Talking intranets with Amy Schade, Director, Nielsen Norman Group

By Kelly Kass

Following the release of Nielsen Norman Group’s list of their Top 10 Intranets of 2010, we caught up with Director Amy Schade who told us what went into determining this year’s cream of the crop.

KK. What were the criteria you were looking for – which companies are getting their intranets right and why?

AS: As a baseline, we look for well-designed intranets that easily let people understand what the offerings are while providing smooth and easy navigation.

The companies that are achieving success with their intranets know their users and the type of information that is important to their employees. They give staff what they need to help them do their jobs better.

In addition, we look for those intranets going above and beyond – with interesting or unique features, high quality content, or particularly engaging designs.

KK. What was particularly interesting about some of your findings? Any trends or features that you saw that really stood out from the rest?

AS: First off – 3 of the companies in this year’s top 10 had mobile websites. More specifically, they had created specific mobile experiences for their users, structured so employees could easily get the information they needed on their mobiles. Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed an iPhone app, while MITRE and Enbridge, Inc. created specific mobile versions of their sites optimized for the most commonly used smart phones in their organizations.

The teams who went through the process of making the sites mobile thought about the most relevant features employees would need as well as how to display the information. For instance, to accommodate employees needing quick access to colleagues’ phone numbers, scrolling was minimized in directory search results to make sure users had immediate access to the information they needed.

Secondly, we noticed there were more robust social features offered on intranets. Companies are paying attention to how to translate these tools internally for employees. Some companies, like Walmart, allowed users to create personal profiles and participate in discussions, building camaraderie between employees who otherwise wouldn’t know one another. Others, like GE, allowed comments and ratings on news stories, encouraging discussion across the company.

Other winning sites focused their social tools on helping employees find one another more easily and to make work connections. MITRE had an ‘Expertise Finder’ where employees could seek out a colleague with particular knowledge in the company, putting a slightly different spin on standard employee directories.
 
When it came to executive communication, last year we had entries that featured CEO blogs on their intranet. This year, Trend Micro, for example, has moved an entire management meeting online, making the experience more interactive and transparent for everyone.  
 
KK. Being that simplygroup is a European company, we’re curious about the absence of European winners in your list this year. What do you attribute that to, if anything?

AS: Normally we’ve had 3 out of 10 winners representing Europe over the last 10 years so this year’s results are a bit surprising (although we did have a couple of European entries). However, I think the reason is nothing bigger than just the random fluctuation in submissions. We hope to see more European entries next year.

KK. What are the primary ways in which employees are using the intranet?

AS: On many intranets, it’s the basic tools that are frequently used. Employee directories may be used on daily basis- sometimes many times a day. Over time, intranets have become key channels for communicating information about the company, or about the industry and its competitors. And accessing HR information and frequently used forms, like timesheets, are also common practice among employees. Companies are ensuring that those practical tools are being made more readily available.

Some sites offer more robust tools for completing daily work, such as Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s project management tools, offering access to areas like project calendars and task lists, helping keep information about all the employees’ projects in one place. 

KK. In your opinion, what are the keys to establishing an effective intranet for employees?

AS: The benefit of working on an intranet, rather than a public facing site, is that users are all around you. Take advantage of this and watch how users work. See where there are opportunities for the intranet to fill a need or do a better job supporting employees. User research is key to understanding your users’ needs.

If you are embarking on a redesign, you need to know what is working and what is not working on your old site before building a new one. Be aware of the strengths/weaknesses of what you are leaving while keeping informed of what you are moving into. Test what you have as well as what you’re building – and test early in the design process. Testing with paper prototypes can save a lot of development time and effort in the long run.

Other key elements of a successful re-launch are setting goals and getting the appropriate buy-in. Determine goals for the site. Keep stakeholders informed and involved.

And don’t spring a whole new site on unsuspecting colleagues. Slowly introduce the site to employees. Involve them in the user research to see what works and what does not work in the new design to ensure the best possible results. Keep them informed, to a reasonable extent, of progress on the new site.

Some of our winning intranets did limited releases ahead to time to a set number of employees who tested out the site and checked for any bugs that were present. Such releases had the additional effect of building buzz and anticipation around the new site. For example, SCANA did a one-month beta test with 150 employees who later became “ambassadors” for the new design and URS gave stakeholder and managers an advance preview of the new site.

KK. As for story content, what are some of the items that are currently getting employees’ attention?

AS:  With content, the most important thing a company can do is to keep it new and fresh and to update the site constantly. Employees don’t want to see the same info they receive in an email or look at headlines that were posted 4 days ago.

Some of this year’s winning sites found success with stories featuring individual or team successes, combined with more standard press release style corporate information. Users expect high-quality, informative content on the site – having employees throughout the organization create content can add to the diversity and depth of content available. Organizations are working harder at training contributors to ensure a high quality of content. Some organizations, like Huron, work to build a community of content creators, so they can help each other succeed and create strong content.

KK. How about the importance of two-way communication and employee feedback?

AS: We’ve seen more opportunity for employees to engage with intranets. Employees can rate news stories, participate in discussions, leave comments, or suggest story ideas. These tools allow employees to provide valuable feedback to intranet teams to determine what is resonating with their audiences, while also engaging employees with the site and with one another.

Other opportunities for engagement allow employees to submit ideas or questions to executives, praise others’ work, share knowledge across the company, or directly contact the person who created a piece of site content to get more information.

KK. What are some no-no’s when it comes to establishing a successful intranet?

AS: A consistent experience is key. Users need to know where they are on a site and where they can go. When every section or every page has a different look and different navigational structure, users are easily lost and frustrated.

We also see intranets that silo information based on the department that created the information. This requires users to know the organization’s departmental structure inside and out simply to locate a form, policy, or piece of information. Creating an information architecture based on tasks and types of information, rather than the department responsible for that information, makes information easier to locate for everyone.

KK. In all the years you’ve been rating the world’s best intranets, what are some of the greatest changes you’ve seen in the area of intranet communications? 

AS: We have seen intranets mature. There are many more resources going into them. They are finally being recognized as an important business tool, and not just a way to share cafeteria schedules. Companies are stepping beyond posting HR policies and moving into how to make the intranet a strong collaborative tool while facilitating knowledge sharing. They are also moving to engage employees as individuals, and not just as employees. Over the past 10 years, we have seen intranets become much more engaging and compelling for employees around the world.

(Pictured: Amy Schade)