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Bentley University's Undergraduate and Graduate Admission offices didn't just want new web sites, they wanted increased enrollment. So when it came time to build new admission sites, we implemented a user-centered design model that resulted in increased traffic and increased leads for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
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Usability Bootcamp Driving Enrollment Results with
User-Centered Design
Val Fox Bentley University | Office of Digital Engagement eduWeb Conference Social: #higheredusability #eduwebconf13 @valeriefox
By 3:45, you will learn to:
• Apply focus groups, usability testing, online surveys, personas and Google Analytics to develop user insights
By 3:45, 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%
By 3:45, 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
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
“It doesn’t matter what I think about your website”
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
Source: 2013 E-Expectations Report
Making a case for users begins with NOT talking about users.
Admissions doesn’t care about “users”
So we offered them what they DO want:
• More info session and tour attendees
• More “request info” leads
• More applicants
Wake Up Call
Mobile traffic was doubling every
8-10 months
Source: Google Analytics
Wake Up Call
20% of prospective students said they would remove a school from consideration because of a poor web experience
Source: Noel Levitz
2011 E-Expectations Report
Wake Up Call
70% of prospective students said a school’s web site affects their perception of the institution
Source: Noel Levitz
2013 E-Expectations Report
Admissions
We need a mobile site by Fall!
We can learn Drupal 7
This is one of our top priorities
Admissions
Design a new site!
Traditional Development
Requirements
Design
Development
QA
Launch
User-Centered Development
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
But won’t all this take longer?!
100x more expensive to make site changes POST launch
Nielson Norman Group
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements Focus Groups Online Surveys Personas Analytics
Focus Groups
Photo source: cartoonstock.com
Focus Groups Best 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
Focus Groups
Set up: 1 hr sessions at our research lab Groups of 5-6 students/parents Paid $50 each + pizza Facilitator 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 Technology Bentley University
Online Surveys
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
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
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 frequency Source (how you arrived at site) Demographics
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
Personas
Source: Forrester Research Agency: Primacy
Personas
Defined 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
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
Personas
Source: Forrester Research Agency: Primacy
Photos of Kelly’s items give a feeling for her lifestyle
Infographics convey Kelly’s device usage & tech proficiency
Google Analytics
Best
for:
Cost:
Revealing behavior – NOT intent Comprehensive site analytics AND ad-hoc reporting Free!
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 insights No ownership
Site Performance Measurement
Post-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/stakeholders Ownership & accountability
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements Focus Groups Online Surveys Personas Analytics
Design team Stakeholders
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
User Testing
Usability Testing
Best for: Finding specific problems (prototype or live site)
Who: 8-10 students for each Admission site
Set-up: Facilitator + note-taker Camtasia Studio (screen capture)
Cost: $99/license – Camtasia $15 gift card - tester
Usability Testing
Tasks
Tested:
Site navigation (find a major or program) Sign up for a tour Find application deadlines Find link to apply Find info for accepted students
Output: Summary of findings Design modifications before handoff to dev
Total cost: $400
Launch of BOTH sites Nov-Dec 2012
bentley.edu/undergraduate bentley.edu/graduate
Results
Year-over-Year: Online leads Undergrad: 6% increase Grad: 11% increase Sign up for tours & info sessions Undergrad: 17% increase Click-thru to Common App Undergrad: 39% increase
Total cost:
$3,200
Stay in touch
• Twitter:@ValerieFox
• www.slideshare.net/FoxAtBentley
• www.bentley.edu/DE
