An extreme Webmail makeover is underway to keep up with the latest e-mail trends and styles.
The Office of Information Technology is currently experimenting with various prototypes to make the Duke Webmail experience more aesthetically appealing and user friendly, IT Senior Analyst Chris Colomb said. A new e-mail client is projected to launch by the end of the spring semester.
"There's been some push to modernize our infrastructure and to better serve Duke's needs," he said. "And this is part of that effort."
OIT is currently looking at multiple versions for a new Webmail. Colomb said his favorite makeover features a login screen that requires users to type in the Duke domain address and a new mailbox that boasts a layout similar to a desktop mail client such as Microsoft Office Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. Colomb added that he hopes to further improve the prototype by optimizing speed and Duke-specific graphics.
Because the current Webmail is functional, there will be little to no changes to services offered, he added. Instead, the makeover will focus on enhancing the user experience through improving the ease of use and navigation.
"I feel like it's a lot more intuitive than our current one-it manages folders well," Colomb said.
A group of about 20 students will test a version of the new client for the next four to six weeks in a pilot program led by Student Computing Coordinator Amy Webb. She said the criteria for evaluating clients is open ended and the final decision will be made to ensure student satisfaction.
"We just want their feedback on anything they're willing to give us-if they like the interface, if they like the way their mail is being displayed-we want it to be as student friendly as possible," Webb said.
Colomb previously told The Chronicle that approximately 10 to 15 percent of students forward their Duke mail to another e-mail account. The numbers do not include those using desktop mail clients.
"I use Webmail only because I have to check my Duke mail, and I don't know how to forward it to my MacMail," freshman Sarah Lumsden said. "MacMail is so much easier, right on your desktop, and you don't have to go online and log in."
She added that Webmail can be slow and the regular maintenance messages can be frustrating.
Sophomore Caroline Hanson, who also does not know how to forward from Webmail to another e-mail client, said she uses Gmail outside of her Duke e-mails.
"I find the search feature kind of annoying too," Hanson said. "When you're trying to flag an e-mail with the labels 'Important' or 'Unseen,' it's hard to pull that stuff out without searching through your entire inbox."
Unlike the current Webmail, the new client will be capable of detecting and "adapting" to Web browsers, Colomb said, explaining that certain layout designs cannot be viewed properly in all browsers.
"Because certain [e-mail] clients only work well in a specific browser, everything tends to be more generic and doesn't look as modern because you're going to the least common denominator," he said.
Colomb added that once OIT obtains student feedback and finalizes plans to launch the new e-mail client, he will investigate ways to cater Webmail to mobile devices.
"We don't want to make decisions in a bubble-this is obviously a trial product we want some feedback on," Webb said. "Hopefully the pilot program will go well.
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