On an intranet, design is a secondary consideration – unless it’s bad and then you’ll learn how important it really is. Oh, the whining about the design... at your organization, it probably rivals the whining about the search engine. Yes, design takes a back seat to planning, governance, content, search, tools, even usability. However, design can enhance and detract from all of these elements or enhance them; in essence, your intranet’s design is in some respects, the most important partner of all your critical elements.

NNE Pharmaplan's social intranet home page (source: NNE Pharmaplan)

A designer of websites does not make a designer of intranets. Intranet design is more science than art; more business than creative; more functional than emotional.

James Robertson, founder of Step Two Designs (Sydney, Australia), has a new book on the subject, “Designing intranets: Creating sites that work” that is well worth the read. If you’re going to spend thousands on a redesign, then you would do well to invest US$60 in this book. If you’re crazy enough to undertake a redesign all on your own then you simply must buy this book.

• Common design mistakes
• Understand staff needs
• Define the intranet brand
• Determine your strategy, scope and support
• Intranet design methodology
• Test and define the site structure
• Design the intranet home page
• Accelerated design approaches

The book also offers some clever insight and suggestions on testing, refining, delivering and launching designs (even with personalization).

James and I have slightly different approaches to intranet design and structure, and occasionally don’t see eye-to-eye on all things intranet, but he really knows his stuff, and has the experience to back it up (even if he does operate in the wrong hemisphere!). You cannot go wrong with his book, only right. Oh, and it also includes a few dozen screenshots of other intranets – including some award winners.

For information on his book, visit Designing intranets: Creating sites that work.

Continue reading: Intranet Design (Design Process)

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