News

Global Usability
Optimising International Student Recruitment

UK Universities depend increasingly upon attracting the talent - and fees - of international students. However, as higher education institutions have limited resources for marketing and student recruitment, they need to ensure that each and every investment is as effective as possible. This crucially includes ensuring that their inherently ‘borderless' websites are optimized to reflect the cultural sensibilities and key information requirements for each region.

'International Students' are not a homogenous group. The motivations and responses of prospective students from, for example, China, India, and the UAE, will vary significantly. Their information needs, and their criteria for selecting universities and courses, are often dramatically different from those of UK students and each other.

All too often, communication to prospective students is broad-brush and ill-suited to the real needs of seemingly distant potential customers. Successful communication relies on a careful adaptation and refinement of message, of tone and of purpose as well as usability and function - respecting differing cultures and attitudes, understanding differing motivations and aspirations. As a result of cultural and other differences, the way prospective students ‘shop' the market and use university and other websites, varies substantially.

What is accepted as best practice in digital communications, and classic usability assessment, is based upon the way Western audiences ‘read' communications. Non- English speakers, and those less familiar with the Latin alphabet, bring different perspectives and take-away very different meanings.

To help universities attune their communications to international students, Precedent has worked with academic partners to establish a blended research methodology which focuses upon culturally specific assessment to digital communications.

This research service can help UK universities to streamline their acquisition processes, determining the most effective use of digital and other media to attract and engage international students with the inevitable outcome of increasing the quality of international applications.

Service: ethnographic usability testing
Here at Precedent, we are long-established as a leader in strategic digital communications and we have worked with more than 30 UK higher education institution's to help them achieve their goals. With website design and development at the heart of our offer, we have a proven methodology which ensures that communications and channels are user-centric and fit for purpose.

Recognising the evolving needs of our clients and the challenges presented by high quality ‘local' universities, we have worked with academic partners to internationalise our audience research and usability testing services. We are now able to offer a comprehensive suite of research services in dedicated facilities for key markets. We have established ‘research laboratories' in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi and Dubai.

Services include
• Online surveys and questionnaires
• Workshops and focus groups
• Card sorting and natural grouping
• Low and high fidelity prototype testing
• Usability testing - using video, eye tracking and other approaches

These services are provided with native speakers who have been fully trained by Precedent in qualitative and quantitative research and have access to leading research and analytical software. As a consequence they are able to combine global best practice and local sensibility.

This research will enable organisations to understand and respond to the need to adapt locally, and thereby create conversations with prospective students and partners which are persuasive and effective.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any of our offices or through contact@precedent.co.uk if you would like to find out more information about these services.