Delivering fresh solutions through student projects

The Business: Endeavour Group is one of the biggest hospitality and retail brands in Australia – but it’s likely you’ve never heard of them. They’re an ASX 50 company, own Australia’s largest retail drinks network and operate more than 1,640 stores under flagship brands such as Dan Murphy’s and BWS.

The Challenge: Endeavour Group engaged Academy Xi UX UI learners to support two projects drawn directly from the business.

1. The People & Culture team wanted to better understand how the Endeavour X talent brand is perceived in market.
2. The Product team wanted to identify opportunities for improving the Dan Murphy’s chatbot.

The Outcome: The learning groups presented their ideas back to their clients within Endeavour Group. Both projects were received very positively. Not only did both internal teams find useful ways to integrate uncovered learnings, but the learning groups were also invited to present to the leadership team.

The projects were received brilliantly within the organisation. We were so impressed that we invited the groups to present to the leadership team. Their work had high visibility.”
– Vida Asrina, Design Practice Lead at Endeavour X, Endeavour Group.

Results – The Product Team:

• Validation of existing ideas
• Generation of new ideas for product for roadmap
• Helped to see beyond current work and “blue sky” ideation, which is not always possible in agile delivery environment
• Realisation of the power of diversity. Appreciating that people who are not as familiar with the Endeavour Group brands, products and services can bring a fresh perspective
• Identification of fresh ‘problems to be solved’

Results – The People & Culture Team:

• Improved understanding of the pain points Endeavour Group candidates experience when applying for a role
• Enhanced knowledge of friction points Endeavour Group teams feel when acquiring talent
• Found ‘quick wins’ available before the end of financial year and not currently on roadmap
• Provided real life examples to connect the People and Talent teams to the users of their services
• Access to emerging digital and design talent outside of traditional recruitment pathways

“What was really surprising was how aligned [the learner work] was with the future strategies of the business. Most of the concepts that the group came up with were already in our roadmap. It was superb validation from the perspective of fresh eyes”
– Renee Tilyard, UX Chapter Lead, Endeavour Group

Senior leaders within Endeavour Group also understand how challenging it is to build and retain a strong pool of digital talent. Talent pipelines require fuelling – particularly in digital and design given the current compacted labour market. Working with the learners directly gave hiring leaders the opportunity to see emerging talent in action and find opportunities to bring them on board formally.

“We want to make sure that we identify talent early – and that they know of us early”
– Vida Asrina

We believe in a collaborative culture. Our live pro-bono projects with learners can help you to ideate, test and ultimately solve your digital and design challenges. Contact us below to learn more.