Who are BridgeU?
Edtech company BridgeU are an all-in-one university and careers guidance platform designed for international schools. BridgeU's core users are students, school staff and university partners.
Objective
Objective
Transform an underperforming search experience into a monetisable conversion funnel for paying university partners, whilst ensuring students needs are met.
Problem with the old experience
● Low student engagement: Only about one-third of students used the search feature
● Low student engagement: Only about one-third of students used the search feature
● Lack of intent understanding: The system couldn’t interpret what students were actually looking for often ending in dead ends
● Ineffective partner promotion: Partners were not prominently or contextually featured in results
● Limited monetisation potential: The poor experience reduced the effectiveness of the platform as a conversion funnel for paying partners
Process
The redesign initiative began with a comprehensive review of previous projects, user research, and feedback to inform the new approach. A collaborative workshop with the engineering team aimed to develop a long-term technical solution while addressing existing technical debt.
Three approaches were shared with senior stakeholders and a split search flow was selected to better capture user intent, enabling more relevant and contextual partner placements. This approach allowed for the integration of a sophisticated typeahead, selective ordering and tackled dead ends by supplying additional results on specific queries.
Three approaches were shared with senior stakeholders and a split search flow was selected to better capture user intent, enabling more relevant and contextual partner placements. This approach allowed for the integration of a sophisticated typeahead, selective ordering and tackled dead ends by supplying additional results on specific queries.
A new design system was implemented focusing on filters, sorts and a selection of components that drove users through the funnel. User testing took place with students within Hong Kong and online research calls prior and throughout the beta launch.
Outcomes/results
● x3 more partner profile views in first month than current platform at same time
● 79% of partner profile views came from search (compared to 31% in the previous pattern)
● Drove a shift in search behaviour toward broader queries, expanding result scope to enhance partner exposure
Overall, the revamped search experience turned a previously underperforming feature into a powerful tool that effectively addresses user needs while advancing key business objectives.
● x3 more partner profile views in first month than current platform at same time
● 79% of partner profile views came from search (compared to 31% in the previous pattern)
● Drove a shift in search behaviour toward broader queries, expanding result scope to enhance partner exposure
Overall, the revamped search experience turned a previously underperforming feature into a powerful tool that effectively addresses user needs while advancing key business objectives.
Feedback from students/schools post launch
‘Found it quick and easy to find universities’
‘Understands what you want to do quicker and better’
‘This is an improvement, especially like the country suggestions when you click in the search bar’
