DSU makes leaps in online accessibility

New and improved website and app

By Katie Czenczek, News Editor

What started as a project over a year ago became reality last week  as the DSU announced their updated website and app on August 22.

The new website has multiple new webpages added to it including a volunteer sign-up portal for DSU events, a separate events page, and more information about the services provided by the DSU than what was previously accessible online. The DSU clubs directory has also been updated so it is now more user-friendly.

Tracy Ho, organizer focused in advocacy for the DSU, said in an interview with the Other Press that she spent a lot of time on the complete rebranding for the website.

“I’ve been living and breathing this website for the last six months,” she said.

Ho, who worked along the website designer in order to make the changes happen, said that the previous DSU Board of Directors wanted a fresh start.

“The previous website was really old and didn’t have a lot of functionality with it, so what they wanted to do was give it a bright, fresh new look to make it more engaging—and also have more abilities to engage on the website and make it useful for students,” she said.

Ho also emphasized the importance of putting the DSU’s best foot forward for students and potential partners whose introduction to the union is the website.

“It is often the first impression for students, potential students, community members, and any partners we might have. This is the first impression of the union, so the Board of Directors wanted to put their best face forward and put new information on there, but also reflect the needs of students.”

Along with the functional changes made to the website, the DSU logo has opted for a sky-blue backdrop and a new font, ditching the orange and blue combination that was featured in the previous logo.

“The old logo was quite dated—it was really ’90s—and the blue and orange was really difficult to make good design from,” she said.

Ho also said that the main goal of redoing the website was to create an online platform that was welcoming before students even made it on campus.

“One of the things that we wanted to do was make a welcoming space—even online—and then highlight the things that the Student Union does,” she said. “We made it so online you can see the services we provide, our campaigns, events, and clubs and collectives. We really wanted there to be enough information for students to navigate to get their questions answered.”

Ho also took the time to explain the projected path for the renamed DS App, in which you can access most online portals through a single app.

“The DSU envisions that the app will become a resource that students can use every single day. We want to get to the place where when students log into the app, they can check their emails, waitlists, Blackboard—we’re not quite there yet but that is the goal—to ultimately have a digital space where students can use something that is functionally useful and where students can connect with each other,” said Ho.