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CASE STUDIES
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2025
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Simon Fraser University
Reimagine the customer experience and digital transformation roadmap for Simon Fraser University
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CLIENT
Simon Fraser University
Visit site
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TIMELINE
2 years
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SERVICES
GenAI
Strategy
CX
Product Roadmap
Prototyping
Content Strategy
Journey Mapping
Service Design
Research
Customer Experience Redefined: Unify the Student Journey & Address the Threats of AI
Universities are experiencing a range of major disruptions —notably from shifting international student regulations, specialized colleges, and AI's transformation of search. These disruptions are forcing institutions to accelerate digital transformation projects that make institutions more competitive.
PH1 was involved in a series of projects to unify the student journey and related digital services. Central to this work is re-aligning the institution —and its various departments— around the needs and experiences of future students, current students, graduates, academics, and partners.
Universities Must Evolve to Meet Tomorrow's Needs
Our research across this and a dozen higher education projects highlighted an uncomfortable truth for universities: future students have more concerns than ever about the value of going to university and they have more options than ever for post-secondary studies.
Other audiences are experiencing similar shifts —alumni struggle to feel connected to their alma maters and industry are less reliant on universities as innovation hubs. Core to meeting the needs of all of these audiences is turning university websites into assistive, personalized, and intuitive platforms for finding answers.
How can we not only be awarded the most innovative university, but also represent it across every digital touchpoint?
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SOLUTIONS
Service Design for Higher Education: Overcome Institutional Silos
PH1 conducted a range of audit, research, and strategy activities:
National survey of future students to learn about where they applied and why
Survey of existing students to learn about the questions that were critical to their decision-making process
Workshops with students to document their journeys, challenges, concerns, critical interactions
Audit of websites, recruitment materials, research stakeholder resources, and specialized tools
Benchmarking compared to local, national, international institutions
In-depth interviews to gain feedback on potential improvements and to define strategies
Prototyping of new website architecture and AI features
Strategic alignment workshop with leadership and internal stakeholders to define future vision
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RESULTS
Strategy for Elevating SFU's Student Experience
PH1 worked with a variety of SFU departments and delivered the following:
Evaluation of the barriers and opportunities to future student application and registration
Journey mapping of the critical journey of future students to pinpoint breakdowns in communication, comprehension, and conversion
Journey mapping of end-to-end student services touchpoints, identifying when and how to better support across their experiences as registered students
CX strategy for transforming the website experience so external stakeholders can easily find exactly the content and answers they need
CX strategy for improving the engagement and enrollment of continuing studies courses
Future students struggle to relate to organizational silos
Key finding
30%
Lower Ad spend
20+
Hours saved monthly
You are not only highly skilled in the craft of research itself, but you also bring a strategist’s lens to every engagement. This was especially evident for me on the SESB brand project. I rarely say this, but you consistently anticipated my thoughts and feedback. Your ability to frame research in a way that drives meaningful insight and unlocks new understanding for the team sets you apart from other researchers I have worked with."
Schneider Electric
Multinational specialized in digital automation and energy management.
