Integrating brand strategy with more effective user journeys

Australian National University

Multi-layered organisations are a combination of rapidly moving pieces, sometimes in different directions. Our partner Australia National University (ANU) had done a brand strategy overhaul, breaking down their vision, mission, values and intent for their futures called ‘Reimagine.’ However, the user journey on their website presented a gap in translating and navigating that outlook.

The partner

ANU is the #1 university in Australia, smack in the heart of Canberra, where policy and change happen for an entire nation. Residing on the lands of Ngunnawal people, it’s been home to nuclear fusion, the first model of photosynthesis -- revolutionising ecology -- and helping eradicate smallpox. And they’re constantly looking forward, putting themselves on the global stage and attracting the world’s finest minds to Canberra.

The challenge
ANU’s new brand and status had the power to make more of an impact, but wasn’t forming a prominent part of user experiences. We needed to leverage ANU’s brand to deliver clearer, more memorable research and application journeys.

The insight
Reimagine wasn’t just something to use to look at marketing materials, it was a leading light in thinking about how users would first enter ANUs site. Articulating a digital journey meant breaking down wireframing that would leave users uninspire, and replacing it with a journey supported by creative content to solidify it’s brand strategy and drive domestic and international enrolment .

The solution

We reworked the user experience of ANU’s ‘Reimagine’ strategy to address the different behaviours and needs of the full range of their audiences. Through audience profiling, persona-development and UX testing, we ensured our work was focused on measurable results. We developed wireframing, sitemaps and deployable assets that guided prospects to apply.

Our impact
This strategy drove further engagement in international markets. We ran surveys and workshops to identify the pain points for each market, using our findings to develop more seamless user journeys. We redesigned existing video assets, refined messaging and optimised landing page UX to enable the ANU to resonate across Vietnam, China, Indonesia and India. 

32%
growth in traffic domestically
56%
growth internationally
24%
decrease in bounce rate