The New Albert Kinda Sucks, But it’s Getting There
Over the winter term, NYU redesigned Albert’s interface. The stated goal of the redesign, expressed in an email by University Registrar Elizabeth Kienle-Granzo, is to improve “user experience” and make the system “more intuitive.”
Albert, presumably named for Albert Gallatin, is the university-wide system used for just about every aspect of NYU, including academics, housing, and payment. So it’s safe to say that a straightforward, headache-free site is crucial to anyone who attends or works within NYU.
Integration across multiple devices seems like one the big sell of the new Albert. The promotional art, and the video, all feature multiple devices! All logged in at the same time! No hassles!
We’re not sure that’s actually the case.
The Albert redesign comes just months after the entire university system converted to multi-factor authentication for all services related to Albert, including Google Drive functions. The move to MFA was controversial. Students argued that the authentication system, which requires constant access to both a computer and a functioning smart device to login, wasted time and required a large financial commitment by staff and students. The move even spawned a petition to revert from mandatory MFA.
So what about the New Albert sucks so bad?
As far as NYU Local can tell, it’s pretty much the same old Albert, with what’s essentially a new coat of paint. The old Albert was ancient. The look was dated and the system itself tended to be laggy — particularly during times of high traffic such as during enrollment. The old Albert even had a glitch that allegedly told prospective students whether or not they were accepted.
The new Albert certainly is pretty. And for a school that cares a lot about looks, maybe that’s the primary goal. On the face of it, separate areas for classes, transcripts and finances appear immediately accessible. This particular writer did wait for transcripts to load for about five minutes before giving up entirely. Sorry potential employers! Grades are a mystery!
Its highly likely that NYU is working out glitches in the new system as time moves forward. The real test of the system will come near the middle of the semester, when students are able to register for Fall courses.
Local’s National editor and self-proclaimed “perennial Albert hater,” Ben Brachfeld has experienced the steady improvements firsthand. Brachfeld expressed frustration about a time-out glitch, but ultimately found that within days it was fixed. “Now I’m angry that I don’t get to be angry at Albert anymore,” he wrote.
So maybe the revamp is more of a work in progress. One huge plus of the redesign is that the new interface is supposedly more compliant with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards.
NYU Local reached out to NYU Spokesperson John Beckman about these specific improvements. No comment was immediately available from the University.
Whether we like it or not, we’re all stuck with the redesign — and multi-factor authentication. We can take the high-road and appreciate the crisp, clean lines of the revamped Classes page and the new NYU Bookstore widget. Or we can complain about it for the rest of time. Take your pick honestly. Local knows where we stand.
If you have any complaints (or praises!) about the new Albert, we’d love to hear from you. Tweet us at @NYULocal.
