Personalized digital experiences can drive more contextual and relevant experiences for all users in higher education—experiences that are both good for the user and the bottom line—yet the vast majority of today's University websites still provide the same static experience to every visitor. Presented at Eduweb 2014 in Baltimore, this presentation uncovers the opportunity for personalization in higher education and tips on how to find small wins while also thinking big.

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Personalization in Higher Education:
Start Small. Think Big.
Eduweb 2014 – Baltimore
Jeff Cram @jeffcram
ISITE Design, Co-founder

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Source: https://www.threadless.com/product/2396/Math/
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http://www.uncg.edu/mat/sermon/2007/campusmap.jpg
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Source: http://xkcd.com/773/
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“Things people go to the
site looking for”
peo·ple /ˈpēpəl/ noun
Human beings in general or
considered collectively.

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“Things people go to the
site looking for”
These people?

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“Things people go to the
site looking for”
Or these people?

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“Things people go to the
site looking for”
Or maybe these people?

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“Things people go to the
site looking for”
How about this person?

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Source: http://xkcd.com/773/

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Things on a
University
website
Parents
Prospective
Students
Current
Students
Media
Alumni
Things these
“people” are
looking for
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The case for personalization
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“The more digital we get, the more
human we must be”
Gatum Ramdurai, Google Creative Lab
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Personalization is trending
(outside of EDU)
Source: Adobe Digital Roadblock Report
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“Amazon is so confident of its
ability to personalize the site for
each user that the company
hardly ever creates classic
customer-segment personas,
such as ‘soccer moms’ or
‘gearheads.’ Such marketing
standbys are too imprecise for
Team Bezos.”
- Forbes, April 2012

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The personalization myth
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The web is made of people
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Personalization’s Perfect Storm
Content
Strategy
Technology
Management
Analytics &
Testing
Customer
Insight
Connected expertise
(Unicorns: Apply within)
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Start Small

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Thinking about Day 2
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Personalization starts
with a hypothesis
If we can deliver this
[content] to this [segment]
at this [touchpoint], then we
can improve the experience
by measuring this [metric].
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The button test
??????

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The button test

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The winner
282% form conversion increase
57% site-wide lead increase
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Cumulative lift
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The homepage battlegroundWe’re moving the
digital goal post
The homepage battleground

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Call-to-action targeting
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Types of Personalization
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What to Personalize?
Theme What is it? Key Dimensions
Geo targeting / location
Display specific content (text, images, downloads, apps,
etc.) based on the user’s geographic location.
Geo-location, Referring domain,
User preferences, Company,
Campaign
Campaign .& landing
experiences
Content is customized based on exposure to or
engagement with a campaign, often on a landing page.
Campaign, Inbound channel,
Recency, Lifecycle
Recommended content
Similar content is shown to the user based on content
already viewed during that visit or a previous visit.
User preferences, Lifecycle,
Referring domain, Campaign,
Company, Industry
Lifecycle
Content and calls to action are served up based on where
a user is in the journey or buying cycle.
Lifecycle, User preferences,
Recency
Account/industry
Display industry-specific content, company-specific
content, or competitor-specific content after identifying the
company and/or industry of the user.
Industry, Company, Referring
domain
Call to action
Messaging, tag lines, and calls to action on the site are
customized and change based on user behavior,
preferences, and response rate.
Geo-location, Industry, Company,
Campaign, Inbound channel,
Engagement score, Referring
domain, Lifecycle, User
preferences, Recency
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

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International students require different
experiences
http://chronicle.com/blogs/planet/2012/04/08/new-twists-in-online-recruiting-of-international-students/
“International students are often in an online
wilderness as they search for universities to apply
to…they run into confusing websites…and contact
us pages that may not effectively connect them with
admissions counselors.”
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

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Personalization in the Wild
Source: Non Linear case study presented at Digital Pulse 2013
http://www.cmsmyth.com/2013/10/customer-experience-management-is-getting-real
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Segmentation and geo-targeting
SolarWorld Americas increased conversion by 200%
with audience segmentation and geo-targeted landing
pages
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Better Experiences
for Stealth Applicants
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Engagement Scoring
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Personalized portals
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/gbegin/its-not-all-about-facebook-defining-your-own-private-community
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Connected to the
student journey
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/gbegin/its-not-all-about-facebook-defining-your-own-private-community
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Measuring success:
Our window to the world
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“All data in aggregate
is crap.”
- Avinash Kaushik, Google

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Analytics segmentation
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Group exercise
If we can deliver this
[content] to this [segment]
at this [touchpoint], then we
can improve the experience
by measuring this [metric].

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Think big

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If we connect and extend
our pre-launch customer-
insight thinking to post-
launch management, then
we can significantly
improve the performance of
our digital programs and
value to our users.
The hypothesis

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Pre-launch: We love users!

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Post-launch: Argh, the technology!
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Digital Pulse - October 17, 2013
Jeff Cram @jeffcram
Co-founder ISITE Design
Publisher, CMS Myth

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Technology pain
Customer gain
Website launch
Bending the launch curves
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Mapping the Student Journey
Source: http://wagner.nyu.edu/students/journey/guide.php

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Starting with people

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Documenting the journey
All of the steps the customer takes
All of the touchpoints the customer interacts with
receives
statement
in mail
throws
statement
on desk &
ignores
sees
charge
that looks
wrong
logs in
to website
tries to get
details
about
charge
calls
customer
service
talks
to CSR
tweets
in
frustration
paper
statement
envelope
mobile
phone
IVR
Twitter
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Prioritizing experiences
Business
Benefit
Customer
Benefit
User Impact Overall
Scale 1=low, 2=medium, 3=high
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Assessing feasibility
Idea Effort Status Clarity Risk
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Aligning with Student Lifecycle
Management initiatives
“Supporting learners during every
stage of the student lifecycle is a “must
have” competence, required of any
successful higher education institution
in today’s demanding environment.
Providing a valuable experience at
every stage of the student lifecycle
allows institutions to advance their
mission and achieve strategic goals in
the areas of growth, intelligence,
quality, and efficiency.”
http://www.hobsons.com/blog/blog-detail/the-importance-of-student-lifecycle-management
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Student Lifecycle Management
“Known as “Student Lifecycle Management” (SLM),
this initiative now involves 10 different committees of
faculty and professional staff working to instill a new
approach focused on building relationships with
students that start years before they come to Drexel
and continue through and after graduation.”
http://www.drexel.edu/now/features/archive/2014/January/Student-Lifecycle-Management/
@jeffcram | @ISITE_Design | #eduweb14

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“A tool used for experience design is
now an important input to strategy.”
~ Christine Chastain, R/GA
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Thank you
Jeff Cram
ISITE Design
617-401-2295
jcram@isitedesign.com
ISITE Design
www.isitedesign.com
CMS Myth
www.cmsmyth.com
Delight 2014 Conference
www.delight.us/conference
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