StudyPerth
Transforming international student engagement
An industry-wide initiative
Supported by the Government of Western Australia, StudyPerth promotes the state's international education sector by advocating for and collaborating with key institutions. However, its previous website struggled to position Perth effectively as a destination for students, suffering from outdated branding, poor UX, and a difficult-to-maintain CMS.
To modernise its online presence and better engage with international students and education agents, StudyPerth selected equ to lead the website redevelopment.
Given the tight timeframes and a well-defined brief, we employed a hybrid approach, blending waterfall and agile methodologies. The project commenced with a comprehensive discovery process, including envisioning workshops with senior stakeholders.
Student insights
Engaging with international students was crucial to understanding their motivations for choosing Perth as a study destination. We conducted focus groups with students and involved them extensively in shaping the information architecture and content strategy, using methods like card sorting and treejack testing.
Engaging directly with students enabled us to uncover the genuine motivations behind their decision to study in Perth, providing invaluable insights that shaped our content and UX strategy.
Engaging storytelling
Storytelling is central to the site, prompting us to adopt a content-first approach that shaped the design. Our content specialists worked closely with the client, students, and agents to craft SEO-driven content that aligns with the new brand's tone, imagery, and student-focused audience.
Seamless content and design collaboration
Our content and UX teams collaborated to develop wireframe prototypes, which were iteratively tested with prospective students to ensure usability and relevance.
Social inspired reels
Inspired by social platforms, we created 30-second shortform video reels to provide social proof. These reels feature student stories and experiences, highlighting life in Perth, including safety and security, to resonate with prospective students.
Showcasing the Perth experience
We developed an interactive map of Perth, highlighting accommodation options and key education areas, including TAFEs, colleges, and universities. Users can filter by location and category, and view proximity to the beach and CBD - crucial factors for international students when choosing a study destination.
Student influencers
As part of the content strategy, we implemented a blog featuring student stories—crucial content for influencing prospective students to study in Perth.
A custom-developed members portal
Agents and members of StudyPerth were a key audience, so we developed a portal tailored to their needs. This portal allows users to view and RSVP to industry events, see attendee lists, and connect through event-specific boards. It also features notices from StudyPerth and downloadable resources to help onboard new students to Perth.
The members portal was crucial to the project's success and represented its most technically complex component. We ensured thorough implementation with detailed functional specifications and a rigorous QA process led by equ's dedicated QA team.
Integrated real-time data
A key factor in the project's success was integrating the website with multiple systems from various government departments to display real-time data, such as disruptions and critical announcements. Our technical team developed a secure API to gather, centralise, and consolidate this disparate information into a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
To ensure data security and user privacy, row-level security measures were implemented at the database level, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Successfully engaging audiences
The redevelopment of the StudyPerth website led to significant improvements in user engagement and digital performance. Following the launch, website users increased by 115%, with a 57% boost in overall engagement. New users surged by 116%, reflecting the website's ability to attract a fresh audience. Additionally, the creation of user accounts rose by 105%, demonstrating increased interaction with the platform. Organic traffic saw a remarkable growth of 180%, highlighting the effectiveness of the site's SEO-driven content strategy and enhanced visibility.
Collaborating with equ was an exceptional experience. Their technical expertise, comprehensive approach, and dedication to aligning business objectives with user engagement enabled us to develop a dynamic platform. This platform effectively connects with international students, delivering remarkable results.
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