Newsletter #37: Uni of Advanced Technology has UX for days; the bonus level of the internet; Expedia becomes your new travel companion

📰 HE news

20 student unions are appealing to the CMA to simplify fee refunds. Some unis are already on it with leaner, more student-centric processes. Others are still relying on students locating a PDF from 2002, printing it from their phone and finding a working fax machine. Read

I’m starting to lose track of the various activist groups on the University of Manchester’s campus. The most recent protest features four: Rent Strike, the Nancy Out! campaign, Cops off Campus and Student Staff Solidarity. Regardless of affiliation, all seem to favour spray-painted bed sheets and sitting politely until things get better. Some demands I imagine UoM already have on the cards, but with others like “introduce elections for Vice-Chancellors”, I suggest the protestors make themselves comfortable. Read

💻 Digital marketing news

Facebook’s recent pivot into audio is bolder than I expected. Included in the move is Soundbites (audio TikToks), a partnership with Spotify and (wait for it) Clubhouse style audio rooms… Long term, I’m not sure FB’s audience will thank it for this. For one, Clubhouse is already showing signs of being a pandemic fad. Creators mainly consist of tech entrepreneurs and the app has had a painful 72% drop in downloads since its peak earlier this year. I don’t see FB fairing much better in live audio. Read

Expedia has had the opportunity to “reflect” since its £2.7b operating loss in 2020. The result is, yes, a rebrand, but also a suite of products that help the company live up to the promise of being your new travel companion. Read

The Daily Mail is trying to sue Google for not showing its content in search results. Hilarious. Maybe it has something to do with the Mail’s terrible UX - my browser chugs with all the auto-play video, content wraps and ads on any given page. Look

🏫 What unis are doing

Leeds Trinty University has gone for a super simple Clearing holding page. You get the option to “register your interest” and a few lines on what Clearing is. Good if you’re keen to just get something live and need some inspiration. Look

“Do you have the homepage banner?”
“In your inbox.”
“Erm… This is an out-of-home concept…”
“Make it live!”
“We can’t use…”
“Digital-first!” Look

The University of Advanced Technology in Arizona has some absolutely mad UX going on. I wanted to scroll through a list of courses but ended up flying off the right into someone trying to give me a flower. Look

🧑‍🎓 What students are saying

A report by QS shows that 47% of prospective international students said they would be more likely to choose to study in the UK because of the rate of vaccinations in the country. I’ll take anything over the GREAT Britain campaign. Read

👾 Culture shock

I’ve found the bonus level of the internet. Sound on. Look

Did you know that snackable content for tweens is disrupting organic reach? You too can now generate your own marketing gibberish. Look