Seeking a deeper understanding of customers' needs to deliver an experience that fits into their lives and improves their workflows.
EDUCAUSE's overarching aim was to help customers answer the question: "What technologies are my peers using?" Since the work was currently done off-platform, taking many forms and following various search workflows, there was a need for a peer-to-peer technology and solutions search experience on the EDUCAUSE platform that sets itself apart from what currently exists in the market. EDUCAUSE’s Analytics department already provided a portal with interactive dashboards and data tools for higher education IT leaders to make decisions about their budgets and software selections, but the time had come to craft a more helpful and engaging human-centered experience.
Providing institutions with a seamless learning experience using proprietary data for centralized search and vetting technology that enhances peer relationships.
Through the presentation of a mix of expected and unexpected data and experiential insights from both EDUCAUSE and its peers, EDUCAUSE can deliver customized data that tells more robust solution stories to inform decision-makers within higher education IT departments.
Market-centric landing pages drive more engagement, lead generation, and trust-building opportunities with branded content, white papers, research, surveys, and community insights, acting as a platform for hosting and promoting all their iconic events. As thought leaders, corporate members will increase their visibility, helpfulness, and engagement with the EDUCAUSE community. As a good neighbor, EDUCAUSE facilitates insights and guidelines that help overcome the apprehension and friction typical in procurement.
Research, discovery and strategize
Before investing valuable time, financial, and human resources in designing an experience for their portal that would allow users to search for software solutions used by their peers, Fine Humans conducted numerous customer interviews to gain a deeper understanding of EDUCAUSE customers' lives and goals.
Our extensive interviews uncovered an array of customer motivations and pain points, and collected ideas about potential solutions, hearing what real customers thought would be most helpful. As a result of our corporate and institutional member interviews, we identified unique and valuable opportunities for them within the Technology and Solutions Hub and iterated the shaping document and wireframes based on our understanding of EDUCAUSE’s goals and member base.
Product information architecture
Fine Humans Creative Studio mapped the current EDUCAUSE ecosystem to help the organization better understand where a new experience would fit effectively and where connections could be made by showing them a bird's-eye view.
Shaping the experience
We collaborated with EDUCAUSE’s dedicated internal team to define what the feature does, how it works, and where it fits into existing product flows. With our help, EDUCAUSE set up a plan for the seamless integration of this new product, as well as future sister initiatives such as product showcases and a community platform initiative that could potentially be launched in parallel, identifying where the two initiatives can merge in valuable ways.
Wireframes and prototypes
We created a prototype from medium-fidelity wireframes that fit into their current brand and UI aesthetic, based on our findings around member needs. This prototype served as a tool for gaining customer feedback, early insights, and internal buy-in during discussions and walkthroughs with key stakeholders.
Uncovering new revenue streams
During our process, we identified and presented additional revenue opportunities around the platform to enhance EDUCAUSE's offerings and growth.
