The old app made it easy for students to access their timetables, contact personal tutors and see how busy the university libraries were. S3P was used for more academic purposes, for example, registering every academic year, submitting personal extenuating circumstance forms (PECs) and choosing modules. Unlike the app, S3P was certainly outdated. This is likely what prompted the university to create a new student portal which combined both of these programs into one.
In theory, this a very good idea that will make it easier for most students to access anything university-related all in one space. However, it was not executed in a way most convenient for students to use within their day-to-day lives.
With problems such as timetables not showing up, the portal being extremely slow, registration failing to process and its dependence on Wi-Fi or mobile data, it has sparked outrage.
A significant issue is that the new student portal is only accessible on the web, which instantly makes it less accessible than the previous app. It can be bookmarked to home screens on mobile devices and can be downloaded onto desktops and laptops. This helps with this accessibility issue but still runs into the problem of it being slow and causing an inconvenience when trying to check your timetable for the day.
Additionally, the layout has been criticised for being somewhat confusing, especially when it comes to the new presentation of timetables. Unlike the old portal's timetable, the new one is cluttered and difficult to navigate until you click on each individual block, which will then provide specific details about the events occurring. Given that the primary use of this portal is for students to access timetables, it is essential that it is user-friendly and easy for them to understand. Many students have chosen to use Google or Apple Calendar instead, as they can directly integrate their personalised timetables into these applications through the separate timetable website.
After speaking to several students and using the app frequently myself, I can confidently state that there are improvements necessary for it to be comparable to the app that is widely favoured by most students.