The Brief
To overhaul and optimise the brand presence for the world's leading student accommodation booking platform, Amberstudent.
To overhaul and optimise the brand presence for the world's leading student accommodation booking platform, Amberstudent.
Role
Design Strategist
UX Designer
Brand Designer
Design Strategist
UX Designer
Brand Designer
Duration
18 Months
18 Months
Contribution
Brand Design, Design Strategy,
Visual design, Social Media Marketing
Brand Design, Design Strategy,
Visual design, Social Media Marketing
Platform
Web, Print, Social Media
Web, Print, Social Media
My Contribution
I joined Amber in 2022 as a senior designer. Upon joining, my first job was to understand the background and the history of the company. Started in 2016, Amberstudent was 6 years into building the bridge between the students in Source countries (Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Africa) and overseas accommodations in Destination countries such as the United Kingdom, USA and Australia.
The idea was clear. Showcase trust, maintain clarity and be transparent. My role was to reinvigorate the brand language, streamline user interaction touchpoints and devise strategies to compete with our peers and firmly establish amber as the leading student accommodation marketplace.
As the Lead Designer, I worked closely with the Supply (Accommodation Management), Operations (Student Interaction, Booking process), and Partnerships (Business to Business) Teams and devised highly successful strategies that boosted the brand's presence.
The Product Suite
Strategy
Designing a bulletproof strategy
Amber was amidst a global expansion that aimed at reaching masses and creating a global marketplace that wasn't limited to catering only housing needs. As a result, a lateral growth strategy was put into place that offered the students latest updates in educational sectors, helped them prepare for foreign language exams, and offered perks for featured brands.
Understanding the competitors
Amber wasn't the first company to enter the student accommodation marketplace, but was the leading one. With over $16 million in revenue in 2021 alone, it was leading the charts in terms of quality of service. Several competitors, including accommodation providers, raced against amber to capture students' attention with omnichannel brand marketing strategies that included Social Media, Influencers, Email CRM marketing, UGC and Paid Advertising.
Problems & Solutions
The Problem
In 2022, students spent approximately £35,000 to secure their college tuition, accommodation, necessities, and other expenses. Accommodation accounted for one-third of the costs, i.e., £ 10,000, excluding bills. Misleading Ads and features on various websites meant that students most likely didn't get what they paid for and ended up losing money, time and importantly, their focus on studying.
I delved deeply into understanding the issues and conducted over 120 user interviews, which enabled me to identify problematic areas and assess the likelihood of users choosing a particular service provider over others.
This resulted in the creation of a comprehensive content strategy that not only helped us understand the real problem but also created an opportunity for the user to interact with our content on a personal and global level.
Coming Soon: Brand Design & Visual Design