User-Centric Innovation: How Follett Prepares Students for Success
By Chrissy Cowdrey, Vice President, User Experience, Follett Higher Education
More than ever before, Follett is investing in technology, infrastructure, and products to drive user-centric innovation in the course material space. Our user experience (UX) team focuses on designing experiences for faculty and students that address real-world challenges and needs we observe during hands-on research and interviews. I’m excited to walk you through one of our recent research programs, centered on course material access and the student experience.
The Student Perspective: Preparing for Term with the Right Course Materials
As a student, preparing for the start of a term can be overwhelming and leave a student with more questions than answers. Which materials are needed? Where can they be purchased? Which formats are best? Our commitment is to ensure students are fully prepared before the term starts by providing accurate course material information, and flexible, affordable purchasing options.
To gain a deeper understanding of how students prepare for the start of a new term, we conducted research across six campuses on opposite coasts: Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA. We interviewed 16 students, asking them to walk us through their process of preparing for their term, purchasing materials, and accessing those resources throughout the term.
The Research: Follett’s Goals and Initial Feedback from Students
Our product team wanted to uncover key insights from these 16 students to help us shape the future of our course material technology including:
- When students begin their preparation
- What factors influence their course material purchasing decisions
- Who or what impacts their preparation process
- How spending habits shape their choices
Throughout the interviews, our team encouraged the student participants to walk us through how they prepare for their courses, purchase material, and how they continue to access assigned materials throughout the term. It’s important for us to gain a deep understanding of what students do and the reasoning behind it. This information continues to thread its way throughout the entire experience design–ensuring that we are addressing the pain points and supporting the path to success.
As we spoke to students from diverse backgrounds and across community colleges and four-year schools, a few common themes rose to the top:
Mixed Messages Create Student Confusion
Students often receive conflicting information from upperclassmen and previous professors, leaving them uncertain about what materials they need before the term begins.
“I always hear from older students that you should wait. Last semester, I spent money on a book we used maybe once. Now, I just wait to make sure it’s necessary.”
— Valerie, Boston College
Students are Planners at Heart, But Not in Practice
While students want to be ready weeks in advance, they often hold off on buying course materials because they lack confidence in knowing exactly what to purchase.
“I started checking for the syllabus and materials in June, but a lot of the professors hadn’t posted anything yet. It was frustrating because I wanted to get everything done early.”
— Jennifer, California State University Northridge
Students are Bargain Hunters by Nature
Students are savvy shoppers who actively hunt for the best deals. They want to feel in control of their spending and are skeptical of one-size-fits-all pricing options.
“I always check Amazon, the bookstore, and rental sites. I want to be sure I’m getting the best deal for my money.”
— Kimberly, Pasadena City College
Campus Stores Need to Demonstrate Their Value Early On
Many students explore various purchasing options for their course materials, often comparing prices and flexibility across sources like Amazon and rental sites such as Valor Books and Alibris. As a result, some students turn to the campus store only after they can’t find the right fit elsewhere.
This feedback offered significant opportunities to bring clarity to the course material process and make preparing for term easier. In response, we developed a small prototype and identified core workflows that might ease the pain points that the team heard through research. The response from the students was positive!
“When I click the link, it’s going to have all my materials in one place…I feel like this [is] so nice and neat and it’s just a lot easier.”
— Valerie, Boston College
For a preview of the new experience, watch a short video:
What’s Next?
In early 2025, we’re launching Follett’s new student experience for finding, purchasing, and accessing course materials at 15 pilot schools. This new streamlined platform brings all course material information into one convenient place, eliminating the need to search through multiple LMS links or wonder what’s required by faculty. Students at these pilot schools will be able to:
- View their course material list up to two weeks before the term starts
- Access digital books from campus-wide programs with a single click
- Pick up where they left off with bookmarking features
- Make easy, one-click purchases through their school’s online bookstore
Exciting updates—like the option to opt out of campus-wide Access programs—are coming soon, giving students even more autonomy over their academic journey.
We’re excited to gather feedback on this new student experience, one that’s designed to remove barriers to learning, reduce pre-term stress, and give students the confidence to make informed decisions.
Want to learn more about Follett’s user driven research programs? Listen to our webinar or read the blog about our enhancements to the faculty adoption experience.