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Is that UCAS?…
With the new business direction to align Myriad under core UCAS services, it became clear the business wanted a more complementary look and feel, not only to become more in keeping with other established UCAS products but to also appear more attractive to the target audience.
A rebrand of all Myriad products and relaunch under the name ‘UCAS International’ name was decided to reinvigorate student interest. We worked with an external agency, Hybrid, to explore and define a new ‘international’ proposition.
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Improve App and Play store conversions
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Increase signs ups to the app
At least 20% more app sign ups after download.
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Increase active daily users
At least 20% increase in daily activity from users.
Developing a representative visual identity.
Identity Development
Over several weeks, marketing, sales and I worked closely with Hybrid to develop a creative that established a recognisable ‘international’ identity, relevant to the main UCAS brand architecture.
The favoured concept used distinctive pink, blue and purple colours from the UCAS master brand. You can see these colours demonstrated in the graphical brand background, a ‘layered’ or ‘stacked’ pattern, intended to symbolise a smooth progression through the steps of the international student journey.
Bringing the vision to life.
Design Application
With less than a month to update all the international products, I worked quickly in collaboration with developers to apply and integrate the new aesthetic.
The updated designs were well received internally, and sales and marketing teams were enthusiastic to show off the refreshed product suite.
Highlighting value.
Onboarding Designs
With a well-defined visual direction, our collaboration with Hybrid shifted towards the articulation of the value proposition and brand messaging. Starting with a targeted approach for learners, we focused on the following key themes:
Conciseness: Messages should be brief, clear, and instructional.
Aspirational Tone: Elevate messaging to resonate with learners’ dreams and aspirations.
Transparency: Emphasise UCAS’s commitment to transparency, reinforcing its position as a trusted brand.
To effectively convey these messages, I strategised with the marketing team to find opportunities to integrate and emphasise them within the product. One easy target immediately identified was onboarding screens.
Designing these screens, I focused on incorporating the messages that guided students from aspirational ‘Find your dream’ sentiments to a more detailed feature exploration, culminating in conversion-oriented calls to action.
Leveraging the luggage tag image containers on screens 1 and 3, I wanted to build a first impression that quickly and visually associated students with travel. On Screen 2, I introduced the new illustration style to add a bit of variety and intrigue.
The recommended bold, uppercase font served well to maximise the impact of the lead messages, I used Roboto for the supporting content as this was more accessible at smaller sizes.
Stakeholders loved the designs and felt the flow captured the intended tone of voice well.
Exponential Growth.
Impact
In December 2023, the revamped app was successfully released on schedule. Stakeholders were pleased the new aesthetics achieved the intended goals of aligning better with the UCAS brand, whilst being attractive and engaging to the intended audience. However, the proof of the rebranding success would be in the numbers.
12 weeks after the rebranded product launch, I examined the available data;
482% increase App and Play store conversions
Old Design: 8,000 (3 month period)
New Design: 46,580 (3 month period)
Measure of Success: 20%
326% increase in signs ups
Old Design: 7399 after download
(Oct - Dec 2023)
New Design: 31,561 after download (Jan - Mar 2024)
Measure of Success: 20%
309% increase in daily active users
Old Design: 76 active user p/day (avg) (Oct - Dec 2023)
New Design: 311 active user p/day (avg) (Jan - Mar 2024)
Measure of Success: 20%
Increased visits to the Play and App stores and continued steady download figures signified that the updated branding and refined value proposition resonated with international audiences, which was promising.
Furthermore, the substantial increase in conversion rates in both the App and Play Stores, and over 300% surge in sign-ups post-rebrand, validated the impact of the revamped onboarding screens and associated messaging. Indicating these screens were successful in converting users and encouraging action.
Further testament to the project’s success was seen in the increase in user activity, and a consistent rise in daily active users has been observed since December’s release, most recently averaging 311 active users per day. This increase remained significant when accounting for the larger user base, so even without any product functionality or feature changes, the new aesthetic appeared to be better at engaging and sustaining user interest.
Next steps.
Work to improve user event tracking was prioritised to better understand user interaction and develop more personalised marketing nurture trails.
Design work to refine the student profile experience was also started - this was the last step in the app onboarding journey after registration, and at the time involved a lengthy form. Improvements here would complete the full end-to-end onboarding experience.