Student Journey Maps

JP Rains VP Strategy at Soshal

@jp_rains
JP Rains @jp_rains

VP, Strategy at Soshal

#PSEWEB Board Chair
Former head of digital at
Laurentian University
Student Journey Mapping @jp_rains

• What is Student Journey Mapping?

• How can you implement this process
on campus?
• How can you use this to improve your efforts?
What is a Student
Journey Map?
Student Journey Mapping @jp_rains

The student journey is arguably one of the most

complex user mapping exercises, as it involves a
significant number of stakeholders, concurrent
processes, and spans over many years.
A map that tells the story of a
student’s journey through the
student life cycle (or a phase of it).
What is a Student
Journey Map?
Elements of the Student Journey Map @jp_rains

Personas (Ex: prospective students, alumni etc)

1. Goal(s)
2. Activities
3. Emotions
4. Barriers
5. Insights
What is a Persona? @jp_rains

• Prospect • Media
• Current Student • Researchers
• International Student • Faculty
• Alumni • Staff
• Donor • Government
What is a Goal?
What is an Activity? @jp_rains
What is an Emotion? @jp_rains

“Starting to feel the

stress!” “No.”
“Everything is
awesome! I
think…”

“I hope I don’t fail” “OMG”

What is a Barrier? @jp_rains

Professor Tobias
Office Hours
Mon -----
Tues -----
Weds -----
Thurs -----
Fri 9am - 9:30am

ltobias@smu.edu
What is an Insight? @jp_rains

The insight we’ve gained and can apply.

• Students have trouble finding programs
because of the long list and confusing names.
We should create a way to find programs that
removes the complexity.
Your student experience
needs to be better.
Always.
How can you collect
this information?
Collecting data @jp_rains

Qualitative
Focus groups (students, staff, faculty)
Logs of frequently asked questions
Surveys
1 on 1 interviews
“Data, I think, is one of the most powerful mechanisms for telling
stories. I take a huge pile of data and I try to get it to tell stories.”

Steven Levitt - Freakonomics Co-Author

Collecting data @jp_rains

Quantitative
Google Analytics
Analysis of inquiries from Social Media
CRM data
Institutional data
How can you use this to
improve your efforts?
Using a Student Journey Map @jp_rains

1. Prioritize investments
2. Simplify the student journey
3. Appreciate the emotional state of students
4. Spread this information
5. Better understand other areas of the student
journey
Using a Student Journey Map @jp_rains

6. Annual benchmarking
7. Creating new tools
8. Dispelling myths
9. Put students first
10. Avoid HIPPO decision making
Students are both our
customer and our product.
Let’s invest in them.
JP Rains
VP, Strategy at Soshal

jp.rains@soshal.ca
@jp_rains