University of Surrey
Shaping the Future of Student Engagement
The University of Surrey, a leading UK university, aimed to enhance student engagement and increase the number of prospective students signing up for Open Days and requesting course prospectuses. To achieve this, the university collaborated with 7DOTS to revamp its online undergraduate course pages.
The redesigned pages focused on improving user experience (UX) making it easier for students to find relevant information. It led to a 129.42% increase in Open Day sign-ups and an 86.21% boost in prospectus requests.
The brief
The primary objective of the campaign was to increase student engagement on the University of Surrey's website by enhancing the user experience on its course pages. The key performance indicators (KPIs) included:
- Increasing Open Day sign-ups.
- Boosting the number of prospectus requests.
- Enhancing the overall user experience to reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on the site.
- Improving conversion rates from site visitors to prospective students.
The approach
Initial research conducted by 7DOTS revealed that prospective students were often overwhelmed by the amount of information available online and needed a more intuitive and user-friendly interface to navigate university course offerings.
To address this, 7DOTS held several workshops with key stakeholders, including UX designers, content creators, and university staff. These sessions focused on understanding the needs of prospective students and identifying pain points in the existing course pages.
The revamped course pages incorporated the following elements:
- User-Centric Design: The new design focused on simplifying navigation, highlighting key information, and making it easier for students to take action (e.g., signing up for Open Days or requesting a prospectus).
- Improved Content Layout: Information was reorganised to be more accessible, with clear calls to action (CTAs) strategically placed throughout the pages.
- Mobile Optimisation: Recognising that many students access university websites via mobile devices, the pages were optimised for mobile responsiveness, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.
- Personalisation Features: The redesign included features that allowed students to customise their experience, such as filtering courses by interest and seeing relevant details more prominently.
The outcome
The campaign achieved remarkable results within the first three months of implementation:
- 129.42% increase in Open Day sign-ups: The enhanced course pages led to a significant rise in the number of students registering for Open Days, indicating higher engagement and interest in the university.
- 86.21% increase in prospectus requests: More students requested detailed information about courses, suggesting that the new design successfully captured their interest.
- Improved User Experience: Feedback from students and analytics data showed a reduction in bounce rates and an increase in the time spent on the course pages, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the user-centric design approach.
This case study highlights the importance of a well-executed UX strategy in driving engagement and conversions in the education sector. The University of Surrey’s collaboration with 7DOTS exemplifies how focused improvements to digital experiences can lead to substantial increases in key metrics, ultimately contributing to the university’s long-term goals of attracting and retaining top talent.
