Services
UX / UI Design
Sector
Higher Education
Overview
I collaborated with the International Marketing team to design a high-conversion landing page tailored to prospective international students.
The goal was to support two key digital campaigns: Destination Newcastle and Student Lifestyle, by creating a user-focused digital experience that would increase enquiry rates and showcase the region as a desirable study destination.
Audience & Market Research
I began by understanding the motivations and decision-making behaviours of international students in the discovery phase. This included:
Competitor analysis: Reviewing top-performing university landing pages (e.g. University of Tasmania, University of Sydney) to understand their messaging, layout, tone, and unique selling points (USPs).
Audience insights: Collaborating with the marketing team to understand what resonates with international audiences. E.g. proximity to major cities, lifestyle imagery, campus experience, and cost of living.
Geo-positioning appeal: While some universities (e.g. Tasmania) exaggerated proximity to Sydney, we leveraged Newcastle’s genuine location advantage ~ just two hours from Sydney ~ as a key differentiator.
User Needs & Project Goals
We mapped the user journey for international students in the Discovery Phase of the decision funnel.
Identified user needs included:
A clear sense of lifestyle and campus environment.
Simple navigation to explore degree offerings.
Easy access to enquiry forms and support.
From this, we defined the primary design goals:
Improve engagement with lifestyle/destination messaging.
Increase clicks to “Find a Degree” and “Enquire Now” CTAs.
Reinforce Newcastle as a vibrant, safe, and culturally rich study location.
Strategy & Content Direction
Based on audience research and marketing insights, we developed content themes to guide structure and messaging:
Visual storytelling: Emphasising the contrast of bushland and city life through strong imagery and video.
Keyword strategy: Incorporating SEO-friendly terms like “University’s in Australia”, and “Study in Australia” to improve visibility and ranking.
Location positioning: Promoting Newcastle as the perfect mix of urban convenience and natural beauty.
Wireframes & UI Design
I created low and mid-fidelity wireframes to test content hierarchy and flow before moving into high-fidelity UI mockups. Key design considerations included:
Prominent CTAs aligned with the enquiry funnel: “Explore Degrees”, “Chat With Us”, and “Apply Now”.
Sticky navigation for quick access to key sections.
Engaging hero sections with lifestyle imagery and a concise value proposition.
Mobile-first layout to support international students browsing on mobile devices.
Outcome:
The redesigned landing page successfully aligned with campaign goals and the international marketing plan. By applying human-centred design principles, we created a strategic, user-led digital touchpoint that helped more prospective students move from interest to consideration, ultimately driving enquiries and boosting Newcastle’s visibility as a top-tier Australian study destination.
