Connect, Cultivate, Hook for Higher Education

Building a digital content strategy helps organizations become effective and consistent storytellers. Capturing users’ attention through habit-forming user experience strategies keeps audiences hooked.

In this presentation, you’ll learn how to engage your audience with the right messaging and identify UX techniques to keep them invested in your digital properties.

Connecting with your users and understanding their motivation are fundamental in a strong content strategy. Building digital tools that are easy to use and encourage an investment – whether minimal or maximum – keeps your audience hooked!

By Melissa Okada & Christine Coughlan

Transcript

1. Connect Cultivate Hook MELISSA OKADA & CHRISTINE COUGHLAN
3. @atendesign aten.io
4. Work That
 Matters
5. Work That
 Matters
6. Connect, Cultivate, Hook A Holistic User-focused Approach to Building Effective Products
7. “Meet your audience where they are, not where you want them to be. - Really Smart Person
8. OUR HOLISTIC APPROACH BACK 
 TO BASICS TRIGGER 
 ACTIONS BUILD
 LOYALTY
9. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Problem Solve a
10. Questions to Ask • What problem are users turning to your product to solve? • How do users currently solve that problem, and why does it need a different solution? • How frequently do you expect users to engage with your product? • What user behavior do you want to make into a habit?
11. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Goals Mission and
12. Mission A mission statement defines the overall purpose of the organization. An effective mission statement is clear and concise. Goals Product goals help guide the ways in which you plan, design and develop your product. Organizational Goals Product Goals Organizational goals establish the ways in which an organization will fulfill its mission.
13. Questions to Ask 1. How can this product help achieve your mission? 2. How can this product impact your organizational goals? 3. What are the goals for your product?
14. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Users Know Your
15. Who are your users? Parents / Guardians Domestic Students International Students Administrators at Partner Schools Alumni High School Students Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Counselors Special Program Students EXAMPLE – STANFORD UNIVERSITY
16. EXAMPLE – STANFORD UNIVERSITY S E C O N D A R Y P R I M A R Y Current Students Prospective Students Domestic and International High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate Influencers Parents / Guardians Counselors Administrators at Partner Schools Alumni Audience Groups Domestic and International Undergraduate and Graduate Special Programs Student
17. Questions to Ask 1. Who are your target users? 2. How can you categorize your users based on their informational needs? 3. How would you prioritize your groups?
18. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Tone Voice and
19. My organization is _____, but not _____.
20. is this 1. Inviting 2. Progressive 3. High-achieving 4. Innovative 5. Transformative but not that 1. Guaranteed 2. Trendy 3. Unattainable 4. Gimmicky 5. Coddling EXAMPLE – STANFORD UNIVERSITY
21. is this 1. Inviting 2. Progressive 3. High-achieving 4. Innovative 5. Transformative but not that 1. Guaranteed 2. Trendy 3. Unattainable 4. Gimmicky 5. Coddling EXAMPLE – STANFORD UNIVERSITY
22. Questions to Ask 1. How would you describe your organization in this syntax: 
 
 My organization is _____, but not _____.
24. OUR HOLISTIC APPROACH BACK 
 TO BASICS TRIGGER 
 ACTIONS BUILD
 LOYALTY
25. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Triggers Action-driven
26. Triggers tell the user what to do next by placing information within the user’s environment tell the user what to do next through associations stored in the user’s memory External Triggers Internal Triggers 1 2
27. External Triggers • Often visual prompts to take the next expected action • Large buttons • Related content • External communication • Email • Social Media
29. Source: http://www.office.xerox.com/latest/COLFS-02UA.PDF 80% Colored visuals are proven to increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by
30. Internal Triggers • Usually powered through emotions • Negative: boredom, loneliness, frustration or confusion • Positive: desire to be entertained • Goal is to alleviate their pain
32. Questions to Ask • External Triggers • What action should a user take? • What will trigger this action? • Internal Triggers • How would you finish this narrative: • “Every time the user [internal trigger], he/she [first action of intended habit.]”
33. Adapted from www.nirandfar.com
34. Adapted from www.nirandfar.com
35. OUT HOLISTIC APPROACH BACK 
 TO BASICS TRIGGER 
 ACTIONS BUILD
 LOYALTY
36. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Give them a Reward
37. Types of Rewards • Rewards of the Tribe • Rewards of the Hunt • Rewards of the Self
38. REWARDS OF THE TRIBE
39. REWARDS OF THE TRIBE
40. REWARDS OF THE HUNT
41. REWARDS OF THE HUNT
42. REWARDS OF THE HUNT
43. REWARDS OF THE TRIBE
44. REWARDS OF THE SELF
45. REWARDS OF THE SELF
46. REWARDS OF THE SELF
47. Questions to Ask • How do you reward your user? • Is the reward fulfilling, yet leaves the user wanting more? Can you offer smaller rewards that lead to a larger reward? • When should the user receive the reward?
48. …but habits break. Rewards help form habits!
49. “By creating habits fueled by investments in a product or service, companies make switching to a competitor difficult. – Nir Eyal
50. THE STRATEGY PROCESS Invite users to Invest
51. CONTENT/DATA
52. REPUTATION Image Credit: https://oliviamariaalice.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/mobile-app-analysis-7-lyft/
53. INVITATIONS
54. PREFERENCES
55. SKILLS
56. Questions to Ask • How can your users invest in your product? • Content/Data • Reputation • Invitations • Preferences • Skills • Can this investment be part of loading the next trigger? • How can you simplify the investment period?
57. OUR HOLISTIC APPROACH BACK 
 TO BASICS TRIGGER 
 ACTIONS BUILD
 LOYALTY
58. Iterative Approach
64. OUR HOLISTIC APPROACH BACK 
 TO BASICS TRIGGER 
 ACTIONS BUILD
 LOYALTY
65. Thanks! Christine Coughlan christine@aten.io Melissa Okada melissa@aten.io