Intranet Basics:

• What is an Intranet?
• Potential Intranet Costs
• Intranet Applications
• External Hosted Options
• Open Source Intranets
• Intranet Outsourcing
• Intranet Design Errors
• Administration Errors

Intranet Advanced:

• Securing Your Intranet
• Using Multiple Servers
• The Client-Server Model
• Promoting Your Intranet
• The GTD Concept
• What is Intranet 2.0?
• Standardized Intranets

Intranet Tips:

• Creative Intranet Uses
• Saving Storage Costs
• Intranet Myths Debunked
• Using RSS on an Intranet

Intranets & Google:

• About Google’s Intranet
• Using Google Mini

Avoiding Intranet Design Errors

If you had the distinct privilege of being familiar with the internet in its early years, you know how far the internet has progressed. Do you remember all of the over-compressed GIF images, animated buttons, blinding text and background colors, and everything else part of the web 1.0 era? If so, now ask yourself if you miss it. If you answered yes, we have a lot of suggestions for you. If you answered no, don’t be surprised if you learn just as much as the nostalgic users, who still cling to the web 1.0 standard.

Splash Pages – The First Mistake

There can be a valid argument for having a splash page. Perhaps a company is trying to distinguish its intranet from its internet website. Or maybe the company wants users to be fully aware that they have successfully access the company intranet. Whatever the reason, the splash page is a big efficiency killer.

Think of this in terms of an example. We have one intranet that incorporates a splash page, and a second that goes straight to the content. If users are forced to view a splash page, they also are forced to click a link or wait a certain amount of time to be redirected to the actual intranet. And as they say, time is money. If time is money, the time spent on that splash page is a huge profit loss, if you think about it annually.

Our recommendation: keep the splash page off, and keep the purpose of our intranet - efficiency and cost cutting - intact.

Duplicate Templates – The Second Mistake

We briefly discussed this issue previously when we stated a company may use a splash page to distinguish from the company’s internet website. If you use the same template on both sides, users may be confused as to which network they are actually viewing. This may lead to problems, such as accidentally putting confidential information on the company website for all to see.

But it doesn’t stop there - the confusion may even hinder the newer users of the intranet from grasping the full concept of what an intranet can do for them. If your employees don’t grasp this concept, efficiency and cost saving efforts are effectively thrown away.

Our recommendation: you can go as cheap as you want on this solution. You don’t need a completely redesigned layout - just something that can distinguish between public and private domain. Perhaps using a different colored template, using a different logo, or even simply stating at the top of each page the user is browsing the intranet can solve this problem.

Navigation Problems – The Third Mistake

Think back to the web 1.0 era again - how many websites did you notice that just didn’t have any navigation at all? At most, some maybe had a few bright-blue links scattered everywhere. Some websites went above and beyond the call of duty and actually started creating rudimentary navigation.

If you can think of why this practice was done away with, then you know why we can’t possibly keep poor navigation on our intranet. If users have trouble finding something, they are wasting company assets. If you pay by the hour, you need as much efficiency as possible to succeed. Some of the better navigation is divided into drop-down boxes, and one of the most efficient means of navigation is a search engine of some kind.

Our recommendation: if possible, go for the search engine. It will make content much easier to get to than even the best navigation. If this isn’t possible, implement a clean navigation bar on each page of your intranet. Not only will your employees thank you, but you’ll also be saving company time. (And money).

Page Sizes – The Fourth Mistake

Now you might be thinking, “Why would page size matter? The files are shared locally!” If that’s the case, you’re probably forgetting that some users dial into the intranet from a remote location. If this is indeed the case, then the user will experience waiting times much like he or she is browsing the internet.

The problem with this is that the farther out the employee is, the more likely it will be a problem to download or view information on the intranet. Imagine you have an intranet based in the United States, and an employee using a 56k modem in Africa - not such an efficient means of communication is it?

In this instance, keeping file sizes low is a good idea. This means you should compress images, keep image use minimal, and observe proper formatting much like you would your company webpage. After all, a remote dial in is much like a connection to the internet.

Closing Comments

Don’t fall for these mistakes, and certainly don’t get your design ideas from the 1990’s. We already have enough loss of eyesight staring at an intranet all day - we can do without the obscene colors, images, and effects.

Just remember: you likely installed the intranet for efficiency. Don’t undermine your own work without expecting negative consequences.