Scholarship Genius
Helping students maximize their financial awards
Duration
2016–2018
Role
Chief Creative Officer, NextThought
Design Team
Samuel Chinchilla, Alexis Kimbrough
Introduction
College is expensive—that's no secret. Affordability is a primary concern for incoming and current students alike. It's also a top priority for universities, with financial planning cited as the single biggest driver for student retention, graduation rates, and overall student success. When The University of Oklahoma noticed that scholarship funds were going unclaimed year after year, they asked us for help.
In partnership with a team of data scientists and financial experts at the university, we developed the Scholarship Genius to estimate financial awards in 45 seconds or less. It was used both as a recruiting tool for high school and transfer students and to maximize awareness of eligible funds for current university students.
Objectives
Answer a few questions to receive a highly accurate personalized aid estimate and actionable next steps for securing funds. Fast and easy on desktop and mobile. Create a fun and "whimsical" experience that would push boundaries and redefine expectations for university interactions. Our solution needed to feel personable and friendly—in contrast with the stuffy, institutional communication style typical of many universities.
Select Your Path
Choose your path—the experience is slightly different between Incoming, Current, and Transfer students.
Answer a Few Questions
Select your classification, area of study, GPA, residency, and family income to get results in seconds!
Receive a Complement
Never miss an opportunity to give students a virtual high-five for their accomplishments!
Log in or Skip to Results
Login to personalize results and make them more actionable. (Also helpful for analytics purposes.)
Congratulations, you get free money!
And that's it—in no time at all you've received an award estimate and information about other helpful resources!
Results
The Scholarship Genius was highly effective, popular, and very well received by The University of Oklahoma and students alike. It was also recognized with an Addy Award in 2017.
Work
NextThought Learning PlatformCheck it out
University Housing Contractsfeast your eyes
Financial Success Plan & MoneyCoachSneak a Peak
Student Financial Center & Award LetterLook it over
Threat Response Drill (AR/VR—Password Required)Take a gander
Aaron Eskam
Product Design + Strategy
405 203 5720
aaron@eskam.com · LinkedIn · Resume