On 28 May 2025, the Student Change Lab (SCL) at the University of Manchester ran a hands-on workshop for a group of student representatives (student reps) to test two human-centred design tools – ‘Student Needs Statement Cards’ and ‘Empathy Map’. These tools aim to make student feedback collection more efficient by capturing students’ experiences in their own words, helping surface their needs and ideas for change. As a student rep, I was grateful to be able to participate in the workshop led by Chiachi Ming (research associate for human-centred design projects at SCL) and Iria (human-centred design specialist). I really appreciated SCL testing the tools with us directly, as our lived experiences really helped shape honest, constructive input on how the tools worked in practice.

We began with a short ice-breaker to interact and get to know each other. Personally, this allowed me to build rapport and get a rough idea of the different programmes and levels (undergraduate or postgraduate) that were being represented at the workshop for future discussions.

After a brief introduction to the purpose of the workshop and the design process of the tools, we first tested the Student Needs Statement Cards. There was a detailed guidebook explaining the Student Needs Statement Cards and how to use it, which I found extremely helpful. The Student Needs Statement Cards had a clear format, and the guidebook also provided real examples across themes like induction weeks, teaching, assessment, and careers. The student reps were asked to read through and provide feedback on elements of the tool that they found confusing or difficult to follow. While not all the sample issues resonated with me, I could still see how having a sample of listed issues/needs and the template of the cards themselves would benefit student reps in collecting feedback from a diverse student population at the university.

We then paired up to role-play real-life feedback scenarios. Throughout conversations and discussions, I could see that our reps’ experience from gathering feedback allowed us to constructively report what we liked, disliked or what were difficult about the tool. Personally, the cards seemed to be a good starting point for feedback collection as often peers do not know what sort of feedback to provide and even if they are experiencing something, they are unsure of whether it can be brought to the reps’ attention. The example cards covered a range of themes which would be helpful in giving students a clearer idea of what kind of feedback they could share. I also liked that the cards indicated the level (programme, school, or university) where each issue could be addressed, this can reassure students that their concerns matter and help manage expectations. The format also encouraged more thoughtful and structured feedback and could inspire students to identify other issues not listed in the guidebook. I found that using the format of Student Needs Statements Cards helped me to iterate the feedback/issue in a more clear and organised manner. There were discussions around elements like phrasing, how to deliver it, directness of the format, but overall, there was a consensus that the cards would be useful to better capture the essence of ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind a particular experience/issue alongside possible change mechanisms in students’ own words.

Following this, we were introduced to the Empathy Map, a tool designed to open up conversations with peers, allowing them to articulate what they think and feel about their university and academic experiences/concerns, thereby enabling comprehensive understanding of students’ experiences, behaviours and needs. After short conversations using the map, we tried again writing new Student Needs Statement Cards based on what emerged. The idea was to see if the Empathy Map and resulting conversations made it easier to come up with Student Needs Statements or if the cards themselves were enough on their own. There were varying opinions, but a common conclusion emerging was that both tools are useful, with most agreeing both could be useful depending on the context and the size and motivation of student cohort.

The last part of the workshop meant to co-create any improvements or changes to the tool, built on all the reflections and discussions happened so far, and shared our views on how staff could respond to the feedback we gather.

I really thought of the workshop as a meaningful time. I left the session feeling heard, valued, and reminded of the important role student reps play in voicing student concerns to key stakeholders like SSLC members and changemakers like SCL. A great initiative by the Student Change Lab, can’t wait to see how this will shape feedback collection in the future! A huge thank you to Ming and Iria once again, along with my fellow reps who showed up and made the conversations worth engaging in!

Soumya Mati, Student Rep

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