Using design thinking to define strategies for an educational institution

CLIENT: Talkpower International

THE CHALLENGE

TalkPower International is a well-known international educational institution offering varied public speaking classes in China and Canada. After 22 years of steady growth, the company is seeking opportunities areas to expand the business at an accelerated pace.

MY ROLE

Service design strategist, Researcher, UX Design Consultant

THE OUTCOME

Equipped with a better understanding of their customers, along with their expectations and needs, the company appears more confident now in defining its business, marketing, service and product strategies moving forward. Most importantly, with my help, the company is growing and becoming a more customer-centric organization!

A kick start with stakeholder interviews

I started with stakeholder interviews because:1) Stakeholders are users, the people who will eventually experience the service being designed; 2) Stakeholders are collaborators whom I will be working together and build the service; and 3) They are the domain experts, knowing the nuances and problems that exists in processes that aren't normally talked about from person to person within the organization.

Identify the 4 Primary goals of the project

CUSTOMER

To better understand the customer's motivation, expectations and goals

STRATEGY

To define business/marketing strategies & roadmap

JOURNEY

To identify the major pain points and opportunities along the customer journey

SERVICE

To re-imagine services that meet customer's needs and become more competitive within the marketplace

Conducted exhaustive research

Over the span of 4 months, I conducted a series of research projects in both China and Canada, using techniques ranging from ethnographic studies, focus groups, interviews, competitive analysis, and a literature review. As a result of the stakeholder interviews conducted earlier, I was able to narrow down and focus on 6 of the most popular courses and 4 customer segments that were considered to have the highest business value: Students from the Canadian Adult Class; Parents and students enrolled in Canadian Youth Class; Students at executive/management level from Chinese Adult Class; and The prospective teachers in the Chinese Teacher's Certificate Program.

2

Countries

3

Focus groups

4

Customer segments

32

Interview sessions

6

Courses

15

Literature reviews

3

Ethnographic studies

20+

Competitive research

Created customer journey maps for targeted segments

Ethnographic studies and one-on-one interviews are the two most important research methodologies helping me gain insights from the entire "learning journey". Together with insights gained from focus group discussions, a literature review and competitive analysis, I was able to create individual experience journey maps for each specific targeted customer segment, capturing their action, thoughts, feelings, and pain points from initial contact, through the process of engagement and into a long-term relationship.

For many students, the journey can start as early as their childhood when they first felt inadequate due to a failure in public speaking or inter-person communication.

Analyzed key factors related to students learning paths and the relationship they prefer to have with the company

In addition to a deep dive into the customer journey while taking one specific course, my research also took a holistic view of student's learning paths. I discovered that education background, public speaking level, and stage of life and career are the key factors influencing students' learning path and even the long-term relationship they want to maintain with TalkPower. Below is the decision-making chart for students enrolled in the Teacher's Certificate Program.

Synthesized insights and offered business, service, and marketing strategies

Canadian Youth Program

Offering beginner programs for children as early as Grade 3
Focusing on offering courses for children in Grade 6-8
Expanding class offering to weekends and after 6:30 pm during weekdays
Tracking students' progress and communicate it back to the students
Increasing the transparency of the in-class experience so parents have an idea of how their kids are doing in class

China Adult Program

Using Apps to engage & foster relationships outside of class
Focusing on offering courses for children in Grade 6-8
Designing courses around popular social and cultural topics
Group students based on their education, work & life experience
Using testimonials to motivate potential customers

Canadian Adult Program

Stressing "Talk in front of People" other than "Public Speaking"
Promote program with decision-makers in the workplace
Motivating potential students by highlighting their primary challenges
Teaching public speaking in Chinese makes sense for Canadian students
Encourage in-class interactions between students and teachers

Teachers' Certificate

Communicating course objectives and curriculum in advance
Balancing between standardized methods and teachers' own styles
Providing continuous training for teachers
Offering a tuition discount instead of cash rewards for referrals
Increasing sales by promoting at universities and job fairs

Translated strategies for tangible digital solutions to make some quick wins

Once I helped TalkPower identify the opportunity areas, I then provided design recommendations on their recently launched website so they can make some quick wins.

What's next

Four months have passed since the project kicked off earlier this February. By now, I have completed the Understanding phase of the design life cycle. With the valuable insights gathered, TalkPower can further explore and implement potential solutions. Looking back, I am very proud of what I have achieved in a relatively short time period. I did intensive research to enable TalkPower to take a more holistic back and front stage view of their service, encompassing all actors in the service. Equipped with a better understanding of their customers, along with their expectations and needs, the company appears more confident now in defining its business and marketing strategies moving forward. Most importantly, with my help, the company is growing and becoming a more customer-centric organization!