We took a tired old intranet nobody liked and created something beautiful, functional and fun to use – and it’s achieving big results.
An intranet staff delight in using
The Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) came to us with a problem: they had an intranet that their staff struggled to use effectively. With people across various site locations, IUIH needed a way to effectively communicate with their people – and for their staff to be able to communicate with each other.
The solution had to be simple and easy to use, but it had to perform a suite of functions and it had to be fun and interactive. We created a brand new intranet that IUIH loves.
Everything starts with discovery
It was crucial for us to understand exactly how IUIH and its staff work before we started to build. We researched and asked questions, creating user personas, and looking at user journeys. Then we applied them to the user experience framework and built a blueprint strategy, communicating with our client every step of the way to ensure we were delivering exactly what they needed.
The key was how we categorised and sorted information in small chunks, so each user could pull the information they needed in the way that was most helpful to them.
Creating the optimum user experience
Our greatest challenge on the project was how to create optimum user experience for such a vast range of user personas – while maintaining the central focus of simplicity and usability. We did this by working through a range of concepts with our client and in an iterative creative process. The key was how we categorised and sorted information in small chunks, so each user could pull the information they needed in the way that was most helpful to them.
Revolutionising staff contributions
Everyone with an intranet knows it can be next to impossible to get staff to contribute content – mostly because it’s just too complicated. So we created a super simple way for staff to add articles, resources and events to the intranet via a simple “contribute” button. They could then fill in a form which was automatically put through an approvals process and then published.
Agile, not fragile
IUIH needed phase 1 of their intranet delivered as quickly as possible. We used our agile processes to iterate quickly, winding back the scale in the first instance so we could create a quick and easy win. Then we worked with them to build the scope of the project.
That personal touch
We don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach at Mettro, so we tailor our approach to suit each client. We realised IUIH needed a personal touch, so we spent time on site, getting to understand the people and the business. That’s the only way we could truly understand how they use their intranet and what features they require. When we saw the way IUIH staff were accessing and using the intranet on their desktop and mobiles, we adapted our approach to fit.
We also believe in engaging the expertise of our range of experts on each project, rather than relying on a single UX person. That means IUIH got the full arsenal of Mettro skills at their disposal, from design focus to ensuring the right technology is being used – our team covered it all.
IUIH report their staff now love using the new intranet, and the contributions from the team are flooding in.
We don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach at Mettro, so we tailor our approach to suit each client.
