Communicate "contracts" to employees in an easy-to-understand manner through e-learning utilizing animation (Vyond).

 

Tokyo Electron Ltd.

Legal Affairs Department Strategic Legal Group (as of 2022)

(From left to right) Mr. Yuhiko Tanaka, Ms. Kanako Ichikawa, Mr. Kenshi Okura

Services

Production of in-house educational content
Using animation (Vyond) to explain difficult contract terms in an easy-to-understand manner
Producing a series of content using pirate characters in 2021 and 2022

- What was the reason for requesting Human Science?
Mr. Tanaka: We were introduced by our human resources department and had a conversation.
We were inquiring with 2-3 companies about whether a manga or a paper play with fewer illustrations would be better for our awareness-raising activities, taking reference from the Ministry of Justice's "Momotaro" manga (Civil Code revision) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Golgo 13" (overseas safety measures).

- What was the reason for ordering from Human Science?
Mr. Tanaka: At the initial stage when we first approached them, our image of content creation was still unclear and we didn't know what to do.
Mr. Ichikawa: Among the various companies we talked to, we felt that your company understood our intentions the most.
During our discussions, we received ideas such as "It would be better to make it shorter" and we had a good impression of the actual meetings.
Mr. Tanaka: At first, we were considering creating content in manga form, but your company proposed animation.
We also received proposals from other companies for RPG games incorporating gamification elements. However, we realized that it would not work well with our talent management system. We could have used the system of the company that proposed the RPG game, but we gave up because it would be difficult to operate in the long term.

- Did you feel any challenges with the traditional educational content?
1) Visually understandable content
Mr. Tanaka: Our company has locations both domestically and internationally, so we were utilizing e-learning. However, since the contracts tend to be difficult to understand, we felt the need for visually understandable content.
2) Memorable content
Mr. Ichikawa: In the past, many of our training videos with audio were created using PowerPoint, but the upper management has been requesting for more interesting and memorable educational content, as they feel that recent content has been boring and they want to make the most of our employees' valuable time. Therefore, we decided that just using PowerPoint for explanations was not enough and that we needed to make it more interesting.

 

 

"Now, aim for the Legal Department!?"
Mr. Ichikawa: The use of animation, which was brought up during our consultation with your company, has nothing to do with the pirate-related work. It was our first attempt, but it has received great reviews within our company. Now, when creating educational content, there is a feeling of "aiming for the Legal Department's content" (laughs).

- Were there any concerns in progressing the project?
1) Is it within budget?
Mr. Tanaka: The biggest concern was the budget. We had a rough idea of the budget, but for manga, the cost is high and we were worried if we could afford it.In the end, your company proposed Vyond animation, and we were able to create something with the quality we were expecting at a relatively low cost.
2) Will the deadline be met?
Mr. Tanaka: Also, there was a deadline of the end of March. We received the first delivery of the Japanese version and the English version in May.
3) The scenario was vague...
Mr. Tanaka: At first, we created a summary of the story ourselves and submitted it to your company for a meeting. However, we didn't know how to convey our image and purpose.
Mr. Ichikawa: It was my first time being involved in production, and at first I didn't understand how to read the storyboard created by your company in Excel. Also, it was difficult to explain the storyboard to the lawyer. But the flowchart was easy to understand.
Also, we were asked to choose between two ideas, A and B, and we asked for a different idea, C, so the direction changed in the middle and we also asked HS-san for new work (laughs).
- It's common for things to change once they are presented to the client. We received a lot of helpful opinions from your company, which was a great learning experience. There were also things we wouldn't have noticed without your opinions..

- After implementation, how did the employees react?
Mr. Ichikawa: As a result, the participation rate was very high. More than 5,000 employees responded to the survey at the end of the course. In the second installment of the content, 99.5% responded that they understood it / 98.7% said it was a useful course, and the results of the survey exceeded expectations. There was also a free comment section, and some employees wrote comments.

- What kind of opinions were there in the free-form field?
1) Negative opinions
Ichikawa-san: Regarding the first course, there was an opinion that "the animation is too long." It was also pointed out that there is no audio, and there was a request to "include the TEL logo" because it doesn't seem like the training is being taken during work hours.
Some people also had the opinion that the content was too basic, but I think it was properly understood by preparing tests and providing detailed explanations.
Some participants actually felt that this training was different from before. Some people were also confused by the drag and drop functionality.
Tanaka-san: In the second installment, we improved the functionality of drag and drop, etc. We also shortened the animation time and added audio to the characters.
2) Positive opinions
Ichikawa-san: In reality, there were mostly positive opinions such as "I learned something" and "it was easy to understand." About 70-80% of people were satisfied.
Okura-san: We initially released it in Japanese and English in the legal department, but due to local requests, we have already created a Chinese version as well.
Ichikawa-san: After that, we also created a Taiwanese version. We are also considering a Korean version, but it may be possible to handle it with the already created English version, like in Singapore.

- This time, we have put restrictions on the content, such as not being able to proceed until you finish reading the slides. What do you think about the feedback from the participants?
Mr. Tanaka: There were no particular opinions regarding the restrictions, but there was a suggestion to allow for watching at double speed.

- The fix for the speed increase is probably possible with a software update.
Mr. Tanaka: The mandatory training for the entire company has ended, but for new employees, we have them watch videos with animations and conduct training, so I would like to consult about implementation.

- Have you noticed any changes that make you feel the learning effect?
Mr. Ichikawa: Not only training videos, but also other measures are being implemented within the legal department, so it is currently difficult to clearly state which measures have had what effects. However, thanks to the approachable characters, I feel that the threshold for the legal department has been lowered.
Speaking of changes, we now have a common base. In face-to-face training on confidentiality agreements and contract applications, everyone can participate with the knowledge gained from the animation training. I feel that it has become easier to explain in face-to-face training than before.
Mr. Tanaka: It seems to have permeated among the employees.
Mr. Ichikawa: Currently, the image of the legal department has completely changed to pirates and TEL drones (delivery machines that appear in the content).

 

 

- Are there any plans to create other content in the future?
Mr. Tanaka: The third installment has not been decided yet, but there is a possibility of considering a training based on the NDA used in the second installment as a company-wide training.
Mr. Ichikawa: We are also considering compiling short videos related to FAQs that involve all employees, such as general negotiation techniques. "Company-wide training" will be a major element in content creation.