Gathering user feedback is a great way to assess the strengths of a product or service. We recently did just that, in a survey of 189 students who had used Emma™, our all-in-one mobile enrollment management app, to sign up for online post-secondary degree programs. The students varied widely in age, education status, programs of interest, and also in their biggest fears about enrolling. Along with that information, we found out from them how they would rate the usefulness of the app, and what, if anything, they would change. The answers were telling.
First though, some background: Emma is a revolutionary tool allowing education institutions to boost enrollment by giving prospective students the resources they need to navigate through admissions and enrollment right on their mobile devices. Emma is the first and only solution of its kind designed to help colleges attract, retain, and graduate adult learners in online programs. The app acts as an advisor, reminder service, traffic cop, and motivator all at once—it’s like assigning staff to support prospective students 24/7. While conventional admissions procedures can feel cold, disconnected, and confusing to students, Emma places the information and personalized support they need right at their fingertips whenever they need it.
The answers to our student survey reflected Emma’s power to transform admissions and enrollment. These were the biggest takeaways:
1. Students Said Emma Was Helpful
When asked whether or not the app was helpful, 69% of students answered, “Yes, I like being able to work at my own pace.” This confirms that at a basic level, Emma is solving inefficiencies and pain points in the student enrollment experience.
2. Students Were Impressed by Emma’s Usefulness
Furthermore, 96% of students reported finding the app’s usefulness to be “excellent” or “good,” and 59% of students said nothing should be done to improve the experience provided by the app. “Don’t change a thing!” said one student.
3. Emma Became an Admissions and Enrollment Friend
We were also struck by multiple users’ references to Emma by name or with the pronoun she. “She did great.” “Emma was excellent.” To us, this is an important indication that Emma made the admissions experience feel warm and supportive.
In creating Emma, we sought to give learners an advisor to see them through a part of the college experience that students have so often found lonely, impersonal, and intimidating. Judging from the results of this survey, Emma has succeeded.
