Students in Higher Education don’t think in silos. They expect consistency, clarity, and one clear path from browsing courses to clicking apply. But university websites and digital systems often tell a different story.
From separate faculty sites and outdated application forms to a maze of portals, disconnected platforms make life harder and cost you students.
Where things start to unravel
Even the most forward-thinking institutions struggle when it comes to creating a joined-up experience. It’s rarely one big issue, but a mix of everyday friction points that build over time.
Here’s what we see again and again:
- Different departments using different systems with no shared roadmap
- Legacy infrastructure that resists modern tools or integrations
- Application journeys that stall due to confusing steps or tech issues
- Inconsistent content and UX between faculties or programme sites
For prospective students, this can feel like you’re not ready for them. Or worse, that your institution isn’t fully joined up behind the scenes either.
Joined-up platforms don’t just feel better, they work better
A connected digital experience isn’t just a nice-to-have. It builds confidence in your brand, speeds up decisions, and improves conversion rates.
When your platforms work together, students can:
- Find accurate, consistent content without clicking in circles
- Move smoothly from course search to application
- Get a sense of your digital maturity before they even set foot on campus
This is where we come in. We help universities build digital strategies that break down internal silos, simplify complex systems, and create platforms that support recruitment and retention from day one.
You don’t need to throw everything out. You need a clear digital roadmap and a team that understands how to connect the dots between your goals and your tech.
Real-world example from higher education
One of the UK universities we’ve worked with was struggling with exactly this. Their existing platform was fragmented across departments, and content was managed inconsistently, making it difficult for prospective students to find what they needed.
We helped them unify their content structure, introduce shared components across faculties, and integrate systems in the background. At the same time, we gave comms teams more control and flexibility.
The result was a simpler, more consistent user journey and far fewer barriers between research and application.
Find out more about the work we do here.
Your student experience starts long before enrolment
If your digital platforms confuse, frustrate, or slow students down, they’ll likely go elsewhere. But that’s not inevitable.
We help universities build connected digital ecosystems that feel simple on the outside, even when they’re complex behind the scenes.
Need a clearer digital roadmap?
Let’s have a chat about how we can help you align your systems and create better experiences for the students you want to attract.