Strategizing solutions to engagement and retention rates
Background
A client in the study abroad industry was looking to improve the overall usability and usefulness of an app that 97% of their customers downloaded.
The app functioned as a conduit for students’ travel and program information. Within the app, students could fill out important travel documents, check their schedules and grades, book activity add-ons, and view their learning certificates.
The client also wanted to reduce their 25% post-booking cancellation rate. Given that customers often booked their trips 4 to 12 months in advance, the client asked us to explore ways to increase app engagement among students in the post-sale, pre-departure stage.
Understanding users’ current pain points
The product team had designed new social features that they hoped would increase app engagement among pre-departure students. They admitted, however, that these features had been developed without conducting user research.
To understand how these new features would impact pre-departure engagement, we first needed a better understanding of students’ current needs and pain points.
Our team conducted a series of interviews with 11 students that represented different points in the user journey. 6 of these students were in the pre-departure stage. In these interviews, we discussed students’ concerns about their programs, observed students using the current app, and asked students to test-drive prototypes of the new social features.
The pre-departure dilemma
Our research uncovered critical insights that shaped the experience of pre-departure users:
Students received consistent messaging that program details would not be available in the app until two weeks before their departure date.
A lack of program details was a source of anxiety for students who often booked their trips 4+ months in advance.
While pre-departure students were interested in new features that allowed them to connect with other students, the majority stated that they would be concerned about connecting with strangers before arriving to their program.
Perhaps most significant of all, the newly developed features did not address the most significant challenge to pre-departure app engagement:
Without program details, students felt the app had little use until two weeks before their trip.
The challenge?
The client could not provide program information such as exact accommodations or specific class schedules any earlier. “Two weeks before” was not just a bit of copy that could quickly be rewritten. It reflected the operational constraints of a company coordinating international travel and education for students attending school at 50 different campuses across 17 countries.
At this point we had to get creative. My colleague and I set out to generate new ideas for addressing pre-departure students’ demands for program details.
Ideating solutions
As part of our final report, my colleague and I provided our client with several design directions meant to increase pre-departure app engagement and address other usability issues that emerged during our research sessions. Our ideation considered short-term solutions as well as long-term strategy.
Program previews
Much of our ideation focused on ways of increasing the amount of information available to pre-departure students in the app.
One short-term solution we offered was to provide pre-departure students with details about extracurricular activities. Content about extracurricular activities already existed in the app for active students. We suggested making this content available to pre-departure students and giving pre-departure students the ability to bookmark activities they were interested in. With an idea of the types of extracurricular activities available to them, pre-departure students would be more likely to take advantage of some of the add-on incentives available to them.
Our long-term strategy focused on building new features that allowed pre-departure students to learn more about their study abroad program.
One design direction focused on student-generated content. Forums accessed through the app would allow pre-departure students to ask active students questions about transportation, accommodations, and local activities. This solution would not only encourage continuous app engagement but potentially reduce customer contact rates.
We also suggested a new “Explore your destination” tab that would allow students to browse student-submitted program photos, current activities, sample class schedules, and teacher profiles.
Impact
This research identified 8 primary insights impacting app usability and influencing conversion and retention rates. While I have focused on insights shaping pre-departure app engagement, we also uncovered pain points for active students who relied on the app for information about their class schedules, homework, and extracurricular activities.
Critically, I found that newly developed social features meant to increase app engagement did not address the most significant challenges that pre-departure students faced. This project highlights the importance of grounding product strategy in real user needs.