Overview: The Mobile First for Students project

"Mobile First for Students" was selected for implementation as part of the "Digital and Social Transformation in Higher Education" call and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. The aim was to develop a mobile app (Android and iOS) for students at the three participating partner universities.

Two target groups were decisive for the design and architecture of the app: universities and students. For universities, the app should be easy to connect to existing university systems in the backend. It should be configurable in such a way that universities can provide their students with the data and functionalities that are relevant to them. Students should experience the app as a useful tool for their studies that makes it much easier to find their way through the jungle of information at universities. Above all, however, the app should help with the organization of their own studies - from enrolment to graduation.

The project team attaches great importance to user-centricity. The features that ultimately ended up in the app were developed together with students. Short release cycles and an agile way of working guaranteed rapid implementation of feedback from both students and partner universities. The result: the youni app.

What is youni?

youni is the university app for students in Austria. youni offers everything that is needed in everyday student life. It’s possible to see deadlines and assignments at a glance, check in for exams, borrow books or register at the photocopier: youni makes this and much more possible. Since 2023, youni has been officially available in both the Google Play Store (Android) and the App Store (iOS). With more than 10,000 users, the app has a strong presence at the University of Graz and Vetmeduni Vienna.

Compared to other providers on the market, youni offers universities absolute data sovereignty. This is because youni is a university app through and through: developed by universities for universities. Depending on the available infrastructure, the youni range of functions adapts to the respective university. The app also looks like part of the university's digital offering, as youni was designed as a white label solution. This was one of the requirements of the project from which youni emerged as a product.

Range of functions

youni offers a flexible range of functions, depending on the infrastructure of the respective university. This also means that three to five tabs are available for navigation in the app.

The three youni core areas contain the functionalities that all universities have in common:

• The home tab displays the most important information about your studies. From upcoming dates, courses, grades, and exams to shortcuts to the university's most frequently used services, everything is gathered on the home tab.
• The Börserl bundles all interactive functions. There is a visual ID card and various Bluetooth-based services that are offered as an alternative to the student ID card. For example, youni can be used to print and copy, borrow books, and unlock doors. An additional function is the QR check-in for examinations to simplify identification.
• My University is a kind of bookmark collection. Students can find all links to relevant university services there.

There are also two freely configurable tabs that can be customized to suit the university. The University of Graz has integrated a web view of the university chat in a separate tab as well as the chatbot requested in the original project application.

Outlook

youni has been put into regular operation at the University of Graz and the Vetmeduni Vienna. This means that useful functions will continue to be added to youni even after the project has been completed. A notifications feature is in the starting blocks: Important messages from the university will reach students directly via youni. In this way, students will receive targeted and personalized information and reminders, for example about re-registration for their studies or an upcoming password reset.

The youni team is also endeavoring to bring other universities on board and jointly implement their wishes and needs. youni is intended to be an inter-university product that also promotes cooperation between the institutions. A further project application and an associated project partnership would also be possible.

In the meantime, anyone wishing to stay informed about youni news and feature developments can visit the youni website.