Visualisation – Student Journey 

 Mahtab Esmaeili 

 The Challenge 

 My challenge was to create a Customer Experience training at my workplace ( a university ) . The   university ’s ultimate customers are students ; therefore , my challenge was to enable understanding   of the student experience at the university and encourage continuous improvement . 

 Selection 

 I decided to use visualisation to understand and depict the student journey from the point of   awareness ( how they become aware of different universities ) to joining the alumni . As highlighted   by Meyer in the week 1 video , visualisation is a great tool for understanding ‘ different contexts ’ and   ‘ our customers ’ . Furthermore , visualisation can give a snapshot of a process while allowing for   further exploration . 

 Application 

 I used visualisation as a tool to map the student experience from the point of student awareness to   joining alumni . I used stick figures to draw the students in the different journey points and arrows   that connected each journey point to the next . For example : 

 I then invited selected stakeholders from across the different sections of the university to fill the   gaps while also contributing their own visual clues to the student journey . For this activity I   separated / cut each student journey point and stuck it in sequence on the walls of the room . I   divided the stakeholders into different groups so they could move easily from one journey point to   the next and gave them Post - it notes so they could draw their contributions and stick them under   each journey point or in between journey points . Finally I looked for patterns ( similar to mind   mapping ) and we discussed and agreed on a final version of the student journey . The activity took   around 30 minutes to complete with nine distinct journey points identified . 

 The next stage involved using data from the QS International and Domestic student surveys 2019 to   understand the expectations of domestic and international students at the different journey points . I   used graphs to show student preferences and needs at each journey point . For the final design I   used Storyboard 360 to depict the student journey ; making it more visually appealing and 

 interactive . Storyboard 360 allowed course participants to click on each journey point to find out   about student preferences at each point . 

 The student journey forms the backbone for two modules within the Customer Experience course   where participants are asked to : 1 . compare student needs at particular journey points with what   the university is currently offering / doing .   2 . highlight the gap 3 . use the customer experience   principles espoused by the university to come - up with solutions to close the gap between the   current student journey and what students need or expect . 

 Participant feedback has been very positive , and some comments indicate that participant   understanding of the student journey at the university has been enhanced and they are keen to   implement some of the suggestions from the group discussions . 

 Insight 

 I found using visualisation in developing the student journey map had several benefits : 

 1 . In the initial consultation with stakeholders it worked similar to an icebreaker . People had to 

 get out of their seats and interacted with each - other sometimes commenting on each- other ’s suggestions or their own stick figures , triggering laughter . 

 2 . Use of stick - figures in the initial consultation created an inclusive platform – everyone could 

 draw a stick figure and make fun of their own stick figure . 

 3 . The initial visualisation consultation created a sense of ownership of the process and created 

 a universal view of the student journey . Some of the comments included “ I did n’t know the   reason for ‘ x ’ till now ” or “ now I know where I fit in the student journey ” . 

 4 . The visualisation ( student journey ) created the ‘ what is ’ in design thinking enabling the 

 participants to understand what the university ’s current processes are at each journey point ,   what students prefer and what is the gap . 

 5 . Discussion question ‘ 3 ’ created a space for ‘ what if ’ in design thinking ; ‘ Use the customer 

 experience principles espoused by the university to come - up with solutions to close the gap   between the current student journey and what students need or expect . ’ 

 Approach 

 I found visualisation to be well suited for what I intended to achieve ; understand the customer   journey in the university . In the future I will incorporate visualisation activities in other areas of my   work . I will consider ways in which I can use visualisation to explore ‘ what wows ’ in the student   journey ; ‘ The Wow Zone ’ where : ‘ customers want it ’ , ‘ we can do it ’ and ‘ the economics can sustain   it ’ . I will ask the participants to consider the economics and attainability of their idea when   considering question ‘ 3 ’ and depict it visually on the student journey . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Mahtab Esmaeili
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Visualisation – Student Journey 

 Mahtab Esmaeili 

 The Challenge 

 My challenge was to create a Customer Experience training at my workplace ( a university ) . The   university ’s ultimate customers are students ; therefore , my challenge was to enable understanding   of the student experience at the university and encourage continuous improvement . 

 Selection 

 I decided to use visualisation to understand and depict the student journey from the point of   awareness ( how they become aware of different universities ) to joining the alumni . As highlighted   by Meyer in the week 1 video , visualisation is a great tool for understanding ‘ different contexts ’ and   ‘ our customers ’ . Furthermore , visualisation can give a snapshot of a process while allowing for   further exploration . 

 Application 

 I used visualisation as a tool to map the student experience from the point of student awareness to   joining alumni . I used stick figures to draw the students in the different journey points and arrows   that connected each journey point to the next . For example : 

 I then invited selected stakeholders from across the different sections of the university to fill the   gaps while also contributing their own visual clues to the student journey . For this activity I   separated / cut each student journey point and stuck it in sequence on the walls of the room . I   divided the stakeholders into different groups so they could move easily from one journey point to   the next and gave them Post - it notes so they could draw their contributions and stick them under   each journey point or in between journey points . Finally I looked for patterns ( similar to mind   mapping ) and we discussed and agreed on a final version of the student journey . The activity took   around 30 minutes to complete with nine distinct journey points identified . 

 The next stage involved using data from the QS International and Domestic student surveys 2019 to   understand the expectations of domestic and international students at the different journey points . I   used graphs to show student preferences and needs at each journey point . For the final design I   used Storyboard 360 to depict the student journey ; making it more visually appealing and 

 interactive . Storyboard 360 allowed course participants to click on each journey point to find out   about student preferences at each point . 

 The student journey forms the backbone for two modules within the Customer Experience course   where participants are asked to : 1 . compare student needs at particular journey points with what   the university is currently offering / doing .   2 . highlight the gap 3 . use the customer experience   principles espoused by the university to come - up with solutions to close the gap between the   current student journey and what students need or expect . 

 Participant feedback has been very positive , and some comments indicate that participant   understanding of the student journey at the university has been enhanced and they are keen to   implement some of the suggestions from the group discussions . 

 Insight 

 I found using visualisation in developing the student journey map had several benefits : 

 1 . In the initial consultation with stakeholders it worked similar to an icebreaker . People had to 

 get out of their seats and interacted with each - other sometimes commenting on each- other ’s suggestions or their own stick figures , triggering laughter . 

 2 . Use of stick - figures in the initial consultation created an inclusive platform – everyone could 

 draw a stick figure and make fun of their own stick figure . 

 3 . The initial visualisation consultation created a sense of ownership of the process and created 

 a universal view of the student journey . Some of the comments included “ I did n’t know the   reason for ‘ x ’ till now ” or “ now I know where I fit in the student journey ” . 

 4 . The visualisation ( student journey ) created the ‘ what is ’ in design thinking enabling the 

 participants to understand what the university ’s current processes are at each journey point ,   what students prefer and what is the gap . 

 5 . Discussion question ‘ 3 ’ created a space for ‘ what if ’ in design thinking ; ‘ Use the customer 

 experience principles espoused by the university to come - up with solutions to close the gap   between the current student journey and what students need or expect . ’ 

 Approach 

 I found visualisation to be well suited for what I intended to achieve ; understand the customer   journey in the university . In the future I will incorporate visualisation activities in other areas of my   work . I will consider ways in which I can use visualisation to explore ‘ what wows ’ in the student   journey ; ‘ The Wow Zone ’ where : ‘ customers want it ’ , ‘ we can do it ’ and ‘ the economics can sustain   it ’ . I will ask the participants to consider the economics and attainability of their idea when   considering question ‘ 3 ’ and depict it visually on the student journey .
### Output: 