From Instructional to Inspirational: Story+Structure Redefines Cal State University, East Bay Continuing Ed's Online Presence and Brand

BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Story+Structure, an innovation design firm that delivers human-centered solutions, announces the successful launch of the redesigned website, customer relationship management (CRM) and registration systems for California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) Continuing Education (CE). Improving all parts of the student journey, from finding the right program through registration and payment, the new format communicates the real-life value of CSUEB's programs to students and helps to build positive relationships with prospects. Within the first day of its launch, the site drew a jump in inquiries from an average of seven per day to seventy, a jump that has continued apace.

"The overall goal of this project was to build a new Web presence that truly spoke to the needs and emotions of our prospective students," said Dan Bellone, Marketing Director, University Extension, CSUEB. "To do this, we had to develop a better system that would speak to our prospective and current students in real time and to their specific needs; position CSUEB to be the university of choice in our marketplace; and enable us to effectively track and analyze key data to move from a reactive to strategic marketing environment. Immediately after the launch, it's become evident that Story+Structure's human-centered design approach has set us on the path to reaching all of these goals."

"A lot of organizations fall into the trap of designing information architecture from a technology point of view, not realizing that all the bells and whistles in the world won't help their business if they're not speaking to the way the target audience actually uses the site," said Chokdee Rutirasiri, founder and CEO, Story+Structure. "This is the heart of the human-centered approach: beginning with thorough audience research, learning what your customers and internal audience really needs, and then changing the technology around that information. By putting people first, you develop a strong brand, ensure client happiness, and maximize productivity."

Accordingly, Story+Structure conducted an in-depth business analysis as the first step of the CSUEB project. The firm looked at organizational make-up, mission statement, number of programs, types of students reached, how long programs had been in operation, and met and talked with every staff member in the CE department, at all levels, as well as faculty and college administrators. By taking into the account the expectations at all levels of the university, Story+Structure was able to get a holistic picture of who the university is, what they do, and where they want to go. In addition, Story+Structure conducted surveys and interviews with current CSUEB students and talked to real prospects to map out what an ideal experience for them would be. By mapping the student journey, designers were able to create an intuitive, student-centered experience.

"Before this project our branding was very utilitarian – instructional vs. inspirational," said Dan Bellone. "Now we speak to our prospective student's needs and concerns and do so in a personal way, providing insight from the people that matter (faculty and students) as well as providing statistical information (outcomes and outlooks) for the specific programs in which our prospective students are interested."

Moving forward, the new integration of CSUEB's CRM platform with the website experience and registration system will enable metrics tracking and analysis at a level not possible with the system it replaced. This will allow CSUEB Continuing Education to implement data-driven forecasting into their plans, both from a student services and marketing program perspective. Notes Dan Bellone, "The analysis tools we have implemented in this new process will allow us to be much more connected to our prospective and current students as well as the hiring community."

For media inquiries, including scheduling interviews with Story+Structure executives, please contact Ariane Doud of Warner Communications, at [email protected]. 

About Story+Structure

Story+Structure is an innovation design firm that solves human problems. They deliver business success, from strategy to implementation, with human-centered solutions. The firm has worked with a range of industries, with a particular passion for and focus on education, including Early Head Start, Berklee College of Music, and Johns Hopkins University. For more information, please visit www.storyandstructure.com. 

Media Contact:
Ariane Doud
Warner Communications
(978) 283-2674
[email protected]

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SOURCE Story+Structure

Related Links

http://www.storyandstructure.com