How we used the Metaverse to elevate the Virtual Open House experience for over 1,000 prospects of a leading medical institution
The Open House event was designed to position NUS Medicine as a tech-forward leader in education but we knew that beyond the tech, we had to put the user at the heart of every engagement to create seamless mobile and web experiences.
The mission
As the leading medical school in Asia, the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has shaped the design of medical school education, philosophy and practice with excellence, efficiency and innovation in health care. Every year, their Open House weekend is met with hundreds of prospective students and parents interested to learn more about life, career and studies in Medicine.
In 2021, following the continued challenges and concerns over the pandemic, the Open House had to be more than just a webinar. It required thoughtful design and genius use of technology to maximise the impact from all interactions and activities, regardless of platform.
Our mission was to create a meaningful, engaging experience through the medical school’s flagship events — the Open House followed by a Meet & Greet session for the incoming students and their parents.
The Brain Juice approach
The Open House event was designed to position NUS Medicine as a tech-forward leader in education but we knew that beyond the tech, we had to put the user at the heart of every engagement to create seamless mobile and web experiences. We created an interactive environment that allowed staff members and faculty to interact with participants via avatars on the platform which showcased short videos, photos, presentations, and 360-degree panoramic views of special facilities like the NUS Medicine Anatomy Museum. This immersive multi-dimensional experience has been kept open for a year so that interested students and parents can explore the virtual campus at their own pace.
We also turned the NUS Medicine manga (graphic novel) series, White Coat Tales, into an engagement tool. The characters in the stories were used to create a personality quiz for prospective students to take. When they visited the school for the in-person tour, their “personality type” were printed on their tags and became a fun way for students to get to know one another and connect.
By directly working with the students for each engagement we had, we created a community-led experience that gave prospective students an authentic view of life at NUS Medicine. This included engaging student hosts, brainstorming ideas with student leaders, and integrating the support that the student-run NUS Medical Society could provide into various touch points.
Our role
- Research and experience design which guided every aspect of this effort - we looked at other educational institutions and benchmarks to ensure we were creating standout engagements every step of the way.
- The design and development of the metaverse campus enabled prospects to participate regardless of where they are. From content curation and creation to spatial layout, we led the immersive delivery of information and storytelling to give our audience an inside look into what NUS Medicine is all about.
- Streamlined Lead Capturing. Attracting a high volume of visitors was not enough, we provided a customised registration form to help NUS Medicine accurately capture the information that matters most. This made it very easy to achieve a mini database of prospects with follow-up contact details so that leads could be qualified and pursued further. It also allowed NUS Medicine to better analyse their demographic for future engagements.
- Facilitator training to help speakers and hosts lead better conversations in the breakout rooms. A comprehensive guidebook was also provided to prepare them for all possible scenarios.
- Production and platform management using Hopin. This included:
- Event programming: Event segment ideas, flow and development
- Hopin page setup: Copy, design, scheduling and participant management
- Pre-recorded content: Conceptualising, planning, filming and editing
- Live programming and visual elements: Live programming and streaming, design of lower-thirds for designations and overlays
- Event Management: Chat moderation, real-time poll set up and facilitator management
- Participant Assistance: Troubleshooting and dedicated help
- Interactive personality quiz on Typeform. End-to-end design and development; from conceptualisation and research to copywriting and logic programming. We designed the key takeaways to extend the value, relevance and appeal of the White Coat Tales manga as well as the NUS Medicine Medical Society..
- Conceptualisation and design of visuals and collaterals for both virtual and physical events. This also included digital and physical graphic assets, polo tees and zoom backgrounds to create consistency and a positive atmosphere across the online-offline experiences.
- Analytics and reporting of Open House’s success via Hopin, Metaverse platform and Zoom via Google Analytics, Zoom reports and Hopin Analytics.
Our impact
- Open House: Over 1000 attendees, > 90% citing positive response to their experience
- Open House: At least 20% increase in attendees compared to the 2021 Open House
- Mediverse Metaverse: 1,215 unique visitors and 999 clicks on the Mediverse to date
- Meet and Greet event: Over 300 attendees, made up of shortlisted student applicants and parents. BJC received a variety of positive feedback from majority attendees on the event being well executed, and the content befitting and invaluable to the incoming students of NUS Medicine.
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