Pratt Intitute - Elevating the Visitor Experience
A service design project improving clarity, consistency and support across the visitor experience.
Project Type
Service Design, Service Blueprinting, Co -Designing
My Role
Service Designer, UX Researcher
Project Timeline
9 Weeks
Client
Shamor Peeler - Pratt Admissions
Software Used
Figma, Adobe Premiere
Background
Pratt’s Visitor Service team handles the first point of contact for prospective students and families. While the team is friendly and committed, the visitor experience was not consistent. Information varied depending on who led the tour, visitors often felt unsure about where to go or what to expect, and ambassadors had to manage many questions they weren’t trained or permitted to answer.
Our group was tasked with understanding the end-to-end experience and identifying opportunities to make the process clearer, smoother, and more consistent.
View Complete Report
Title
Our Goal
Our goal for this was to enhance the visitor experience, ensuring that every interaction is rewarding, welcoming and informative. The project aims to make Pratt's value of creativity, belonging and inclusivity
How might we create a visitor experience that is clear, consistent, and supportive for both the visitors and the ambassadors?
Understanding the service
Every year, prospective students walk through Pratt’s campus trying to picture themselves as a part of the community. Student ambassadors guide them through these pivot moments, sharing their experience, answering questions, and shaping first impressions. The Key characters at Pratt involve multiple actors working together across different touchpoints to create a seamless experience for the visitors.
Key Characters in the Vistor Experience
Visitor
Visitors are prospective students and parents exploring Pratt. As the primary users of this service, they interact with multiple touch points throughout their campus visit.
Shamor
Shamôr recruits and trains ambassadors, manages tour logistics, scheduling, and follow-up communications
Ambassadors
Ambassadors give campus tours, answer questions, and share their student experience, shaping visitors' first impressions of Pratt
Design Process
Survey Analysis
Service Safari
Service Blueprint
Co - Creation Workshops
We analyzed 718 tour feedback survey responses and built a dashboard to visualize th ekey insights
108 information requests surfaced from 220 responses. These reveal the areas where visitors consistently seek more clarity.
%
Positivie feedback
/5
Average rating
Responses
High Priority
Academic Programs & Curriculum
(32 requests | 19.9%)
Financial Aid & Scholarships (31 requests | 19.3%)
Medium Priority
Housing & Residential Life
(16 requests)
Admissions & Portfolio
(10 requests)
Low Priority
Career & Job Outcomes
(8 requests)
Study Abroad Programs
(4 requests)
Campus Life & Social (3requests)
Student Demographics
(2 requests)
What We Learned
Information Gaps
Ambassadors rely heavily on memory which may inaccurate or inconsistent answers. Need quick-reference tools and clear boundaries.
Emotional Moments Matter
Belonging appears when ambassadors personalize stories. Confusion increases when the route or expectations aren’t clear.
Lack of Update Alignment
Recent changes in campus stops or policies aren’t reaching everyone which directly impacts visitor impressions.
Need Practical & Support Materials
Ambassadors shared their need on updated talking points, transition scripts, scenario responses, and pre-tour prep reminders.
Our Interventions
Intervention 1
Intervention 2
Ambassador Training Materials
Phase 1 - Learning
Tools introduced during onboarding
Shadow Note Card
What it is:
This is used during the first two weeks when a new recruit shadows a senior ambassador. It prompts them to note three things to observe, listen for a moment of visitor connection, and write one question to ask the senior ambassador.
Purpose:
Ambassadors previously learned the role inconsistently. This tool ensures new ambassadors observe tours purposefully rather than passively and start building clarity about effective tour delivery.
These tools are used during the Initial training sessions to help new ambassadors observe carefully and set personal goals before they lead tours on their own.
Shadow Note Card
A small but meaningful brand upgrade that reinforces Pratt’s identity from the moment visitors arrive
Improves visual identity and professionalism without replacing inventory
Quick, cost-efficient enhancement to elevate the visitor experience at check-in
Add a Pratt logo sticker to current black folder
Change 1:
Service Promise Card
What it is:
It's a card where ambassadors write a "We Promise" statement to visitors and then describe how they will keep that promise in real life, focusing on Pratt's values (creativity, belonging, and inclusivity).
Purpose:
The goal was for all ambassadors to understand and apply Pratt's values in their behavior, creating a single, consistent way to welcome and communicate with visitors.
Service Promise Card
Commitment Card
What it is:
The Commitment Card is a tool used at the end of the first training workshop where new ambassadors focus on making the material immediately useful by identifying one small, specific action they will try on their next tour, along with how they plan to put it into action. This simple process helps new ambassadors bridge the gap between learning theory and practicing behavior.
Purpose:
The card helps new ambassadors build confidence by starting small and develops a habit of steady improvement from the beginning.
Commitment Card
Phase 2 - Doing
Real-Time Support for Consistent Tours
Cue Cards
What it is:
Purpose:
These are Cue Cards (physical or digital) that ambassadors can quickly check during tours to remember key facts and talking points.These Cue Cards give ambassadors quick access to key facts and talking points they can reference while leading tours.
The Cue Cards were introduced to make information easier to recall, reduce ambassador stress and anxiety, and ensure the tours were delivered consistently.
Cue Cards on print
Cue Cards on print
Challenge Cluster Sheet
What it is:
This worksheet helps ambassadors, right after they reflect, to list their tour challenges, discover why those problems are happening, and suggest quick, simple solutions. It was added so the team can better understand issues and make fast improvements.
Purpose:
This tool was added to help the ambassador team identify the underlying reasons for challenges they face on tours and to quickly generate simple, immediate improvements they can implement.
Challenge Cluster sheet
Phase 3 - Reviewing
Mid-Semester Check-In Tools
Mid - Point Reflection Sheet
What it is:
A short reflection tool used in the midpoint workshop where ambassadors describe how tours felt that month and note one moment that stood out.
Purpose:
The tool was designed to encourage the team to take a moment to assess their mental and emotional state, ensuring they are mindful of how the work is affecting them, and to capture meaningful or memorable moments that occurred during their recent tour experience.
Challenge Cluster sheet
One Win + One Shift Card
What it is:
This card closes the workshop by having ambassadors identify a success they are proud of and commit to a minor adjustment for their next tour.
Purpose:
The card is used to end the workshop positively, making sure ambassadors feel appreciated and have a clear, practical goal for next time.
Workshop
One Win + One Shift
Let’s finish by sharing one moment you’re proud of and one small change you want to try on your next tour.
Your Answer :
Conclusion
By approaching the challenge through a service design lens, we were able to step back and examine the entire system. Mapping the ecosystem, observing the journey firsthand, analyzing survey data, and co-creating with ambassadors revealed where the experience breaks down and why those breakdowns repeat.
The final interventions focused on strengthening the system rather than adding complexity—providing clearer structure for ambassadors, better orientation for visitors, and more reliable information flow across teams. Together, these changes support a more predictable, inclusive, and consistent visitor experience while preserving the human warmth that already exists within Pratt Admissions.