GOAL | ROLE | PROCESS
THE GOAL: Ryan Associates, a general contractor firm in San Francisco, found an increasing level of difficultly around good communication between various departments in the office as well as with the field teams. A company wide Intranet was proposed, for the various departments to be able to share a repository of information and documents. In addition, a centralized place for sharing notifications, calendars and resources, company wide was also sought after.
THE ROLE: I lead the in house team with the development and testing of the design and organization of the company intranet.
THE PROCESS: Met weekly to brainstorm, wireframe, and test options internally within the team and then with user groups across the office. User testing revealed insights and provided direction on the effectiveness of various sections. The process was repeated until framework of the intranet could be rolled out.
Once implemented regular updates and tweaks were undertaken to maintain the usefulness of the Intranet for all users.
USER RESEARCH > WIRE FRAMING > PROTOTYPING > USER TESTING > ROLL OUT
User Research:
The team conducted user research, making use of an office wide questionnaire, and then followed up with in person user interviews, to get a better understanding of the varying levels of interaction with the systems the office was already utilizing.
Wire Framing
Taking results of the questionnaire and user interviews, the team started with some very preliminary wireframes as a means to organize and group the results as a starting place.
Wireframing
Wire frames became more refined as the team continued to develop and understand the various responses and user needs.
Prototyping
Early prototypes were reviewed and then tested with focus groups in the office.
Further Prototyping & Testing
User testing and responses provided the team some much needed feedback, especially at a user interface level. Allowing the team to understand the amount of text could be reduced if the visuals were intuitive enough.
ROLL OUT
Roll out, implementation and upkeep.
The Intranet was rolled out, after several rounds of user testing and iterations. A landing page, with a clear navigation system that ran through the various sub-pages regardless of department allowed for a cohesive feel and user experience. The landing also acted as a noticeboard that allowed for fast and easy dissemination of information across the company.
Sub pages were created for Human Resources, as a place for finding information, forms and FAQs. The Projects page showcased teams and current/past projects, and also house valuable operations focused information and resources. The marketing page kept the staff abreast of current awards and publications. The social page created a place for staff to share personal projects, and non-work events that the company was participating in