I just finished heather Burns cover story in this month
As you probably know by now, we
DESIGNING BY COMMITTEE DOES NOT WORK. But of course you already knew this… 🙂
Here are a couple of pointers when undertaking design:
1- Limit the committee – your steering committee or intranet council (visit our Articles section for more on Politics of Intranet Ownership and Collaborative Governance Models) should be involved in business requirements, policies and standards (including creative standards and guidelines), resources, strategy and planning. Limit design approval to a core group of 2 or 3 people if possible.
2- Planning drives design – Build your business case and requirements based on best practices, business needs and employee needs and then build a blueprint that includes creative design standards and guidelines. Once approved, then undertake your information architecture and wireframes before you pick up your crayons and Photoshop. Don
3- Outsource the creative – Unless you have a crack designer on staff, outsource the design to a professional or at least a design student. You do not have to pay a lot but putting the design in the hands of a pro will dampen the political pressure and ensure quality.
4- Build in time for revisions – Two or three rounds of changes and revisions is standard. Four to six rounds of revisions is not unheard of so schedule the necessary time.
5- Consensus, compromise and cooperation – As Nixon said, “You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time.” Be prepared to be flexible during the approval process because even a core group of 2 or 3 will have disagreements over the smallest things such as a font size, the color of a button, the size of a photo, etc. Emphasize compromise as the key to success and happiness.
My favourite intranet designs? Cisco, Xerox, Sodexho (not a good .com design though), Fidelity Investments Canada, Electrolux, and the Integer Group. Give us a ring if you
Hi! I'm currently designing an intranet for a global conglomerate, starting with the chairman's office in Hong Kong. I've got a BIG project ahead of me. Majority of the company's knowledge workers speak Chinese, while a significant portion of the “top earners and influencers” speak English… Just the language barriers alone are enough worries, let alone syncing a handful of diverse businesses each with their own existing business processes. Thankfully, my boss sees my project as more of a business process streamlining effort rather than simply building a “website.” Also of good news, the top execs are betting a lot on this–nearly everything.
So…I'd appreciate a run through of the basics of what to read on this and other blogs for good pointers (I just googled this but am very impressed–just bookmarked!). Also, if I could see some screenshots of (what you believe are) good intranets. We're a pretty big company in total, but I'm starting small by designing an intranet for the chairman's office and the senior staff first, than expanding outward. Thanks!
-Trent.
trent.bigelow@stanchion.com
Hi! I'm currently designing an intranet for a global conglomerate, starting with the chairman's office in Hong Kong. I've got a BIG project ahead of me. Majority of the company's knowledge workers speak Chinese, while a significant portion of the “top earners and influencers” speak English… Just the language barriers alone are enough worries, let alone syncing a handful of diverse businesses each with their own existing business processes. Thankfully, my boss sees my project as more of a business process streamlining effort rather than simply building a “website.” Also of good news, the top execs are betting a lot on this–nearly everything.
So…I'd appreciate a run through of the basics of what to read on this and other blogs for good pointers (I just googled this but am very impressed–just bookmarked!). Also, if I could see some screenshots of (what you believe are) good intranets. We're a pretty big company in total, but I'm starting small by designing an intranet for the chairman's office and the senior staff first, than expanding outward. Thanks!
-Trent.
trent.bigelow@stanchion.com