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Enhancing Intranet Content: Best Practices for Effective Communication

Learn fundamental principles for writing engaging intranet content, improving usability, and overcoming common challenges. Discover how to streamline information delivery and boost collaboration among dispersed teams. Presented insights on user psychology and physiology for enhanced readability.

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Enhancing Intranet Content: Best Practices for Effective Communication

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  1. Writing content for intranets with Phil Woodford

  2. Getting back to fundamentals Why have an intranet at all?

  3. Get information to a disparate group of staff quickly and efficiently • Assist staff with information they need to do their job well • Aid communication and collaboration among decentralised teams Source: Paper presented to Trust Board, 2007

  4. What we’ve learned through Harlequin training sessions • Editors frustrated • Feel obliged to publish poor content • No one taking overall ownership of content

  5. Common problems with intranets • Information overload – can include large volume of FOI material, for instance • “It’s on the intranet…” • Seen as a cost-free resource – no need to justify value of content

  6. Common problems with intranets (cont’d) • All content given equal status for political reasons – little or no filtering • Non-writers supplying content, but expecting it to be uploaded verbatim • Inconsistency in style and tone across the site

  7. The worst-case scenario • 11 full time specialists • IT systems costs and support • Up to 50 people part time on intranet • 20,000 pages! (but estimate 1000 useful pages) 11 x £25k £275k Estimated IT £50k 50 x (10% x £25k) £125k Total cost £450k £ Per Page £22.50

  8. What users really want • Content that can be scanned at a glance • Ease of navigation and usability • Less content, but higher quality

  9. How do you find reading on screen?

  10. User issues - Physiology • Screens vary enormously • Screens are poor devices to read from • Reading is tiring and seems boring • Poor design effects readability • According to IBM it's 37% slower

  11. User issues - Psychology • Users can't ascertain the size of the prize • Default is “this will be difficult” • No obvious way to scan pages for information • Pick up on subtle clues • Very impatient

  12. Improving usability and navigation

  13. Some fundamental principles for writing • Short “chunks” of information on navigational pages • Self-explanatory headlines • Every page, item or article to have its own clear message and raison d’être • Avoidance of long scrolling content where possible • Writing to encourage genuine two-way consultation and discussion

  14. Ideal submission and editing process • Content providers to be given ownership – they must be able to justify submissions • Editors to be given more freedom to edit • Greater consistency in style and tone • Total volume of material to be reduced

  15. And don’t forget… • Your online writing must be supported by offline promotion.

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