Your End User is a Real Person
May 10th, 2006
The school year is winding down. Spring exams are this week, and the stress and anxiety is palpable on campus. I had lunch today at the student center and saw many stressed-out faces and others busily reading. To us, staffers, it is an annual harbinger of summer break. Next week is commencement. Afterwards, the place clears out.
Shortly after, visitors come to Notre Dame.
It is a wonderful sight. Families, alumni, and other guests of the University come to see the sights, smell the flowers, light a candle at the Grotto, and (of course) visit the bookstore. Some people come back to reminisce about their lives as undergrads, and others are genuine tourists. In fact, the Basilica at Notre Dame is Indiana’s second most visited tourist destination.
As a staff member, summers at Notre Dame are not quiet—actually, it is the exact opposite. Especially for those of us in the marketing communications area of the administration, we dig-in to our work and usually produce large projects during this time. It gets stressful and deadlines always get tight. We are completely immersed in our work.
Each summer I always run into visitors on campus, and they ask me for help or directions. This will be my fourth summer at Notre Dame as a staff member, so now I actually can help them. And if I cannot, I call the University switchboard and get the information then and there.
This summer I will ask my staff to carry extra campus maps with them when they walk to meetings or out on the grounds. The idea is when a visitor asks for help, we give them a map and say, “welcome to Notre Dame.” It makes an impression. It strengthens the brand of the University. It is one to one communication.
Why is this important?
Simple answer: It is a strong reminder that branding is about people—a promise of an experience. These are our customers. They have certain expectations of us, Notre Dame. Yes, we primarily communicate to students and faculty, but alumni, visitors, parents, and friends are a major percentage of our audience as well.
It’s easy to forget that your end user is a real person. We get caught up in code, design, strategy, phone calls, and meetings. But, it is critical to remind yourself that for every pixel we create, there is a person on the other end of the Web experiencing our brand.
