1. Rating Higher Education Websites:The Student Experience Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D. 2009 J.Boye Conference Aarhus 2009 November 4, 2009 Aarhus, Denmark

2. Who is Bob Johnson?

Higher education marketer since 1980s

Writer of monthly Your Higher Education Marketing Newsletter

Owner Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

Partner w/Gerry McGovern at Customer Carewords

Chair of Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, 1994 to 2003

Ph.D. in political science (UMass Amherst)

3. In todays presentation

Identifying website factors that are most important to visitors

Comparing responses from future or prospective students with those from current students

Where to focus website improvement efforts

If you could only make one change

4. Customer Centric Index (CCI) survey

Asks website visitors to select from 13 website attributes to identify top 3 positive or negative experiences

CCI = % of positive votes cast

4 audiences to survey:

• Current students

• Possible future students

• Faculty and staff

• Alumni

5. 13 survey factors in 3 groups

Information Architecture

Content

Social

6. 7. 8. 9. Copyright Customer Carewords Ltd.

Please choose the THREE factors from the list below that best describe your actual experience with the Enormous State University website.

Give a score of 3 to the factor which best describes your experience, 2 to the next best description, and then 1.

Please give only one score of3, 2 and 1.

Leave the rest blank.

10. Investing improvement resources 11. Typical voting spread 12. Action priorities 13. CCI at 12 schools

10 in presentation

• Ball State University

• Bemidji State University

• DePaul University

• East Stroudsburg University

• Fordham University

• Lund University

• Tyler Junior College

• University of Manitoba

• University of Missouri

• University of Waterloo

2 not in presentation

• University of Hertfordshire

• University of Oslo

• • On next CCI ratings page only

14. 11 CCI Survey Results % External Voters.. % Positive Votes

76% 91.6%

74% 79.6%

70% 86.1%

67% 89.3%

62% 51.0%

61% 27.7%

52% 4.8%

45% 10.2%

11% 57.0%

3% 57.6%

0% 54.0%

15. More often than not

External users were happier than internal users

• Future students were happier than current students

• Alumni were close to future students

High concern overall with deficiencies in:

• Navigation

• Search

16. Audience specific results

Future Students

17. Areas of interest by votes received

Information Architecture factors

• 4,490 votes = 49.3% of total

Content factors

• 2,763 votes = 30.3% of total

Social factors

• 1,856 votes = 20.3% of total

18. Audience specific results

Current Students

19. Areas of interest by votes received

Information Architecture factors

• 5,391 votes = 54.4% of total

Content factors

• 2,786 votes = 28.1% of total

Social factors

• 1,739 votes = 17.5% of total

20. Key comparison areas Current students vs. Future students 21. Top 5 factors by votes cast

Current students

• Layout(IA)

• Search(IA)

• Navigation(IA)

• Up-to-date(Content)

• Visual(IA)

Future students

• Navigation(IA)

• Layout(IA)

• Visual(IA)

• Complete(Content)

• Accurate(Content)

22. Highest difference between positive and negative votes

Current students

• Participation

• • 82 to 15

• Recommendations

• • 57 to 0

• Navigation

• • 62 to 24

• Complete

• • 74 to 39

Future

• Visual

• • 100 to 4

• Layout

• • 96 to 26

• Contact

• • 100 to 32

• Navigation

• • 83 to 24

23. Least difference between positive and negative votes

Current students

• Accurate

• • 100 to 74

• Search

• • 40 to 20

• Language

• • 100 to 75

Future students

• Language

• • 100 to 79

• Accurate

• • 93 to 63

• Open

• • 100 to 76

24. What do CCI results mean?

Difficult for one website to meet internal and external users needs

Argues for Internet and Intranet websites

• Intranet users need nuts and bolts website that focuses on frequent task completion

Special attention to navigation & search

• Help people to quickly find things

Less focus on beauty & cool

Increased audience research

25. If you can make only one change Consider this Search + Site Map 26. Combine search & site map http://www.stedwards.edu/siteindex.htm 27. Key challenges forhigher education websites

Acceptance of intranet and internet approach

Easier access to most important content and completion of top tasks

Greater use of web analytics

Continued growth of web content editor positions the website as on online publication

28. Meeting the first challenge http://www.devry.edu/ 29. Thank You! Bob Johnson, Ph.D. President Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC248.766.6425[email_address] http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing Customer Carewords Research for Online Marketing Success:http://www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/customercarewords.html 30. Addendum Overall CCI data results 31. Total Results from 4 Audiences

Current students

Future students

Faculty & Staff

Alumni

32. Voters by audience category

Future students 3,342

Alumni 1,416

Current students 3,594

Faculty & staff 589

Total voters 8,941

Total votes 26,823

33. Areas of interest by total votes

IA 14,325 votes = 53.4% of total

• Visual Appeal (2,834) High: 87% Low: 57%

• Layout (3,354) High: 85% Low: 61%

• Speed (1,797) High: 84% Low: 49%

• Navigation (3,940) High: 62% Low: 35%

• Search (2,712) High: 55% Low: 24%

34. Areas of interest by votes

Content 7,396 votes = 27.5% of total

• Language (1,263)High:100%Low: 79%

• Accurate (1,861)High: 100%Low: 63%

• Up-to-date (2,382) High: 86% Low: 41%

• Complete (1,890)High: 82% Low: 40%

35. Areas of interest by votes

Social. 4,709 votes = 17.5% of total

• Open (1,590)High: 90%Low: 60%

• Contact (1,871) High: 72%Low: 42%

• Participation (913) High: 73%Low: 33%

• Recommendations (486) High: 76% Low:0%

36. Audience specific results

Future Students

37. Areas of interest by votes received

IA 4,490 votes = 49.3% of total

• Visual Appeal (1,059) High: 93% Low:4%

• Layout (1,194) High: 96% Low: 26%

• Speed (714) High: 87% Low: 41%

• Navigation (1,332) High: 83% Low: 24%

• Search (701) High: 92% Low: 50%

38. Areas of interest by votes received

Content 2,763 votes = 30.3% of total

• Language (424)High: 100%Low: 79%

• Accurate (810)High: 93% Low: 63%

• Up-to-date (677) High: 86% Low: 41%

• Complete (852)High: 82% Low: 40%

39. Areas of interest by votes received

Social. 1,856 votes = 20.3% of total

• Open (739)High: 100%Low: 76%

• Contact (575) High: 100% Low:32%

• Participation (314) High: 100% Low:59%

• Recommendations (228)High: 100%Low:61%

40. Audience specific results

Current Students

41. Areas of interest by votes received

IA5,391 votes = 54.4% of total

• Visual Appeal (866) High: 88% Low: 57%

• Layout (1,254) High: 88% Low: 58%

• Speed (812) High: 74% Low: 48%

• Navigation (1,054) High: 62% Low: 24%

• Search (1,405) High: 40% Low: 20%

42. Areas of interest by votes received

Content 2,786 votes = 28.1% of total

• Language (480)High: 100%Low: 75%

• Accurate (637)High: 100%Low: 74%

• Complete (651)High: 74% Low: 39%

• Up-to-date (1,018) High: 75% Low: 38%

43. Areas of interest by votes received

Social. 1,739 votes = 17.5% of total

• Open (437)High: 90%Low: 50%

• Contact (824) High: 78%Low: 50%

• Participation (302) High: 82%Low: 15%

• Recommendations (176)High: 57% Low:0%