Article Idea:
"Didn't I meet you at the Christmas party?" -- a lesson in intranet UCD
suggested by Patrick Kennedy on 2007/08/20
I’d like to write an article that discusses intranets.
My objectives are simple: a) dispell the myth that intranets are boring, b) try and enthuse IA/UX and web design folks who would rather be poked in the eyes with sharp sticks than work on an intranet, and c) educate them by showing that the same basic principles used in website design apply to intranets.
I’ll give examples and case studies of UCD being used for intranet design, in particular user research, hence the suggested title for the article. Intranet teams need to have a good understanding of their organisation and their colleagues, but quite often when we initiate user research they realise they don’t have that knowledge. How can they deliver an effective intranet solution if they don’t know much about their users?
I’ll also point out some ‘traps for young players’ that should help people preparing for an intranet project.
Want to see this idea turned into a story?
4 people said yes. | 0 people said no.
laurie kalmanson
14 Reputation points
Posted 2007/08/21 @ 09:31AM with
isn’t an intranet just a website whose users are internal?
i’ve done a few intranets for biiiiig co’s, and the stickiest issues seem to be the turfological ones: ownership and responsibility, and getting away from a 500×500 photo of the ceo on the homepage
other issues (content strategy, search paths, categories and subcategoreies) get answered for intranets pretty much the way they do on other projects: facilitation, homework for stakeholders, arm waving, lunch, etc
that said, when the client knows what they want, that’s always the easiest; when they don’t, the facilitation is, for me, the most fun and challenging part.
very funny title!
Patrick Kennedy
4 Reputation points
Posted 2007/08/23 @ 15:32PM with
Hi Laurie, I would normally not agree with the statement that an “intranet just a website whose users are internal” (but then again you were asking a question :-)
Anyhoo, on this occasion I am willing to agree that yes, in terms of the IA methods used, intranets are very similar to public facing websites. But as you point out, it’s the sticky issues which make all the difference. In particular the purpose of the site. Most people are able to tell you what their website is for, but when it comes to intranets you get some very wishy-washy answers. The fact is that intranets need to have a well defined purpose, there’s no point having one for the sake of it (which you might get away with with a website).
So the methods might be same but the outcomes and the political maneuvering are quite different. But hey, maybe we’ll conclude that I’m wrong and there’s nothing special about ‘IA for intranets’....if I write the article we can find out.
BTW: I’m delighted to have two ‘yes’ votes so far :-)