Opportunities for collaboration and teamwork are bountiful at the University of Waterloo. The Portal team recently embarked on a pilot test with the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business for the purpose of testing targeted alerts and push notifications to students via Portal. The testing took place over the course of three terms and provided ample opportunities for the departments to get to know one another. While the key findings of the pilot were informative and helpful in moving the initiative forward, it was the additional opportunities that arose that were a pleasant surprise for the Portal team.
Rebuilding with help from our students
One of the opportunities was the chance to visit the Stratford School and present beta prototypes of new Portal designs to the Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) students. The Portal team has been working on rebuilding the app and website from the ground up, implementing brand new designs and layout options. Given the magnitude of changes at play, the opportunity to gain feedback from users who offer both a student perspective and a digital arts/design background was invaluable!
Feedback was given out by approximately 180 GBDA students, who were presented with beta prototypes on paper and in a digital format. The students then compiled video recordings of their thoughts, opinions and recommendations. During the past week, the Portal team has held several meetings to review the feedback and align these key findings with modifications to the existing prototypes.
These valuable suggestions from the students will shape the way Portal is designed and implemented, resulting in a stronger tool that meets students’ needs in the best way possible.
Collaboration is key
Given the success of this first initiative for feedback, the Portal team plans to seek out further opportunities for ongoing student feedback as the development of the new Portal continues. This may include user experience testing sessions, design consultations and user interface testing.
The Portal team has witnessed firsthand the endless opportunities that have emerged out of a small request for beta testing. It goes to illustrate the potential we have when we look to collaborate and expand beyond our individual teams.
