Aiming to improve UR’s e-mail service, Information Technology Services developed a new layout for the WebMail program. Other campus services should look to ITS as an example of introducing improvements.
College e-mail users need to be able to fully utilize their mail account from anywhere. The older version of the WebMail application complicated sending and receiving e-mail, which is the fundamental purpose of an e-mail application.
The interface was confusing, with unintuitive buttons and slow-loading pop-up windows and frames. Difficulties drove many users to other e-mail services and clients, such as Gmail and Microsoft Outlook.
The new pilot program addresses user complaints. Additionally, rather than implementing the changes overnight, a demo version was made available for users to test over a period of time. The test period provided ample time for bugs to be fixed and user-found improvements to be made. With a convenient link on the WebMail Web site, everyone was able to evaluate the changes. Future changes to Internet services should be employed in the same way.
A flashy interface improves the e-mail experience for current WebMail users, but will not bring back those who have forwarded their accounts.
In addition, knowing your account expires after graduation deters students from ever using university accounts, sparing them from having to transfer addresses and saved e-mails to a new account.
Although they can register for a permanent forwarding e-mail address with the Alumni Online Community, alumni should have the option to forward mail from their undergraduate addresses to other accounts – ITS need not reserve server space for graduates, but instead turn e-mail accounts into aliases for forwarding purposes.
Although students’ concerns are being heard, more improvements can be made to the UR e-mail services.
