Paper Leaf has won a 2026 Optimal Experience Award!
We took home the Research-Driven Impact award for our work with SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology).
What is the award for?
The Research-Driven Impact award is for teams who take research all the way through to real, measurable change. Not just “we did some research stuff and then presented it to a client,” but a proper before and after: doing the research, translating it into tactics and changes, making those changes, and then seeing the difference in the data. Real results driven by strong research. The Optimal Awards celebrate organizations moving UX research forward in a meaningful way. Not to toot our own horn, but to totally toot our own horn, we’re pretty proud of the work being recognized!
Submissions are judged blind by practicing researchers, so the work stands fully on its own. and we couldn’t be more proud to be celebrated along the other winning organizations.
The project we won for
SAIT is a long-term partner of Paper Leaf. Our first project together was a research project. They had previously launched a new website and were expecting engagement to jump following the launch. It hadn’t. They weren’t sure why, and had very little insight into how students actually experienced the site, so they were seeking a partner to help them break down the problem and understand how students were engaging with the website.
Working with SAIT, we ran a range of research activities to find where the experience was falling apart. Research activities included usability testing, program sort surveys, and content audits. From the research, we compiled a findings report for SAIT, with recommendations on changes and enhancements to improve the site experience.
After the execution of the enhancements, the final results spoke for themselves:
- 5x increase in “Apply Now” clicks on program pages—a 500% increase!
- 80% increase in overall site engagement rate
- 27% decrease in bounce rate
- 30-second increase in time on pages
These results validate a data-driven approach, highlighting that an intentional focus on user-centric experiences results in the best path forward. See the full outcomes.
Want the full story?
Read the full case study of how we did it here. A big thank you to the Paper Leaf team who made this work happen and to the SAIT team, who are an incredible partner.
Want to learn more about how we deliver research projects? Read more here, or contact us here.
“The team at Paper Leaf is incredibly collaborative, communicative, and flexible, and were delighted with the results of our work together. They've truly taken the time to understand our organization, internal processes, and target users. We are a more UX mature organization today thanks to their support and guidance.”