Birmingham City University
The brief
Understanding User Needs and Digital Objectives
Birmingham City University gained university status in 1992. Today, it is the second-largest of five universities in Birmingham. Moreover, nearly half of all full-time students come from the West Midlands, and a significant percentage of students belong to ethnic minorities. The removal of student caps and changes to fees have shifted the perspective of students from being just students to customers who demand value for money. Failure to keep pace with this demand risks another institution overtaking BCU's local market share.
Therein, Birmingham City University's (BCU) wanted to better understand its key student segments to inform the best approach for their web presence as part of its digital transformation program.
What we did
Understanding Organisational Challenges
This research project was driven by two broad goals: (1) to grasp the audience's needs and (2) to position this understanding within the framework of BCU's organisational and digital objectives.
In pursuit of these aims, we conducted five stakeholder interviews, focusing on BCU's strategic and business objectives. These conversations provided valuable insights, enabling us to identify organisational challenges and helped to inform the user research approach.
What we did
In-depth Interviews with Potential Students, Current Students, and New Starters
To identify pain points, challenges, and the audience's needs, we conducted twenty-four in-depth interviews with undergraduates, postgraduates, international students, UK residents, and commuter students. This were our audience segments. These interviews followed a loosely structured script based on predefined themes while incorporating open-ended questions such as: 'What do you think about that?', 'How do you feel about that?', and 'Tell me more about that?' and, of course, 'Why?'.
This approach allowed us, to follow up on points of interest and ensure the sessions remained focused. For instance, I openly shared the purpose of the session with participants to help them understand the importance of their experiences and to emphasise that they were not under scrutiny or judgment. I also tactfully adapted my approach and language to match how participants discussed their experiences, to encourage openness.
The interview questions spanned a wide range of topics, including:
- Early considerations
- Researching courses and universities
- The application process
- Preparing for university
- The future
The outcome
Research findings
The high level findings were:
- Word of Mouth Recommendations: These can obscure students' understanding of the university.
- Comparison Challenges: Students struggle to authoritatively compare universities.
- Web Presence: BCU's online presence does not accurately reflect the university's dynamic nature.
- Open Day Experience: It is crucial that everyone has access to the value offered by an open day experience.
- Lifestyle Aspirations: Students desire to replicate a lifestyle they find appealing.
- Mental Health and Well-Being: Services related to mental health and well-being are highly prioritised in students' considerations.
- Value of Work Experience: There is an increasing appreciation among students for work experience and employability.
- Stress from Lack of Knowledge: The lack of knowledge about the clearing process contributes to students' stress levels.
Arming BCU with Insights to Inform Its Digital Presence
We used our findings to develop personas, an experience map detailing the decision-making process and the transition to student life, and an insights report. The report outlined recommendations, tactics, digital objectives, and the next steps.
This work unlocked a through evaluation of the current site, restructured its taxonomy and navigation, and created a robust content plan along with templates for key pages. We also developed prototypes showcasing the navigation, templates for – homepage, course details, academic schools, study options, accommodation, the application process and virtual tour.
Reflections
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