From Keychains to Conversions
Prototyping an NFC-powered system to capture student contacts, streamline outreach, and unlock event analytics.
Executive Summary: I Built a One-Tap System to Capture Contacts and Deliver the Right Info Fast
I researched, designed, and built an NFC tag-based student engagement tracking system to make outreach events at SDSU Global Campus more effective. By tapping an NFC-enabled keychain, staff could log a new student contact in Google Sheets instantly—saving time and reducing errors. The NFC tags re-directed staff’s phones to a landing landing page to give staff quick access to links, blog posts, and course details they could share with students on the spot. This approach made it easier to track event activity, measure which outreach efforts worked best, and give students the right information right away. The project showed how a simple, low-cost tool could improve both the student experience and the university’s ability to measure results.
$100,000 in 1-Year ROI
My tool identified keyed economic indicators that proved the basis for projecting 1-year ROI and providing a financial case for scale.
Event ROI Quantified
I designed a data analysis tool and algorithm that allowed us to rank events by ROI rather than gut feel. This allows SDSU to target higher-performing event types while reconsidering underperforming events.
+267 Student Contacts
I designed a scalable and efficient system that logged 267 prospect interactions across 11 events with 5 outreach reps, giving SDSU Global Campus its first dataset on outreach productivity.
Staffing Optimized
I worked with stakeholders to design a data collection tool to optimize staffing cost for different event types.
Overview
At SDSU Global Campus, outreach events are one of the most important ways to connect with prospective students. Yet, due to a lack of data collection and analysis, leadership had limited visibility into which events were most effective, how outreach reps performed, or what content actually influenced enrollment. To solve this, I designed and implemented an NFC-enabled proof of concept that transformed everyday swag into a data-driven tracking and engagement system. With a simple tap, reps could log a new contact, deliver tailored information, and generate analytics that tied outreach activity directly to student conversions.
Goals
- Capture interactions at scale with a frictionless tool reps would actually use in the field.
- Provide real-time analytics on event productivity, rep performance, and peak activity windows.
- Connect content sharing to outcomes, making it possible to measure what information was most effective in driving enrollment.
- Build a low-cost, scalable system that could be deployed broadly without heavy technical overhead.
Role
Senior Design Manager
Scope
3D Printing Design & Implementation
NFC Programming
Data Pipeline Design & Implementation
Analytics & Reporting
Insight Delivery
Timeline
February 2025
Tools
Creality K1 Max 3D Printer
Fusion 360
Make.com
WordPress
NFC Tags
Google Sheets
Key Metrics
Working with stakeholders, I defined the core KPIs that mattered most to leadership:
- Conversion Ratios – by event type and content type (e.g., blogs vs. course pages).
- Contacts per Event – to identify high-ROI events.
- Contacts per Hour – to optimize staffing and scheduling.
- Cost per Contact – to evaluate event efficiency.
- Rep Productivity – to measure and reward top performers.
Research Process
I began by meeting with outreach leaders and admissions stakeholders to understand how they currently evaluated events and what data they wished they had. From these conversations, it became clear that a lightweight proof of concept could validate whether data-driven outreach was possible. I also reviewed the cost and feasibility of alternative approaches (manual logs, QR codes, CRM integrations) and determined that NFC offered the lowest friction and highest flexibility.
The Solution
One of two custom SDSU Keychain Designs I created in Fusion 360 and printed on my Creality K1 Max 3D printer.
In order to collect information about student interactions, I designed a system that used NFC chips embedded in custom 3D-printed keychains that could be kept on outreach reps lanyards and easy tapped with their phone to log a student connection.
- I setup a backend database system to capture interaction data.
- I programmed NFC chips to send the outreach rep’s ID, the date, time, and event information to a custom webhook
- I installed the NFC chips in a custom 3D print that I design and manufactured, allowing outreach reps to keep them on easy lanyard/beltloop access.
- I developed a custom webhook to process the sent information and send it to the database.
- I mined the database for analytics to uncover information about our highest-performing event types, hours, reps, and establish benchmarks for cost per contact and cost per lead.
- I worked with our outreach coordinator to identify & present key findings from our data with top-level internal stakeholders.
Impact
Outreach staff began using my system within a month of its design ideation, tapping their NFC chip with their phone to log each contact at outreach events. Within 3 months, we had gained invaluable data that provided key insights that guided our outreach strategies going forward.
- +267 Contacts Captured – across 11 events, giving SDSU its first dataset of outreach activity.
- Top Event Identified – Southwestern Transfer Fair produced 59 contacts in 5 hours (11.8/hr).
- Event Type Insights – Transfer Fairs dominated with 168 contacts, while Career Fairs underperformed.
- Rep Performance Analytics – Identification of which reps performed best at different events.
- Peak Hour Discovery – 11 AM (95 contacts) and 12 PM (86 contacts) proved most productive.
- Cost Efficiency Benchmark – As low as $2.39 per contact at high-performing events.
- Projected ROI – Year-one net benefit estimated at $100k+, even with conservative assumptions.
Learnings
- KPIs Drive Stakeholder Alignment: By defining metrics early, I ensured the data answered the right business questions.
- Simple Tools, Big Value: A low-tech solution (NFC + Google Sheets) was enough to unlock new insights and prove the model’s value.
- Evidence Beats Tradition: Data revealed that some event types consistently outperformed others, challenging long-held assumptions about outreach strategy.
- Scalability Is Achievable: With validation complete, the system can scale to track not just contacts but also content effectiveness and long-term conversion.