TXST Mobile Notification Guidelines

TXST Mobile notifications are intended for university audiences (e.g. - students, faculty, and staff). Notification requests are limited to official university entities.  

The TXST Mobile app team will carefully evaluate each notification request and let the requestor know if it is approved. At times, adjustments may be made to the notification to ensure the message conforms to the university's branding standards and mobile communication best practices. In these cases, the requestor will be made aware of the change before the notification is sent.

Please note, notifications must be received a minimum of 4 days in advance to allow for the review and ahead of other communications in the app. 

Not sure whether you are an official university entity?

Here are some examples of other official departments/groups:

• Campus Recreation
• Career Services
• Financial Aid & Scholarships
• Housing and Residence Life
• IT Assistance Center (ITAC)
• Transportation Services
• Parking Services
• Student Business Services
• Student Government
• Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC)
• Student Involvement
• Success Coaching
• University Registrar
• Writing Center

Notifications should be relevant to the person receiving them. We do not allow notifications to be sent to audiences they are not intended for. The more personal and unique a notification is to the recipient, the more likely they are to take action.

Are there any notification restrictions?

Messages from the TXST Mobile app cannot include the following information:  

• Personally identifiable information within the message itself, such as NetIDs, Texas State ID numbers, billing balances, or grades.
• Explicit or offensive content
• Requests for donations
• Advertisements for non-university events, services, or products
• Student organization advertisements (even if the event is sponsored by an official group); Student Government is the exception to this restriction
• Research recruitments and surveys (Exception: The TXST Mobile team can survey app users about mobile feature enhancements and general app improvements)
• Links to non-approved TXST software/systems
• Links to sites that redirect to a non-TXST domain without special approval

How often can I send notifications?

As a university, we must be mindful of the number of messages we send to users in any communication channel. A higher volume of notifications could result in users turning off app notifications altogether. The TXST Mobile app team keeps a comprehensive notification schedule to ensure users are not inundated with too many messages. While we cannot guarantee a message can be sent on a specific date, there are some steps you can take to ensure your message is delivered when you want or need it to be sent.

These steps include:

• Submit your notification request as far in advance of your preferred date as possible.
• Adhere to the character limits in the form to reduce the number of modifications needed.
• Respond quickly to the mobile team's feedback if changes are made and communicated to you.

The best notifications are timely, relevant, to the point, helpful, and nonintrusive. Here’s what that means in practical terms as you build creative messages. Ask yourself these questions each time you’re about to request a notification:

Is this the best time to send a notification?

Timing is crucial. If your recipient is busy, or asleep, the chances of getting their attention are slim. Historical data indicates students are more likely to take action on notifications sent later in the morning or early afternoon, while faculty and staff are more likely to take action on earlier morning messages.

Is the notification short and sweet?

Shorter notifications usually perform better. Spend the extra time tightening up your messaging.

Are the recipients receiving too many other notifications?

One major danger with notifications is overload. Too many messages, too often, can lead to dissatisfaction with, or dismissal of, your messages. We leverage message limits and frequency caps on requestors to ensure we don’t overwhelm users as a whole. We also provide users with opt-out options for general audience messages and look at engagement stats to determine whether users are turning notifications off. 

Get your requests in as early as possible. If notification slots fill for a particular day or week, we will not be able to send your message. The beginning, middle, and end of a semester are the highest request periods.

Is the notification personalized for its recipients?

Messages need to be personal and relevant for a user to find them valuable. It’s crucial for you to review your messages to make sure they align with your intended audience’s preferences and interests.

Is the value of your notification clear?

This is the big one. It’s best to avoid sending notifications for the sake of “getting the word out” or “increasing awareness.” As a university, we need to make the most out of mobile notifications by using them for urgent, time-sensitive, or “action-needed” messages. If the value is not immediately apparent, recipients are less likely to engage. Before finalizing each message ask yourself honestly: “is it clear how this could help my user?”

Does the notification have a strong human connection?

Notifications should be written the way you would talk to a person in real life. You have a better chance of connecting with your recipients and increasing engagement if you use words that relate to the way your intended audience speaks or thinks.

Does the notification call for action?

Your notification subject should ask the recipient to do something. Try writing your headline as a complete sentence to deliver a more valuable impression, and pare it down to meet the character limits.

Does the notification have enough context?

Using context words helps create emotional engagement. These words can help increase a person's interest and attention. Context Words into four categories: insight words, time words, space words, and motion words.

• Insight words provide more detail (e.g. - closure, admit, inform, think).
• Time words refer to a point in time (e.g. - after, fast, long, prior). 
• Motion and space words help recipients understand where something is happening (e.g. - appear, replace, arrive, enter).

The purpose of your notification is not to provide all the details of your event or service, it is to pique the interest of your recipients. Use the button options to provide more material, share location (map) details, or registration information. A date, time, and location name are important, but a full guest speaker breakdown or list of supporting offices is not.

Sources: 

https://www.sharethrough.com/blog/the-1-072-words-that-will-change-how-you-write-headlines-forever

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/push-notification/

The TXST Mobile app team reserves the right to update or make exceptions to these guidelines at any time.