Improving Cause-of-Death Reporting
The national standard training for filling out death certificates hadn't been updated in over a decade. It was time.
E-Learning Course Redesign
Responsive Development
Graphic Design & Motion Graphics
Typography & Visual System
Navigation Structure
WHAT I DID
The Challenge
Improving Cause of Death Reporting is the official training for anyone who certifies deaths in the United States — physicians, medical examiners, coroners, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, funeral directors, and local health officials. The course is accredited for continuing education credits and hosted on CDC TRAIN.
The problem: the training hadn't been meaningfully updated since around 2010. The certification had expired. The graphics dated to the early 2000s. And critically, the course only worked on desktop — in an era when healthcare professionals increasingly need to access training on tablets and phones between shifts
The content itself was largely sound and would remain the same. But the delivery needed a complete overhaul: modernized visuals, intuitive navigation, and responsive design that would work on any device.
The Approach
I rebuilt the course from the ground up using Adobe Captivate Classic with fluid boxes — the key to making everything responsive. This was a significant technical lift; the original course was locked to fixed dimensions. The new build adapts seamlessly from desktop to tablet to phone.
Every graphic in the course was reinterpreted and modernized. I replaced early-2000s imagery with a cohesive visual system — new illustrations, updated typography, motion graphics where static images had been. The goal was to make the content feel current without changing what the content actually taught.
Navigation got rethought too. The original structure had been functional but not intuitive. I redesigned the flow so learners could move through the material more naturally, with clearer signposting and easier access to specific sections for those returning to review.
The full rebuild took about six months, from December 2021 through June 2022. This project actually led to my involvement in the beta for the current all-new Adobe Captivate — the work caught attention.
The Work
Development
Complete course rebuild in Adobe Captivate Classic using fluid boxes for responsive delivery across all devices.
Design
Full visual overhaul — all graphics, illustrations, motion graphics, and typography created new. Modernized visual language while maintaining content integrity.
Navigation
Restructured course flow for more intuitive learning experience.
The Impact
The course is now the current national standard for cause-of-death certification training, accredited through August 2026 for:
0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (physicians)
0.75 AAPA Category 1 CME credits (physician assistants)
0.75 nursing contact hours (nurses)
Healthcare professionals can now complete the training on any device—a practical necessity for people fitting continuing education around clinical schedules. The modernized interface makes a legally mandated training feel less like a chore and more like a professional resource.