top 3 ways to increase enrollment on your higher education site
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Driving Enrollment Results with User-Centered Design
Val FoxBentley UniversityOffice of Digital Engagement
Acquia WebinarAugust 22, 2013
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By 2:00, you will learn to:• Apply focus groups, usability testing, online
surveys, personas and Google Analytics to develop user insights
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By 2:00, you will learn to:• Run focus groups and usability testing, launch
online surveys, develop personas and apply Google Analytics to develop user insights
• Increase online conversion by an average of 25-30%
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By 2:00, you will learn to:• Run focus groups and usability testing, launch
online surveys, develop personas and apply Google Analytics to develop user insights
• Increase online conversion by an average of 25-30%
• DIY for ~ $3,000
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Business school in Waltham, MA• 4,000+ undergraduate students; 1,400 graduate students• 20 undergraduate majors; 10 masters programs
Digital Engagement Office• 7-person team• Supports ~80 sites
Infrastructure • Managed cloud hosting by Acquia• Powered by Drupal CMS
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“It doesn’t matter what I think about your website”
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User-centered design begins with understanding your users
Photo source: webcoursesbangkok.com
Make it easy to find academic program info
I use my mobile device for all my web browsing
Design for me NOT you!
Your website will affect what I think of your school
You can text me relevant info
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Making a case for users begins with NOT talking about users.
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Admissions doesn’t care about users
They DO care about and want:• More info session and tour attendees• More “request info” leads• More applicants
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Wake Up Call
Mobile traffic was doubling every 8-10 months
Source: Google Analytics
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Wake Up Call
20% of prospective students said they would remove a school from consideration because of a poor web experience
Source: Noel Levitz2011 E-Expectations Report
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Wake Up Call
70% of prospective students said a school’s web site affects their perception of the institution
Source: Noel Levitz2013 E-Expectations Report
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Admissions
We need a mobile site by Fall!
We can learn Drupal 7
This is one of our top priorities
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Admissions
Design a new mobile-ready site!
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Traditional Development
Requirements
Design
Development
QA
Launch
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User-Centered Development
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
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But won’t all this take longer?!
100x more expensive to make site changes POST launch
Nielson Norman Group
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
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Focus Groups
Photo source: cartoonstock.com
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Focus GroupsBest for: Sourcing qualitative feedback
Who: • Prospective undergraduate students • Parents (undergraduate)• Prospective graduate students
Source: • Undergraduate Tours• Graduate Open House
Goal: Gain an understanding of• General web usage • College research process• Priority online content• Influencers
Photo source: tamarabustos.com
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Focus GroupsSet up: 1 hr sessions at our research lab
Groups of 5-6 students/parentsPaid $50 each + pizzaFacilitator and note taker
Cost: $2,500
Time: 4 weeks
Output: Summary of findings > shared w/team
Bring personas to life:“Don’t tweet me after I apply, that’s just weird!”
“My mom loves helping me with the research process, it’s her way of ‘bonding’ with me.”
Center for Marketing TechnologyBentley University
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Online Surveys
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Online Surveys
Best for: Quantitative feedback• Purpose of site visit• Able to complete purpose of visit• Why (or why not)
Who: 500+ site visitors to our Admissions sites
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Online Surveys
Tool: iPerceptions “Plus” account • Data export• Unlimited data collection• Device-specific• Adjustable invitation rate • Multi-language
Cost: $20/mo
Approach: 4 standard + optional questions
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Online Surveys
Standard Questions:
Rate your overall site experience (1-10)Primary purpose of visit (multi-choice)Were you able to complete purpose of your visit (yes/no)• If yes > what did you value most• If no > why not
How likely are you to recommend
Optional Questions:
Visit frequencySource (how you arrived at site)Demographics
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Online Surveys
Output: Summary shared via PPT doc
Key Learnings:
Qualified visitors are most demanding
Content = meat + potatoes
“Information too vague”“Couldn’t find average SAT scores”“I want detailed information on the grad program curriculum”
Photo source: chefmom.sheknows.com
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Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
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PersonasDefined as: Hypothetical user developed through interviews &
observations of real users
Use for: Create a common understanding of target audience
Must: • Sound like a real person• Include compelling narrative• Call out key attributes & high level goals• Enable design decisions• Include scenarios
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Example Scenario
Persona Prospective graduate student
Goal: Find a part-time MBA program in Boston area
Scenario: • Searches for “Boston MBA programs”• Reaches Bentley.edu > Academics > Graduate
Programs• Sees MBA programs but labels aren’t clear• Visits each program page to learn more but gets
frustrated with time spent
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Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
Photos of Kelly’s items give a feeling for her lifestyle
Infographics convey Kelly’s device usage & tech proficiency
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Google Analytics
Best for:
Cost:
Revealing behavior – NOT intent
Comprehensive site analytics AND ad-hoc reporting
Free!
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Site Performance Measurement
Pre-launch: Tracking out-of-the-box stats:• Site visits & visitors• Pageviews• Pages/visit• Bounce rate• Top pages• Traffic by source
Results: No actionable insightsNo ownership
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Site Performance MeasurementPost-launch: Set up Admission profiles w/dashboards
Tracking KPIs & delivering automated reports:• Conversion rates by form• Conversion rates by source• Cost per visit (search keywords)
Results Regular review w/stakeholdersOwnership & accountability
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
Design teamStakeholders
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
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User Testing
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Usability Testing
Best for: Finding specific problems (prototype or live site)
Who: 8-10 students for each Admission site
Set-up: Facilitator + note-takerCamtasia Studio (screen capture)
Cost: $99/license – Camtasia$15 gift card - tester
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Usability Testing
TasksTested:
Site navigation (find a major or program)Sign up for a tourFind application deadlinesFind link to applyFind info for accepted students
Output: Summary of findingsDesign modifications before handoff to dev
Total cost: $400
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Launch of BOTH sites Nov-Dec 2012
bentley.edu/undergraduatebentley.edu/graduate
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Results
Year-over-Year: Online leadsUndergrad: 6% increaseGrad: 11% increase
Sign up for tours & info sessionsUndergrad: 17% increase
Click-thru to Common AppUndergrad: 39% increase
Total cost: $3,200
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Stay in touch
• Twitter:@ValerieFox• www.slideshare.net/FoxAtBentley• www.bentley.edu/DE