Design the Student Experience
Guides campuses in defining what a meaningful “working learner” experience should look and feel like. This includes mapping the student journey from hiring to reflection and identifying opportunities for learning and growth.
Why This Matters
Once you’ve listened deeply to your working learners and supervisors, the next step is to imagine what the ideal experience could be. The Design the Student Experience phase is where insights become vision. It’s where teams begin shaping a future that feels more equitable, engaging, and aligned with student success.
In traditional student employment, students often “fall into” jobs that meet immediate financial needs but offer little intentional learning. Supervisors juggle many priorities and may not have the tools or time to mentor effectively. As a result, the student experience varies widely across campus.
Designing the student experience is about creating coherence and purpose — ensuring that every job, no matter the department or pay grade, contributes meaningfully to learning and development. When students can connect their work to their academic and career goals, employment shifts from a necessity to a high-impact educational practice.
Your Goal
To co-create a vision for what an equitable, high-quality student employment experience should look, feel, and function like on your campus.
This involves:
- Defining what “meaningful work” means in your context.
- Mapping the student employment journey from recruitment to reflection.
- Identifying touchpoints where learning and mentorship can flourish.
- Ensuring the experience is inclusive, accessible, and growth-oriented.
Getting Started
Step 1: Define “Meaningful Work” Together
Begin by discussing as a team: What does “meaningful work” mean to us?
For some, it’s about connection to academic interests. For others, it’s mentorship, flexibility, or skill development. There’s no single definition — but clarity here creates a shared north star for design decisions.
Tips for a good conversation:
- Involve students, supervisors, and HR staff in defining what a “great” employment experience feels like.
- Use empathy maps and interview data from the Discover phase to ground the conversation in real voices.
- Ask, “What would students and supervisors say if this system worked perfectly for them?”
- Capture these statements visually on a whiteboard or digital canvas. They will serve as your design principles moving forward.
Step 2: Map the Student Journey
Every student employment experience has a journey — from the moment they hear about an opportunity to the moment they reflect on what they’ve learned. Mapping this journey helps make the invisible visible.
The typical stages:
- Awareness and Application: How do students learn about jobs? Are postings equitable and inclusive?
- Hiring and Onboarding: Do students understand their role and feel welcomed?
- Training and Support: How are skills taught? How do supervisors provide guidance?
- Day-to-Day Experience: Are students challenged, recognized, and supported?
- Reflection and Growth: Do students understand what they’ve learned and how it connects to their future goals?
Work through these stages as a team, identifying “moments that matter” — points where students and supervisors have the most potential to connect learning to purpose.
Example:
Moment: A student’s first week on the job.
Opportunity: Add a reflection prompt — “What skills do you hope to develop in this role?”
Even small design changes at these key moments can transform the experience.
Step 3: Identify Barriers and Opportunities
For each stage of the journey, ask:
- What’s working well right now?
- Where do students or supervisors experience frustration?
- What would an improved version look like?
Use sticky notes or a digital board to document opportunities for redesign. Prioritize those that are:
- High impact: They significantly improve the student experience.
- Feasible: They can be piloted within existing resources or partnerships.
These become your design opportunities — the focus areas for your prototypes in the next step of the process.
Step 4: Center Equity in Every Decision
Equity isn’t a separate step; it’s embedded in every design choice. Ask continuously:
- Are all students able to access meaningful jobs, not just those with prior connections or privilege?
- Are supervisors trained and empowered to support diverse learners?
- Do hiring, pay, and advancement structures reflect fairness and transparency?
A well-designed student experience closes opportunity gaps rather than widening them. That’s the heart of the Work+ philosophy.
Step 5: Create a Visual Blueprint
Finally, bring your ideas to life. Use a Student Experience Blueprint or Journey Map to visualize the future state.
Include:
- Stages of employment (from application to reflection)
- Student emotions or needs at each stage
- Key actions supervisors and staff will take
- New supports, feedback moments, or learning opportunities
This blueprint becomes a shared reference point for your team and a communication tool for campus leaders and stakeholders.
Reflection Prompt
What does a truly transformative student employment experience look like on your campus and how will students know it’s different?
Takeaway
Designing the student experience is both creative and strategic. It’s about imagining what’s possible while staying grounded in the lived realities of your working learners and supervisors. When done well, it gives every stakeholder a clear picture of what “better” looks like and paves the way for systemic change in how your institution views work and learning.