Improving support services for university students
Exploring how students engage with support services at an Australian university to guide future delivery
Impact:
Reframed the client’s understanding of both student and staff experiences through new insights.
Ensured the student perspective informed decision-making, by delivering a conceptual model of student service interactions and service navigation.
Challenged assumptions about student behaviour and empowered the university to adopt a more human-centred approach to future service design.
Timeframe: 9 weeks
Services provided:
Design
Service design
Experience design
Journey mapping
Prototype testing
Capability Building
On-project training
Bespoke workshop facilitation
Deliverables:
Six actionable insights that reframed how the university approached student support.
A conceptual model of student service interactions, mapping key pain points and opportunities.
A high-level roadmap that outlined tactical quick-wins and longer-term strategic initiatives.
A “mental model” illustrating how students navigate the support system based on their confidence and trust in the institution.
Context:
Our client, a prominent Australian university, was embarking on a service transformation to change the way support services were delivered to its 40,000 students. The Student Support Service function was experiencing high volumes of student enquiries, and despite the dedication of staff, students were struggling to navigate the disjointed engagement channels and unclear lines of responsibility, all of which detracted from their academic focus.
WAVE was engaged to shape the new student support experience by gaining a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of students, cutting through staff assumptions about when, why, and how students access support.
Approach:
Our client wanted to understand the experiences of students and staff across key moments in their university journey. To create a holistic story that reflected the full spectrum of student service interactions we drew on multiple perspectives. We conducted in-depth research with both staff and students, mapping their experiences, engagement points, needs, and challenges. This included observations with faculty staff, interviews with students across different disciplines, and listening to real-time support enquiries.
In order to provide support that aligns with student’s needs, we had to understand their goals, mindsets and decision-making processes, not just their service interactions. Through our research, we uncovered the mental models students use to navigate support. We found that student experiences were shaped by their confidence in problem-solving and their level of trust in the system. With higher trust and confidence, students were more empowered to manage their own journey. This challenged an assumption from staff that students ought to be able to help themselves.
To ensure staff took ownership of insights and opportunities, we needed to present findings in a compelling way. We facilitated workshops with key university stakeholders to challenge internal assumptions and develop actionable insights. Together, we identified several opportunities for improvement, prioritising them into “quick-wins” and longer-term initiatives. This created a clear pathway towards meaningful change aligned with the university's strategic objectives.
Outcome:
Our research informed a new perspective on student behaviour and challenged assumptions about student engagement with support services. We shifted the conversation from an operational view of service delivery to one that was human-centred, placing the student experience at the core of the transformation.
The insights and models we developed extended beyond the scope of student support services, offering a university-wide understanding of student needs. This work equipped the university with a clear, actionable pathway to reimagine student support services, ensuring future changes would be responsive to the real needs of students.
In addition to delivering these insights, our approach fostered collaboration across faculties and departments, creating a shared sense of ownership and establishing internal champions for future phases of the transformation.
