Writing content for intranets

with Phil Woodford

Getting back to fundamentals

Why have an intranet at all?

• 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

What we’ve learned through Harlequin training sessions

Editors frustrated

Feel obliged to publish poor content

No one taking overall ownership of content

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

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

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 £275kEstimated IT £50k50 x (10% x £25k) £125kTotal cost £450k£ Per Page £22.50

What users really want

Content that can be scanned at a glance

Ease of navigation and usability

Less content, but higher quality

How do you find reading on screen?

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

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

Improving usability and navigation

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

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

And don’t forget…

• Your online writing must be supported by offline promotion.