What Makes a Good Intranet site

The development of corporate intranets is often overlooked. Not enough thought is put into organizing its content logically. Good intranets can really increase efficiency in your office. You need to think of the employees who will have to use it to publish or find information. Here are some key considerations of a good intranet:

• Clear purpose. Determine which corporate needs will have to be fulfilled before implementing an intranet. Each section has to have a clear and easily identifiable purpose.
• User-centered design. Not everyone has the same level of technical knowledge when it comes to interacting with user interfaces. The intranet’s design has to be conceived with simplicity in mind to make each type of user comfortable with it. Don’t clutter your pages with tons of content and don’t use technical jargon.
• Solid organizational structure. Lots of information may be stored on an intranet. It is vital to structure it logically. Each employee needs to be able to find what he’s looking for easily. The content categorization shouldn’t necessarily mimic the organizational structure of the company but should be focused on the employee’s needs. Also, information concerning specific employees shouldn’t be available to others who don’t need it.
• Robust search engine. Even if its content is well organized, an intranet should always feature a good search engine. It will help users find the content they are looking for faster.
• No dead ends. If launching a new intranet, the available content should be 100% ready. No employee wants to land on incomplete pages.
• Consistent visual identity. Even though some sections of an intranet might have their own look and feel, there must be a global unifying visual identity.
• Help documents and contact. A help page needs to be included if a user has any problem with the intranet, as well as a contact option. Any comment or question should be answered rapidly.
• Human voice. Most often, intranets are cold and uninviting. Give it a human aspect by including a blog, discussion groups, and instant messaging solutions or by writing a changing welcome message.

Building an intranet requires lots of resources and it’s not guaranteed to actually be used properly. By following these guidelines, you’re more likely to increase its usage, thus increasing efficiency considerably.

Suggested reading

• Making Money in Tougher Economic Times
• 11 tips on creating great user experiences