UNIVERSITY OF HULL - INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT
#StudyDifferent
Context
Across a year-long, two-pronged project with the University of Hull, we were invited to examine two critical yet disconnected customer journeys. The first centred on understanding why students showed limited interest in foreign study opportunities; the second explored the prospective student journey and how emerging technologies could elevate engagement and conversions. Together, these challenges posed a wider question: How can a university differentiate its experience at the moments that matter most?
Action
To answer this, we built the project around lived experience. We spoke directly with students, listened closely to academic and professional services teams, and pieced together the subtle frictions, unmet needs, and contextual gaps shaping both journeys. These conversations allowed us to build a clear, grounded baseline of the modern student experience, one understood from inside the system, not just above it.
As patterns emerged, two levers of meaningful change became clear: environmental clarity and intelligent content delivery.
Result
Our work culminated in two flagship reports, Study Different Part One and Part Two, reflecting the university’s ambition to pursue a true differentiation strategy. The findings revealed how simple situational visual cues could dramatically increase engagement with global opportunities, while a streamlined AI-driven content model could personalise prospective student touchpoints at scale.
Together, these recommendations aligned with Hull’s legacy of technological innovation and offered a practical roadmap for elevating the student experience across two niche but strategically significant journeys.
DATA STREAM - INDUSTRY PROJECT
Circular Emerging Technologies
Context
Data Stream is a northern-based consultancy that transforms raw information into actionable insight for organisations. As the business prepared for a potential expansion into the UAE, they needed a redesigned customer journey that simplified their offer while meeting the expectations of a broader, more strategically diverse audience.
Action
We began by creating clarity from the inside out. A 20-page single source of truth was developed, an internal blueprint documenting Data Stream’s operations, audiences, pipelines, pain points, and product ecosystem. This formed the foundation for redesigning the end-to-end experience.
Alongside this, we mapped past clients, surfaced hidden value propositions, and ensured the journey aligned not only with current capabilities but also with the founders’ ambitions for international growth.
Result
The final strategy introduced a two-funnel customer journey designed for simplicity and decision clarity. Every client would begin with one defining question:
“Do you want to learn about your data, or do you want to use it?”
This split created two tailored pathways, one focused on data literacy and insight generation, the other on advanced transformation and future-facing technologies.
The result was a cleaner, more intuitive journey that reflected Data Stream’s expertise and positioned the company confidently for its next chapter.
CRANSWICK - INDUSTRY PROJECT
50th Anniversary Innovation
Context
Cranswick, a supplier to Aldi, Marks & Spencer, McDonald’s, and other major UK retailers, sought to understand how the customer experience could be refined and envisioned for a completely new sausage sub-brand. As they prepared for their 50th anniversary, this new product line needed to honour Cranswick’s heritage while carving out space within an increasingly competitive category.
Action
We began with visual storyboarding to explore potential brand territories, product narratives, and customer touchpoints. In parallel, we conducted extensive primary and secondary research, analysing Cranswick’s existing sub-brands and identifying the shared DNA that held the portfolio together.
Agricultural and hospitality knowledge played a powerful role here, enabling us to understand not only how the product should be positioned but how it would realistically be created, marketed, and experienced by customers in-store.
Result
The final report proposed a mid-tier Spanish-inspired product line codenamed 'El Pueblo' that would sit naturally within supermarket ranges while offering a distinct proposition for Cranswick’s anniversary year. The new sub-brand was mapped against a refined customer journey that detailed how it could capture interest, build trust, and secure repeat purchase over the years that follow.