Nexus Intercambio
Setting up your pathway to your success
Client: Nexus Intercambio
Type: Website Redesign
Role: UX Designer
Scope: 3 weeks
Deliverables: site aduit, user research, persona, site map, iterations
The client came to Canada from Brazil 10 years ago. He started to write and documented his life in Canada through blogging. People then approached him for questions about Canada, which inspired him to start his own business — NEXUS INTERCAMBIO. This consulting company helps Brazilian students come to Canada to study and eventually start a life in Canada. Rafael helps them navigate the challenges of coming to Canada.
Initial understanding
We did some domain research before the first client meeting to better prepare ourselves. Here on some of the insights we learned about the market:
From 1998 to 2010, the number of Brazilian students in Canada has increased by about 30 %. Canada is now ranked the number one choice for Brazilian students to study abroad.
The top 5 reasons that motivate Brazilian students to come to Canada:
a) Canada offers a society that is tolerant and not discriminatory
b) The strong reputation of Canada's education system
c) Canada is a very safe country
d) Canadian's positive attitude towards international students
e) The position of Canadian institutions in international rankings
What we learned after the client meeting:
There are two types of users on Nexus's Website, Researcher and Lazy. The Researcher would read through everything provided on Nexus's website before getting in touch with the company. The Lazy would directly fill out the contact us form without researching what program they want to study in Canada.
Among all Nexus's clients, about 80% of students stay in Canada after they graduate, while 20% come only to study and move back to Brazil after they graduate.
Research findings
Program over the city — People tend to decide on the program they want to study and then think about which city they want to experience.
The trouble with legal documents — International often have troubles with legal documents. For example, how to apply for a study permit or student visa? Do I get a work permit when I graduate? What kind of documents are required if I want to apply for PR?
Talk to people — Most international students would like to talk to someone in Canada before or with a similar experience.
Questions with answers — They also like to research before their arrival. For example, how much does it cost to live in Canada? How is the weather there? What's the best phone service in Canada? Am I going to make any friends in Canada? Do I need to speak English all the time?
Challenge
Ease in navigation. Many websites related to immigrating and studying in Canada are overwhelming with information and hard to navigate. Especially the Canadian government websites. Thus we need to create an easy-to-navigate website.
Find better-qualified leads. In order to have a mutually beneficial relationship, both the clients and the company have to align correctly.
Comfort on concerns. Our target users have many worries surrounding them throughout the whole process of coming to Canada.
