Everyday you interact with dozens of well-designed, digital interfaces. You understand how to use them and how to integrate them into your life. In fact, these devices are so integrated that you may not even be aware how design continually affects your world. Good design is a universal language.

Your alarm clock, dishwasher and HVAC controls have all been carefully calculated to take into consideration the array of human experiences. Despite all the variations in human culture, there are signs of universal understanding. For instance, the use of color to depict hot and cold, the use of icons to communicate when to cross the street, and the use of imagery to help us order at restaurants, all illustrate this understanding. The right design delivers the right messages no matter who you are.

When it comes to designing for the web, designers must become an engineer of interaction. Not only is an eye for color and style a must but a web designer must adhere to functional details that will meet the objectives of any project. When dealing with interactive design, there are a few ways to tell if it has been well “engineered.”

Signs of a successful layout:

• intuitive and simple for any user to find the information they are searching for, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge or skill level
• flexibility in that the design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences on how they view or scan a page for information
• communicative to the user, regardless of what is going on around them or on their computer/device at the time

We use the universal language of design when creating web sites and applications. This allows for greater use by all people without the need for adaptation.

“North American companies spent $12.2 billion on Search Engine Marketing in 2007,” according to businesswire.¹ Throwing money at increased site traffic seems to be standard protocol. But while companies excessively spend to wrangle in an external audience, their employees continue to be ignored.

A professionally developed intranet is a liberating tool for employees: a “home base” for information, company resources and insightful knowledge.

Companies turn a blind eye to this captive audience due to the following factors:

• high budget resources available to the public site
• lack of available IT resources
• simply too busy for internally-focused projects

The Value

Perhaps worse than a company ignoring their employees is the fact that employees are blind to the powerful role that an intuitive, interactive resource plays in their professional lives.

The spatter of statistics validating intranets cannot be ignored. One recent stat from the Nielsen Norman Group states, “the productivity gains from a major improvement in intranet usability were 72% on average (in 2007).”²

The Necessity

Okay, you see the value and currently have an intranet. But many intranets fall short in usefulness, functionality and design leaving employees frustrated and less productive.

A strategically designed intranet:

• focuses on usability and functionality
• creates a centralized information hub
• interacts with and recognizes each individual user
• deciphers and distributes user-specific information

“Employees are demanding simpler, more intuitive and more “Web” like intranet experiences,” according to CIO.com.³

The Benefits

Companies that realize the necessity and embrace this captive audience are better positioned than their counterparts. Increased employee productivity and efficiency are direct results of a continually evolving intranet.

The modern intranet is able to:

• populate and share online calendars
• streamline processes with task management options
• provide search capabilities and tailored RSS feeds
• place frequently used tools at employee fingertips
• locate employees through subject specific directories
• create visual bios from contact information

Knowledge is power. Armed with the value, necessity and benefits of a professionally developed intranet, isn’t it about time to stop ignoring and start empowering?

Sources:

1. Search Engine Strategies New York 2008. “Search Engine Marketing Shows Strength as Spending Continues on a Growth Track Against Doom and Gloom Economic Background.” March 17, 2008. (http://www.businesswire.com)
2. Nielsen Norman Group Report. “Intranet Design Annual 2008: Year’s Ten Best Intranets.” (http://www.nngroup.com)
3. Schindler, Esther. “Success Factors for Corporate Intranets.” January 11, 2008. (http://www.cio.com)