In today’s digital-first world, crafting a higher education app that students truly love goes beyond good design or offering a range of services. It’s about creating an experience tailored to meet the unique and evolving needs of your students. These needs can vary dramatically across institutions, cohorts, and even over time.
Understanding diverse needs
Consider two recent workshops Ex LibrisTM, a part of ClarivateTM, conducted at different institutions in the same city. One was a city-based, older institution with many listed buildings scattered across a large area, while the other was a more campus-based institution. The needs of the students were distinctly different:
- City-based institution: Students here needed navigational insights and information on available resources, such as rooms and PCs.
- Campus-based institution: Students focused more on connecting with societies and accessing study support.
These examples highlight the importance of understanding and addressing the specific needs of your student body.
Capturing the student voice
Engaging with students to capture their feedback is crucial to ensuring your app evolves to meet their needs. Here are several effective methods to gather their insights:
- Surveys: While often seen as routine, surveys can still provide valuable, repeatable insights and help with benchmarking student satisfaction.
- Quick polls: Using short, regular polls targeted at different student groups can provide real-time feedback on various issues, from service quality to student well-being. Tools like campusM™ Quick Polls feature make this especially convenient.
- Student reps: Involving student representatives in app management or digital service steering committees ensures their voices shape the development process.
- Focus groups: Engage smaller, dedicated groups of student volunteers or “digital champions” who provide ongoing feedback on services.
Leveraging technology to innovate
Technology can play a pivotal role in gathering feedback and iterating on app features. For example, campusM™ built-in poll and role-based features allow you to easily recruit volunteers or beta testers for new app functionalities. By assigning a specific “beta” role, you can release test features exclusively to this group. Then, through follow-up polls and notifications, you can collect their valuable feedback.
Hackathons and student workshops
Another great way to tap into student innovation is through hackathons or design workshops. Whether focused on brainstorming new features or coding sessions using the campusM™ Application Extension kit, these events empower students to contribute directly to the digital services they use daily. Plus, participating in these workshops gives students tangible, referenceable experiences for their future careers.
The power of student advocacy
Once students feel connected to your app, they can become your strongest advocates. Word-of-mouth and peer recommendations are powerful tools for spreading awareness of your app’s services across the student body.
Embrace the student voice
Listening to students and acting on their feedback is not just about improving the user experience; it fosters a deeper sense of community and engagement. By embracing the student voice, you’re not only shaping a more effective and beloved app but also showing that you value their input. This approach leads to a more dynamic, responsive digital service that students will continue to rely on and recommend.
Discover how campusM™ library software can transform your students’ experience. Learn more about its powerful features and how it enhances engagement and success on your campus by clicking here.
