Understanding how people experience the University often begins with broad tools like journey mapping. But once we know the general path users take, how do we improve each step along the way?
That's where Touchpoint Interaction Analysis comes in.
What Is Touchpoint Interaction Analysis?
Touchpoint Interaction Analysis is a practical method for examining individual moments where users engage with the University: whether that's clicking a link, receiving an email, using a web form or asking for help at a service desk.
Whereas journey mapping helps us see the whole forest, interaction analysis zooms in on individual trees. It allows us to closely examine what's happening at a specific touchpoint, identify what's working, and uncover friction or confusion that may go unnoticed at a broader level.
Put simply, it's about asking: When someone interacts with this part of the service, what's their experience like and how could it be better?
To illustrate, consider a specific touchpoint like completing the student registration process during university onboarding. Interaction analysis would examine just that moment, pinpointing issues and opportunities precisely at those interactions.
Why This Matters at Oxford
Improving the experience at specific interaction points offers clear and immediate benefits across multiple levels of our University community:
- For you: It becomes easier to make a clear, data-backed case for small, achievable improvements.
- For your team: You build shared, concrete evidence, speeding up agreement and decision-making.
- For Oxford: It helps us:
- Spot and fix issues that affect trust or clarity, such as confusing web copy, hidden CTAs or frustrating forms.
- Align each point of contact with user expectations and needs.
- Improve accessibility, particularly for those using assistive technologies or mobile devices.
- Foster better departmental coordination by creating a shared understanding of user experiences.
How It Relates to Journey Mapping
If you've completed a journey mapping exercise, you already have a solid sense of the broader path users follow. That's an excellent starting point. You can then pick a high-impact or problematic touchpoint identified in your map, applying Touchpoint Interaction Analysis specifically there.
Even without a detailed journey map, you can apply interaction analysis independently. It's beneficial when addressing a single interaction causing issues, even if the entire user journey remains unclear.
(Refer to our Journey Mapping Guide if you need help identifying the most impactful touchpoints.)
How to Apply It
Applying Touchpoint Interaction Analysis doesn't need to be complex or time-consuming. Typically, we start by choosing one high-impact touchpoint, gather a handful of user quotes or metrics, and look for clear friction points. The dedicated step-by-step guide walks through this manageable process in more detail.
Common Pitfalls and Tips
Here are some frequent pitfalls to avoid for successful interaction analysis:
- Jumping straight to solutions before fully understanding what the user problem is.
- Take time to gather user feedback and data first
- Document the specific issues users are experiencing
- Validate your understanding of the problem before proposing fixes
- Evaluating touchpoints in isolation without considering their context within the overall user journey.
- Consider what happens before and after this interaction
- Look at how this touchpoint connects to other services
- Understand user expectations from previous interactions
- Treating internal opinions as data: always aim to include at least one actual user voice or relevant metric.
- Collect real user feedback through surveys or interviews
- Use analytics data where available
- Document actual user behaviour rather than assumptions
Further Resources
To help you dive deeper, here are some useful additional resources:
Even an hour spent reviewing a key interaction can deliver measurable improvements for those using our services and make the University better for everyone.
