Reimagining NRF Foundation’s RISE Up Program: A New Platform for Retail Education

Overview

Kaleidoscope Learning has been instrumental in shaping the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up program—its industry-recognized training and credentialing initiative—since 2018. What started as a partnership to redesign existing courses and create new ones has gradually evolved into a much larger collaboration. Building on the development of media-rich courses for both online and classroom settings, we advanced in 2023 by launching a fully custom learning platform that reimagined the experience of purchasing, managing, and using course materials with an intuitive, easy-to-use approach tailored to a diverse audience of learners and educators. Our work included redesigning two courses, developing two additional course offerings in 2019 and 2021, and building the new learning platform from the ground up. Today, RISE Up supports over 100,000 students, 6,000 educators, and 3,500 locations nationwide every year.

Challenge

The NRF Foundation recognized that their existing RISE Up program was not delivering the level of engagement or accessibility needed to truly empower both learners and educators, or to drive meaningful impact. They wanted to create a more practical, engaging learning experience—one that builds real-world skills for students and simplifies purchasing, teaching, and course and exam management for teachers, educators, and school administrators.

Project Details

Client

NRF Foundation

About the Client

The NRF Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the National Retail Federation, dedicated to helping individuals from all backgrounds build successful careers in retail. By providing access to education, skills training, and industry-recognized credentials, the Foundation empowers people to grow professionally, improve their quality of life, and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Timeline

15 months of platform development; creation of 6 courses and additional course updates from 2018-2025.

Our Solutions

To reimagine the RISE Up program into a more powerful driver for achieving the NRF Foundation’s goals, Kaleidoscope Learning–having already created a new set of courses that followed a learn-by-doing model–designed and built an entirely new learning platform that was easy to use, inclusive, and tailored to the needs of today’s learners and educators. Built for a broad audience—including students, educators, and administrators across schools, workforce programs, and nonprofits—the new platform supports a seamless, end-to-end experience with the features and tools each stakeholder needs to succeed:

  • Students can complete courses online or in person, take exams online via the platform, review exam results, and access certificates and badges upon passing.
  • School administrators and teachers can easily purchase courses (including books, exams, and supporting materials) and manage course materials and licenses.
  • Teachers have access to real-time reports to monitor student progress and performance.
  • The NRF Foundation receives centralized reporting and data insights to track usage, outcomes, and impact at scale.
The design and development of the platform commenced in March of 2022 and the final product was officially launched in July 2023. Also, to ensure continued relevance and learner impact, all RISE Up courses were updated in 2024.

Our Approach

To create an accessible platform that met the needs of the NRF Foundation’s varied audiences, Kaleidoscope Learning followed a design and development process grounded in user-centered thinking and creative uses of technology:

1

Audience and Content Analysis

We began by analyzing the diverse audiences the platform needed to serve—including high school students, community college learners, workforce development participants, and nonprofit partners.

We talked to relevant stakeholders and end-users whenever possible, including the NRF Foundation team, to gather insights, clarify objectives, and identify opportunities to improve learning and operational workflows.

In parallel, we reviewed the existing RISE Up materials to better understand and articulate content goals and how they aligned with the needs of each stakeholder group.

2

Design Concepting and Prototyping

Using our research insights, we developed initial design concepts and an interactive prototype that reimagined how users would navigate, engage with, and manage learning on the platform. Our approach emphasized clarity, inclusivity, and a “learn-by-doing” model.

Each decision was made with accessibility, engagement, and scalability in mind.

3

Prototype Review and Testing

Prototype screens were tested with the NRF Foundation team to identify areas of friction, validate assumptions, and refine features and design that would support both educational outcomes and administrative functionality. Feedback guided key improvements across the interface and learning flow.

4

Launch and Impact

The new RISE Up platform officially launched in July 2023, delivering a fresh, accessible, and scalable solution. By 2024, all courses were also updated to maintain relevance and effectiveness, further advancing the NRF Foundation’s mission to create meaningful career pathways through retail education.

Our Impact

By reimagining the learning experience, Kaleidoscope Learning’s new learning platform has expanded the NRF Foundation’s capacity to scale, support, and serve. It elevated the learning experience and operations across various levels:

Scalable Access to Retail Education

  • Since launch, the platform has grown to serve over 100,000 learners as of May 2025, expanding access to retail education across schools, workforce development programs, and nonprofits nationwide.
Icons representing digital retail education and communication technology

Job-Ready Skills through Learning by Doing

  • Learners engage in scenario-based videos and discussion prompts that reflect real workplace situations, supporting immediate skill transfer and building judgment, communication, and decision-making skills.
  • Interactive, hands-on activities provide a safe environment to practice key skills, with real-time feedback that reinforces learning and improves performance.
Retail training scenario with employee assisting a customer at checkout

A Student-Friendly Testing Environment

  • The exam interface features a streamlined, intuitive design that minimizes distractions, allowing students to concentrate on demonstrating their knowledge, not on the technology or platform itself.
  • Its intuitive layout enhances the testing experience, improves usability, and supports learner confidence, allowing them to focus on the exam itself rather than on navigating the software.
Student taking an online exam using a laptop in a focused environment

Clearer, More Efficient Processes for Educators

  • The new platform offers tools that make it easier for school administrators, educators, and teachers to manage, purchase, and handle course and license logistics with clarity and ease.
  • By improving administrative efficiency, educators are able to focus more on teaching and student success.
Educator logging into the Rise Up platform to manage learning content

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