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Best Website Elements for Recruiting Online
Students: Top Tasks & Conversion Success
©Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D. 2016
REIMAGINE EDUCATIONCONNECT2016 HIGHER EDUCATION SUMMIT
LOUISVILLE, KY JULY 20-21 2016
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Basic Website Guide Points…
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Keep. It. Simple.
What do most people want from your website? Fast task completion.
The Golden Rule…
<5 seconds to connect as a page opens.
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Top task website design goal…
Quick identification of the path to top tasks.
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Attention to Jakob Nielsen…http://www.nngroup.com/articles/university-sites/
TOP 10 DESIGN GUIDELINES… MY FAVORITES… #5
◦ “Make it easy to view a list of majors and programs.”
#8◦ “Follow the user journey: check the
main tasks for each of your audiences.”
#9◦ “Beware the perils of making your
website ‘cool.’“
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How well do these pages work?http://www.franklin.edu/online-learning/myths-of-online-education
ON LARGE SCREEN… OK WEAK ON MOBILE…
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Check with Google…https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
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Task journey stumbling blocks… Link expectations… repeat link names on destination page. Font size… don’t make them squint. (10 or 12 point) Paragraph size… 5 lines in length. Sentence length… A “.” is usually better than a “;”. Content bloat… “search” often does not work well. Photos… You don’t always need one as the page opens.
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Top Tasks Introduction…
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Key Question
for Website Design & Content…
“Please choose the TOP FIVE tasks from the list below that best describe what is important to you when choosing to go to university.”
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56
Vote
Tasks
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Top future student tasks… All students…
◦Academic programs◦Costs & financial aid ◦ Investment return after graduating
“Adult” online students are likely to add…◦Time to complete a program ◦Flexible scheduling
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In the bottom 20 “adult” tasks… Social media connections Info about alumni, presidents, and deans School news Profiles and connections to current students
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Top task ID process…http://www.digitalgov.gov/2015/02/06/top-task-usability-design-for-your-users/
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Guide to the research…http://www.customercarewords.com/top-tasks-identification-overview/
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Higher Education Examples…
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Finding graduate programs…http://www.graduate.umaryland.edu/Program-Explorer/
Photo co-exists w/ content message.Just 3 key content points.Slow mobile speed: 56
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By professional interest or program name…
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Or just scan an entry page list…http://www.ucf.edu/online/ of options…
Prominent “search” if you know what you want.
Easy-to-scan options:Undergrad majorsMaster’s degreesCertificates
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Sorting study level options…http://www.fullsail.edu/campus-and-online/online-degrees
Easy to see “Degree Types” and “Areas of Study” to start a sort.Full listing includes time to complete.Very slow 49 speed.
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12 courses over 12 months…
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Interactive transfer credit site…https://www.franklin.edu/transfer-credit-college-course-equivalency-tool
More transfer credit reduces time and money cost.No need to reveal identity.Remarkably fast 93 mobile speed score.
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Inquiry forms, brief & available…http://www.champlain.edu/online
The longer the inquiry form, the fewer people will complete it.The phone number challenge.Extra slow 38 speed.
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What can I expect next?Immediate “bright future” reinforcement.“Next step” details show benefits of completing the task.Social media connections.Easy-to-scan format.
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Same response on mobile…
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Repeat the inquiry form…
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Promote flexibility…JOHNS HOPKINS MBA… ALVERNO COLLEGE…
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Promote “Career Advancement”…PORTLAND STATE ONLINE STORY… VILLANOVA ONLINE CERTIFICATES…
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Address “Affordability”…STRAYER UNIVERSITY… UNIVERSITY OF MARY…
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Easy to start admissions application…https://www.snhu.edu/admission/apply-now/application
No log-in required.Visual: “easy to complete.”Social security # requested but not required.
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Wrapping Up…
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7 top task steps to remember…
For any audience, 3 to 5 tasks stand out as most important. People should see a top task immediately (<5 seconds) as a page opens. Priority to task words especially important in a mobile view. Beware of stumbling blocks on the journey to task completion. For recruitment tasks, ask admissions people what questions future students most often ask: recruiting events, email, phone, online.
Beware of “cool” features that do not contribute to task completion. Reduce content bloat as much as possible.
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Bob Johnson, Ph.D.
Thanks for being here in
Louisville!
[email protected]@highedmarketingwww.linkedin.com/in/bobjohnsonconsulting
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