THE BRIEF

LSE Careers tasked Education Cubed with conducting primary research to understand the needs, motivations, engagement levels, and perceptions of current students and alumni in relation to their careers service offering. The goal was to gather insights to inform a strategic approach to the ongoing development of the service.

STRATEGY

To achieve a comprehensive understanding, we conducted both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative survey was designed to gather a broad, top-level understanding. The next step was to complete a mid-project analysis to identify themes and shape the discussion guide that would be used in the subsequent focus groups. In total, we held 16-one hour focus groups (96 people) with a diverse pool of participants. The agenda for each group contained a mix of common and tailored topics in order to understand differences in attitudes and needs of the various groups.

WHY IT WORKS

By thoroughly examining a large cross section of LSE’s current students and alumni it enabled us to build a portfolio of common perceptions, need and attitudes as well as identify unique differences of each user group, resulting in tailored recommendations.

Our flexible methodology meant we were able to refine and re-shape the project's subsequent stages. This ensured we were adapting to emerging trends and feedback, resulting in relevant and impactful final recommendations.

Delivering two presentations at the end of the project was a crucial part of the success. The first was delivered to senior stakeholders to gather their feedback on what level of detail and internal strategic goals should be included for the second presentation which was delivered to the rest of the team. This was valuable as we were able to tweak the recommendations according to internal priorities to ensure maximum impact and streamlined delivery.