MTS - Michigan Tailoring System
TECHNOLOGY NUMBER: 2026-083
OVERVIEW
The Michigan Tailoring System (MTS) is a user-friendly platform that empowers content creators to send uniquely personalized messages to individuals based on their specific data and needs.
- Enables scalable delivery of tailored communications by integrating user data into message creation.
- Unlocks powerful applications in education, research, and healthcare by improving engagement and outcomes through personalization.
BACKGROUND
Effectively communicating with large and diverse groups is a critical challenge in education, healthcare, and research. Standard “one-size-fits-all” messaging often fails to drive engagement or behavioral change because it doesn’t account for individual differences. While digital communication tools and analytics have improved, creating truly personalized messages at scale remains labor-intensive and technically difficult. There is a growing demand for solutions that can tailor communications efficiently, as evidenced by trends in digital learning, digital health interventions, and customer engagement technologies. The Michigan Tailoring System responds to this need by allowing organizations to easily create, manage, and deploy personalized communications, thereby enhancing user engagement and measurable outcomes.
INNOVATION
The Michigan Tailoring System lets authors write message templates that automatically adapt their content using user data, such as academic performance or motivation. Through a web-based interface, non-technical users define what messages are sent to whom and under what conditions. This approach allows even large organizations to deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time—without manual customization for each user. MTS stands out because it integrates behavioral science principles, supports plug-ins with popular platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera), and is open-source for research and educational use. Compared to current solutions, MTS dramatically reduces the technical barriers and manual effort needed for scalable, data-driven personalization.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DEPARTMENT/LAB: Center for Academic Innovation