need to change
about the experience of
the elderly in the
stores?
Salesperson A:
No, I think we do a really good job welcoming them and helping
them find the things they need. The old folks are so much fun to
work with.
Salesperson A:
I just like helping people, especially people who are not as lucky as
everyone else, like the old people. It makes me happy to find
people things that they want.
Salesperson A:
I think they enjoy the experience.
Salesperson B:
Shopping is fun for them. Like I said they have all this money that
they need to spend before they die.
Manager Focus Groups
Two of the other sales managers were interviewed in this focus group. One male and one
female participated. The male had over 10 years of management experience and the female
had one year of management experience.
Questions and prompts
Responses
Describe how you think
elderly customers are
treated in your store?
Sales Manager A:
Our salespeople are top notch! We do a good job of training them to
be customer-driven. We hire only the friendliest, most attentive,
young and energetic staff.
Sales Manager B:
I’d have to say I really haven’t found that to be true [referring to
Sale’s manager A’s comment]. Most of them are either in high
school or studying at the community college part time. Their
priorities aren’t really on the job. They are there to make money,
but not to really serve.
Sales Manager A:
You must have a different group than I do. My staff is picked
carefully to be attentive and friendly. I make sure they treat the old
duffers with respect! We have a training session when they start
here at Millards that teaches customer service skills.
Sales Manager B:
[Shakes head smiling, grimacing?].
Do you think things
could be improved for
the elderly Millards
customer?
Sales Manager A:
If something’s not wrong, don’t fix it.
What do you think
working with the elderly
population is like for
your sales people?
Sales Manager B: They probably need to learn more needs of the
elderly population. It wouldn’t hurt to have some training on ageism
[age discrimination].
Sales Manager B:
We might do training on the needs of the elderly customer. I think
there are probably things we could be doing a better job of.
Frankly, I don’t really see that many of them around. I know that in
this region, we have a high retiree crowd with a large disposable
income. Yet we don’t see that many in the stores.
Sales Manager A:
I think my staff thoroughly enjoys the experience and doesn’t find
that they need to treat the old people any differently. Well, maybe
they have to talk a lot louder and help them carry their bags.
Do you have ideas on
how your sales people
might make the
shopping experience
more ideal for the
elderly customer?
Sales Manager A:
I’m not sure you even need to ask that question. We don’t really
need to improve the experience in my division.
Sales Manager B:
I think that it would be a good question to put out to the
salespeople. If they think they originated the ideas, they might be
more likely to implement them.
Marketing focus group
These are interviews from the marketing department. Both interviewees were male with over
five years of experience with Millards in a marketing role.
Questions and prompts
Responses
How do you market to
the elderly (over 65
years of age)?
Account Manager A:
We have a clothing line that we’ve used for years. We basically have
the distributor do the analysis for us. Our attention is devoted to
the younger dollar and attracting a younger crowd. They tend to go
through clothing faster, spending more money
Account Manager B:
I’d have to agree with [Account Manager A]. We haven’t paid as
much attention to the elderly population as we probably should.
Do you think there
might be a more optimal
marketing scheme?
Account Manager A:
I think it is always worth looking at the bottom line.
Account Manager B:
The elderly population in our region is unquestionably an affluent
group. We are missing out. They are missing out!
4. Sharing the data with a SME for advice and suggestions
I shared the data below with the Gerontology professor. The professor started by looking
through the focus group notes and then at the instructional prototype. Her comments were:
All focus group comments suggest that biased thinking towards the elderly Millard’s customer.
Training will need to explain why biased and prejudiced ways of viewing a group of people is
wrong.
Many stereotypes of the elderly were evident in comments made by the focus groups (slow,
hard of hearing, set in their ways…)
Disparaging words such as “old folks”, and “duffer” were used to describe the elderly.
Training must be directed to all Millard groups: salespeople, sales managers, and the marketing
department.
A good place to start would be help salespeople, sales managers, and the marketing
departments recognize how they themselves have biased attitudes towards the elderly.
Salespeople, sales managers, and the marketing departments would gain greater empathy and
understanding of the elderly customer with improved training.
A good definition of prejudice or bias is needed (categorical assignment of characteristics to a
group of people without regard for individual differences).
5. Observations
I spent a day in one of the Millard’s department stores. I was presented as a trainer who
needed to learn more about how the cash registers were run. From this vantage point I was
able to observe a number of things about how customers were treated unfairly.
The sales people did not treat the elderly customers with the same respect they showed
younger customers. One elderly woman was never acknowledged or encouraged to ask for help.
An elderly gentleman in great physical shape was treated by one sales person as if he couldn’t
lift a 3 pound shopping bag. “Let me carry that for you!” the salesperson shouted eagerly,
oblivious to the fact that the customer was in much greater physical strength than she.
There were a far greater number of clothing items for younger customers than for older
customers. One small section of the store, tucked in a back corner, as far from the doors as
possible, displayed merchandise of interest to the elderly population.
6. Data analysis
I used a qualitative approach to analyzing all of the data collected. The first time I read
through the information to get a sense of the findings. The second time I underlined sections or
words that indicated themes, or content that was mentioned in a number of ways. Two themes
emerged: youth culture and differential treatment. These themes should be addressed in the
revision of the prototype or in non-training interventions (such as changes in management
processes).
Youth orientation
Millard’s has a youth orientation. The salespeople are predominantly in their early twenties,
the marketing department are in their early thirties, and the managers are somewhere in
between their twenties and late-fifties. Observations of the marketing department reveal that
advertising is geared mostly for the young because, as stated by one account manager “the
young change styles more often, and buy more clothes.” Other evidence of a youth culture was
loud music playing throughout the store that would appeal mostly to the late teen, early
twenties crowd.
Solutions to these problems are likely to be non-training in nature. For example, management
might explore changing the type of music played in stores. Sales incentives might not be based
solely on dollar amounts but on type of sales as well. Marketing initiative need to be reexplored. I will bring these thoughts up with Mr. Millard.
Differential treatment
Both of the older people interviewed complained of feeling invisible or of being treated like
they were weaker than they were. Salespeople complained that old people were too slow and
demanding and took their time away from customers more likely to spend money and help
them earn sales commissions. I sensed that the salespeople were highly uncomfortable talking
about the elderly because they did not make eye contact while talking about them and they
were not as forthcoming with information. Almost all of the Millard’s employees interviewed
did not seem to think of themselves as having any bias or prejudice towards the elderly, yet
many of the comments indicated stereotypical ways of thinking as well as a lack of empathy for
the aging experience.