What happens when you leave UiO?
When you leave UiO, either to continue somewhere else or to retire, you lose access to UiO’s IT systems, including email. Your email account stops working, so you cannot set up a normal out-of-office reply as you do when you are on holiday. Many people still need those who send email to the old address to be informed of the new address, so that contact can be established or continued. It is common to send an email with information about your new address to contacts when you leave, but you rarely send it to everyone. And what about those you are not yet in contact with? Those who may want to contact you in the future?
Works like a “change of address” notice
If you send an email to an address that is no longer in use, you will usually receive a reply stating that the address does not exist or is not in use. UX designer in UiO’s IT department, Chaimae El Boukri, explains why UiO is now getting an alternative solution. “The Viderekontakt application was developed to solve a recurring problem at UiO: When a student or employee leaves, they lose access to their UiO email address. It is often used as a contact address in master’s theses, PhD dissertations, research articles and academic collaborations. If those who try to make contact only receive a reply that the address is not in use, important inquiries may be lost. With Viderekontakt, those who wish can register a new email address when they leave, and when someone sends an email to the old UiO address, the sender receives an automatic reply with the new contact information,” El Boukri explains.
Such change-of-address messages are only sent for those who have left UiO and who actively register a new email address in the Viderekontakt service.
Sudden transition
A team from the IT department has worked on developing this solution. The team consisted of staff with expertise in programming, email systems and user experience. El Boukri says that the user experience has been central to the work. “It has been very important to make the solution simple, self-explanatory and safe to use. The transition from having an active UiO account with full access to UiO’s IT services to having the affiliation ended has been experienced by several as very abrupt. The goal has therefore been to create a solution that gives the user a sense of control also in this phase. The user receives clear information about what happens, what is stored, how long the consent is valid, and how the use of the service can be renewed or terminated. We have deliberately tried to keep the process simple and the language clear and direct. My goal as a UX designer has been to create a solution that ensures a tidy and predictable end to the affiliation with UiO, and that also safeguards control and security for former users and for those who wish to get in touch with them later on,” El Boukri concludes.
Can be used now
Viderekontakt can be used now, but it only works for those who have left UiO and no longer have any user account here. To activate the automatic reply to those who send email to an address that is no longer, ?the person who had the address must go to the Viderekontakt service and register a new address there.
The IT department would like information about the solution to be incorporated into the routines used at the units when someone leaves. Former employees who contact UiO about access to email or forwarding of a new email address will receive information about how the service can be used.
- More information about the service can be found on the IT services page for Viderekontakt.