Struggling to deliver digital progress in a complex environment? You’re not alone. Universities today are facing mounting digital pressures, often without the internal structures or capacity to meet them.
We work with higher education institutions across the UK to tackle the sector’s biggest digital challenge head-on...
Complex digital challenges. Proven solutions.
We specialise in helping universities navigate complex digital landscapes that unlock better student and staff experiences, leading to improved operational efficiency and real, measurable results.
We understand the institutional complexity, politics, and fragmented digital estates that characterise across higher education. That’s why we work as a strategic partner to deliver long-term solutions that enhance internal services and streamline digital operations.
The results? Improved engagement throughout the student journey (both pre-application and post-offer), resulting in increased student recruitment and conversion.
More value from your platforms, people, and content.
How we help you unlock student experience
1. Budget pressure and stakeholder buy-in
It can seem impossible to secure buy-in from siloed stakeholder groups and faculties. Universities are consistently met with tight budgets whilst facing mounting pressure to demonstrate clear ROI.
2. Limited internal capacity
Digital teams are facing pressure to deliver more user-focused, commercially minded services without the systems and teams to support them. Teams are overstretched with no time for strategic planning, leading to project stall or causing them to underdeliver.
3. Disconnected digital estates
The use of complex, inconsistent digital estates, multiple platforms, microsites, and teams create disconnected experiences.
Higher Education institutions have partnered with us for...
University of the West of England (UWE)
We helped embed user-centred design into UWE’s digital experience, improving information architecture and supporting long-term capability building.
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU)
A long-term strategic partnership spanning user research, design, development and optimisation across key student-facing services and platforms.
London School of Economics (LSE)
Delivering a personalised, role-based intranet for staff and students, grounded in user research, persona development and iterative testing.
Falmouth University
Supporting ongoing digital improvement through user research, capability building and a roadmap for continuous service optimisation.
Nottingham University
Strategic partnership to support Nottingham’s migration to AEM, aligning institutional goals with user needs and platform capability.
City St George's, University of London
Following the merger of City and St George’s universities, we reviewed and optimised their combined digital estate, streamlining site structure and improving the visibility and usability of short courses through targeted user research.
Bayes Business School
Bayes Business School engaged us to evaluate and improve its executive education content, resulting in user-tested recommendations to enhance courses for corporate audiences.
Imperial College London
Imperial College partnered with us to research how prospective students navigate course content, leading to improvements in course finders, navigation, and communication of research strengths.
UCAS
UCAS engaged us to research a new structured personal statement format to shape wording, structure, and usability for a clearer and more consistent application experience.
University of Reading
The University of Reading worked with us to apply a full UCD process during its CMS migration, creating a scalable model that informed the wider site redesign and future UX strategy.
OUR services
Research & Insights
Before great digital experiences can be built, they need to be understood. Our in-depth research uncovers behaviours, motivations, and friction across the student journey. From ethnographic studies to task-based testing, we turn complex insight into actionable recommendations that drive smarter decision-making across your digital estate.
Experience Design & Digital Strategy
From choosing a course to navigating campus life, students expect intuitive digital experiences. We design with purpose, connecting insight, creativity and institutional priorities to shape seamless journeys that support student recruitment, retention and engagement. Our strategic approach aligns every touchpoint with what really matters to users and universities.
Usability & Evaluation
Understand how real users interact with your content, services and systems. We run in-depth usability testing and expert evaluations with target audiences to identify friction and improve performance. The result? Smoother journeys, improved conversion, and measurable student engagement.
Technology
We partner with universities to select, design and implement scalable digital platforms that meet institutional goals. Whether you’re migrating to a new CMS, rationalising systems, or embedding a digital experience platform, our tech-agnostic approach ensures the right technical foundations for long-term success.
Accessibility
Digital inclusion isn’t optional, it’s essential. We help higher education institutions meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations through robust audits, hands-on fixes, and practical training. We help deliver barrier-free experiences for every user by embedding accessibility into your institutions DNA.
OUR EXPERTS
Will Raybould
Principal Experience Strategist
Will leads strategic partnerships with universities across the UK, helping institutions navigate complex digital challenges and deliver better experiences for students and staff. With a background in academic research and over a decade of experience in user-centred design, Will brings a deep understanding of the higher education landscape. He specialises in shaping digital strategies, unlocking value from platforms and teams and aligning institutional goals with user needs to drive meaningful change.
Sarah Gill
Solutions Architect
Sarah ensures that our university partners have the right technical foundations to support their digital ambitions. As a highly experienced solutions architect, she specialises in ensuring our clients have scalable, sustainable infrastructures that align with institutional strategy and user needs. From CMS migrations to complex integrations, Sarah works closely with client teams to make confident, future-ready technology choices that underpin long-term success.
This marks the end of a great collaboration on this project. I do hope we work together again, I have found everyone in the team to be very knowledgeable, open and approachable, resulting in a very successful partnership.” - Hélène Pirsch, Project Manager of UWE’s Student Journey Programme.