{"id":42560,"date":"2025-07-22T16:50:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T21:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=42560"},"modified":"2025-10-13T13:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T18:24:10","slug":"new-look-refresh-for-my-und-app-puts-accessibility-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2025\/07\/new-look-refresh-for-my-und-app-puts-accessibility-first\/","title":{"rendered":"New-look refresh for My UND app puts accessibility first"},"content":{"rendered":"

Enhancements to UND\u2019s official mobile app go hand-in-hand with University\u2019s digital accessibility goals<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Hand
Photo by Connor Murphy\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As students return to campus in the next month, they\u2019re likely to notice a new look to UND\u2019s official mobile app<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll also find that it\u2019s faster, more responsive, more accessible and open for direct feedback.<\/p>\n

My UND, first launched in 2022, has gone through a rebuild over the past year that paves the way to better functionality and room to grow in its service to students and the campus community.<\/p>\n

And as the University works on its initiatives around digital accessibility<\/a><\/strong>, this new take on the app strives to fit the bill in comparison to past versions \u2013 aligning with upcoming requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For Jessica Brooke, application administrator for University IT<\/strong><\/a>, the refresh is not the finish line. While she has done much of the legwork in bringing its latest version to fruition \u2014 ensuring the app offers its prior suite of information and resources \u2014 the sky is the limit for My UND.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I took this position six or so months ago, our goal was to upgrade My UND on the back end to keep it functional,\u201d Brooke said. \u201cDoing so gave us an opportunity to rebuild parts that needed more fine-tuning from an accessibility standpoint, and that\u2019s an ongoing goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading up to the new academic year, she\u2019s brimming with ideas for new features and tie-ins with campus life made possible by the app\u2019s new architecture, including a consistent pursuit for enhanced accessibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to students using it to keep up with their courses and find events and activities at UND, but I\u2019m also hoping students themselves will want to get involved in building the app for how they want to use it,\u201d Brooke said. \u201cWe have a great foundation laid down, but it would be really fun to get more perspectives from the people who use it or perhaps rely on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brighter, cleaner, quicker<\/h2>\n

Those returning to the app will find familiar sections dedicated to academics, student life, athletics and safety. Each section serves several functions, including streamlined access to platforms such as Campus Connection, Blackboard and Hawk Central under \u201cAcademics\u201d and housing, dining and Wellness Center info under \u201cStudent Life,\u201d among other resources and topics.<\/p>\n

Notably, safety is more front-and-center through the app\u2019s refresh, making it easier to use SafeCampus<\/a><\/strong> and contact UND\u2019s police department or report a crime on campus.<\/p>\n

As Brooke got deeper into the project, addressing the roots of navigating the software, she started learning more about the standards of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines<\/a><\/strong>, most often referred to as WCAG. Her early research led to some key updates that can be seen on the app today:<\/p>\n