Tessa Michaels, Business & Technology Solutions
Kathleen Phillips Satz, Administration
Last fall the campus business portal, Blu, was redesigned and upgraded to version 8.9, streamlining the user interface, adding features requested by users, and integrating the options for help. Feedback from campus and work with Blu focus groups led to changes in the design and navigation of Blu's interface.
Blu is an Oracle/PeopleSoft-based portal that gives users one-stop access to campus resources. Since Blu was launched in mid-2003, the Blu team has continued to expand the portal by integrating enterprise applications and advocating for single sign-on, one of the features most frequently requested by multitasking campus users.
The Blu People self-service features allow individuals to update their personal information, manage payroll direct deposit, view and print W-2s and pay stubs, and apply for campus job openings. New components such as travel and entertainment reimbursement and a search feature for campus buying agreements were added in this upgrade, while options like viewing local weather and the campus directory were retained by user request.
A new feedback application in the upgraded Blu automatically directs user feedback and comments to the appropriate help desk based on the user's location in the portal and the category of issue selected.
When BFS was upgraded and integrated into the portal in 2005, Blu added a broad new user base. Applications accessed through Blu now include HRMS (Administer Workforce and eRecruit); BFS and the BAIRS reporting system; buying for office supplies, furniture, and PCs; travel and expense reimbursement; Gartner research; and most recently, Restarting Berkeley and Cal Profiles.
Nontechnical users sometimes report confusion about the relationship of Blu — the portal — to systems like HRMS and BFS; they wonder why one login doesn't work for everything or they attribute system issues to Blu. Now the difference will matter less, because the portal will intelligently direct requests for assistance to the proper help desk via Blu feedback. The new Blu also features context-sensitive help information.
Other users wish they could remove some of the items on Blu's main pages. That concern is easy to fix by personalizing the main portal pages. For example, by selecting "Personalize Layout" users can decide to see two columns or three columns, or move items to different locations on the page. In "Personalize Content" they can add and delete items from the master list of items such as local weather, campus directory, and the latest news.
Use the "feedback" link on any Blu page to provide your comments and suggestions. Meanwhile, the Blu team will continue to add new features and improve the portal.
[ iNews | Search | IST | UC Berkeley Computing | UC Berkeley ]
iNews: UC Berkeley information technology news channels
Copyright 2007, The Regents of the University of California