After several years of development, Illinois State University is launching its own native mobile app with an eye toward making access to all things Redbird easier, faster, and more convenient.

Rob Bailey, executive director of Student Affairs Information Technology, said the Illinois State app will improve the campus experience first and foremost for students but also for faculty, staff, and visitors.

“We have created a front door to the University on your mobile device,” he said. “Everything you need is at your fingertips.”  

For several months ahead of its release, the app has been tested by a group of student beta testers. Bailey said the early feedback from those individuals has been positive. In addition, people around campus are finding the app on their own.

“We’ve just been in the soft launch phase, so it’s mostly word of mouth, but we have a little over 2,000 who have downloaded it,” he said.

Bailey said the app was designed based on data that identified what features were popular with students. 

“We are data informed to provide better services, and we were very fortunate to know what students were using,” he said. “The Illinois State app brings together the most frequently used information and services in a mobile-friendly package.

“A native mobile app provides a better user interface, and with it you get push notifications and authentication, so you don’t have to log in every time.”

Bailey also learned from the soft-launch data that the app was being used even when people were away from campus during break.

“We’ve seen a high amount of return usage, so much that metrics showed that there were 66 people using the app on Thanksgiving Day,” he said. “So, we’ve been encouraged by the soft-launch phase over the last couple of months. People are returning to it every day.”

Senior Brandon Bui is a cybersecurity major. He was one of the beta testers for the app, so he’s had quite a bit of experience using it. It was his first time testing an app, and he enjoyed the process.

“It was a fun experience seeing all the creative and handy features the app has to offer students, parents, and faculty,” he said. “But it was interesting to think about the behind-the-scenes thinking that went into the app’s design choices to create a convenient location for virtually all your ISU needs.”

Bui found all the maps and location guides informative. He said they were much easier to access through the app than jumping through several links on a website. One feature made him a little jealous of students living in residence halls.

“I thought the live view of the student housing laundry room was unique, and I wish I had that feature available when I was still a freshman in the dorms,” he said.

Bui said he would definitely recommend the app to friends. He added that new or prospective students will benefit from the features that interact with on-campus housing and dining. He said it’s an app that will get plenty of use.

“Having a nice one-stop spot for school news, events, organizations, etc., along with the new mental health section, will be helpful to anyone,” he said. “I also appreciate the fact that you don’t get bombarded with useless notifications and instead can fine tune the ones you want to receive, which keeps the app feeling light and user-friendly.”

Kristen Grimes is the University’s lead product developer for the Illinois State app. She said the favorite features of the group of beta testers, including Bui, included:

• Customizable menus and favorites
• Easier to access content compared to websites
• IOS stickers including Bruce the goose and squirrel stickers
• Ease of access to dining menus and dining hall cameras
• Access to financial data like tuition, fees, scholarships, financial aid within the app
• Access to view washers and dryers

Grimes had her own list of things she found interesting from viewed screens so far:

• Our strategy for sending push notifications was to prioritize timely alerts for critical dates, such as registration deadlines. It’s somewhat unexpected that this ranks as No. 1, considering the relatively low amount of notifications sent so far. This indicates students are actively interacting with these messages. 
• The favorites page and bookmarks feature we knew had a lot of potential, and it’s getting a lot of traction. This feature allows students to easily access and revisit their favorited events, news articles, map points, directory contacts, and videos.
• We are really excited that dining has taken off and is getting regular use. Everyone has to eat, and currently you can easily get to dining menus, Redbird Card balances, and maps and transit all within the same page. 

Working on such a complex project with a large group across campus, Grimes said there were challenges that had to be worked out. Deciding what features should be included in the app was a big one.

“When envisioning what the app could be and what we wanted for the launch of the app, we were overflowing with ideas,” she said. “We knew that we couldn’t do them all, so we decided to focus on the current student experience and visitor experience.

“I’m happy overall to see the final product and hope everyone enjoys it too,” she said.

Modo, the Illinois State app vendor, conducted its 2024 Appademy Awards (think Academy Awards for mobile applications) in November. The competition included mobile applications from around the country being judged in several categories. Illinois State was nominated in two categories: Best Personalization Experience and Best Dining Experience.

And the winner is: Illinois State University for Best Dining Experience.

“It’s very cool that we’ve already been recognized with a national award,” Bailey said.

The Illinois State University mobile app is available for download today in the App Store and Google Play Store. More information can be found at IllinoisState.edu/app.