Improving the intranet

Abstract

Typical problem with intranet applications is the vast amount of knowledge included in the system. This example discusses the development of a possible new student intranet but the principles can be generalized also to other kind of organizations, e.g. to SME companies. The users of the student intranet represent different fields of studies and students from different backgrounds related to their age and study situation. Some are normal young full time students, the others adult students making online studies while working. Now and in the future, the real-time requirements are more and more important. The schedules of the online studies are hectic and all information needs to be up to date and easily available. The intranet must serve all the users as well as possible regardless of the time and their whereabouts, thus the mobile versions of the system are vital. In order to meet these needs, a plan for the new mobile and workstation versions of the intranet is done. User-oriented design method serves as the framework for the intranet design. It has different phases including user interviews, observations and analyses. Brainstorming session helps to create new ideas, and after it an affinity diagram is drawn to present the brainstorming results. Based on these visioning phases and a storyboard, a paper-model for the new intranet user interface is then created. The focus is on the system's ability to fulfil the needs of the user of the new intranet.