Case study
Soft skills training with 80 programmers
By WiseWorldCorporate pilot - engineers
This report summarizes the engagement, retention, and completion outcomes of the programmers, along with the main takeaways from a three-month WiseWorld pilot.
Completions vs. baseline
Total training time
Active users per day
Users active in final month
Background & problem
The company's tech team was looking for a way to improve how they worked together without disrupting sprints or adding recurring workshops.
Team setup
- 80 programmers
- Cross-functional dependencies
Main challenge
- Limited meeting time
- Frequent context switching
- Hard to sustain training
Objective
- Short, frequent practice
- Build lasting habits
- Measurable progress
Engagement challenge
Traditional soft skills workshops had been used in the past, but they were difficult to sustain due to limited engagement and a lack of consistent practice.
Traditional workshops
- Usually limited to 1–2 intense days
- Skills quickly forgotten
- No measurable outcomes
- Low interest in future sessions
Daily micro-practice
- 5 minutes integrated into each workday
- Steady participation for 3 months
- Skills reinforced regularly as routine
WiseWorld method
Three-month program using weekday micro-practice (~5 minutes per day). Activities targeted 44 soft-skill dimensions in 6 main categories.
Design
- FrequencyWeekdays, self-paced
- ModalityAI real-life episodes
- PersonalizationGoal-based paths
Measurement
- ActivityDialogues completed
- RetentionFinal month activity
- ProgressPath completions
Learning goals
We grouped the learning goals into three major categories. Here's the breakdown of the most common goals:
Career & work growth
Leadership, tricky situations, visionary thinking, career development
Personal life improvement
Feeling calmer, more confident, better focus, work-life balance
Connection & communication
Social skills, deeper conversations, teamwork, communication
Target skills
The 6 most commonly selected target skills out of 44 available:
Active listening
Communication
Public interaction
Communication
Confidence
Leadership
Decision making
Problem solving
Time management
Work ethic
Resilience
Work ethic
AI soft skills coach
During the episodes, participants had the option to ask for a hint from Wise, the AI soft skills coach.
Real-time AI learning hints
Team PowerWheel
Strengths and gaps across the team became visible through the PowerWheel - a shared view of progress across 44 skills.
- Replaced vague feedback with concrete, visual data
- Team members could see growth over 44 soft skills
- Real-time, unbiased view of soft-skills development
Results
Engagement and continuity were sustained without affecting their daily tasks.
Active on a typical weekday
Average progress per week
Active in final month
Total across 80 participants
Above baseline expectation
Average per user
Takeaways
Programmers stayed engaged when:
- Practice was short and consistent. Just 5 minutes a day
- Learning paths matched their goals and interests
- Progress felt clear and rewarding along the way