Higher Ed budgets are tight, but delivering a seamless user experience (UX) shouldn't be out of reach.

In this week's episode of the Education Marketing Leader podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Melanie Lindahl, Senior UX and Web Designer/Developer at The University of Texas School of Law and newly minted 2024 HighEdWeb Red Stapler Award winner. 🏆

Melanie shared key takeaways from her award-winning presentation, highlighting the power of low-budget UX strategies for universities and colleges of any size.

Below are the 3 most actionable insights from our conversation:

1️⃣ Start Small: You Don't Need a Big Budget

"Even with limited resources, UX work is still incredibly important," says Melanie. You don't need expensive tools to conduct user research—surveys and quick tests can be invaluable and require minimal budget.

👉 Pro Tip: Use a simple survey to identify user pain points at the beginning of a project—it'll save time and money down the line.

2️⃣ Test, Don't Assume

Melanie emphasized the importance of testing early.

"If you're unsure about a design decision, don't just rely on assumptions. Do quick tests with real users—even if it's over donuts!" 🍩

💡 Takeaway: Don't be afraid to ask students for feedback, no matter how small the test may seem.

3️⃣ Demonstrate the ROI of UX to Leadership

One of the biggest challenges Melanie highlighted is justifying UX investments to leadership.

Her advice?

Show how UX improves both user experience and business goals. The ROI is clear—better UX means less post-launch troubleshooting, saving both time and budget.

What's one small step you can take today to improve your university's UX?

For more on budget-friendly UX strategies that deliver real results, catch the full episode with Melanie Lindahl!

If you're in higher education marketing, this episode is packed with actionable tips you can apply right now.

Listen to the episodes now.

Until next time. ✌