Intranet Design vs. Internet Design

How is Designing for an Intranet Different?

First, designing for an intranet is different because of the users or audience. An external Web site's design is focused on a very broad audience--the public. These could be people of any age, gender, nationality, profession, etc. Intranets, on the other hand, are designed using techniques that are focused on one group of users--employees. Accordingly, intranet designers can use content and design that are tailored for employees.

These employees all understand the same terminology and acronyms, which means that intranet communications can be much more detailed and specific than those on external Web sites. Employees also usually have similar models of computers, monitors, and printers, the same connection speeds, and the same browsers--they have to be the same so that employees can be supported by Information Technology departments. Thus, intranet designers can use more advanced features than those that can be used on the Internet.

It can also be assumed that employees have the same typefaces and software installed on their computers. So, for example, if intranet developers want to provide a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on the intranet, they know that all employees will be able to access it. Since most employees visit their intranet home page on a daily basis, American corporations have also found that intranets are a great place to provide motivational resources, share knowledge, and encourage the attitude they're striving for from employees.

At the same time, many companies aren't willing to spend the extra time and money to employ the more advanced features, such as flash technology. Especially in rough economic times, budgets for many departments are limited. Intranet design teams in today's corporations are urged to find a balance between drawing attention and providing useful features and becoming a distraction that consumes too much employee time.

What companies ARE willing to spend extra time on is finding ways to test and improve usability for their intranets. Increased usability on an intranet is especially important because any improvement has a direct impact on a company's bottom line: usability improves, employees spend less time locating needed information, and they have more time to get more work done.

When you are designing an intranet site, try to keep the purposes and preferences of a user in mind. Think about the following principles:
1. Intranet users aren't on their own dime like they are when they're at home surfing the net-they're on the company's dime. Every minute that they spend on an intranet site costs the company money. Accordingly, as a designer, it's your job to help them find what they're looking for quickly so that they can leave your site and move on to other work. While your intranet sites should have a pleasing appearance, it should not incorporate fancy aesthetic features such as flash or animation.

It's important to find a balance between appearance and function. If your site has colors that clash, fonts that are hard to read, or backgrounds that are annoying, no one will visit your site long enough to glean the important information they need. On the other hand, if your site has so many effects that it is distracting, then users might either forget why they came to your site in the first place or lose focus and stay on your site so long that they waste time. Usability testing with several different design layouts can help you achieve a balance.

2. Remember that intranet users are always on a mission to get information or complete tasks. They are almost never just there to browse. As a result, intranet designers must provide very efficient navigation tools. It is a good idea to offer several different types of tools-perhaps a menu bar across both the top and bottom of the screen, an alphabetical site index, and an option for text-only or a printer-friendly version.

3. On an intranet, is vital that users be able to distinguish information that is trade secret or confidential from information that is common knowledge. Intranet designers must label all aspects of each site. In some cases, it is wise to use a symbol in order to signify a link or section that contains confidential information. For example, on my company's intranet site, a small icon of a lock appears beside links to anything that is considered confidential. Some areas of the intranet even require additional passwords for access.

4. Intranet users spend a lot of time on the intranet-but they do so in frequent but short intervals. Intranet designers should remember that they don't have to worry about keeping users' attention. There is little need for interactivity on intranets, for example. Most users won't be on a site long enough to engage in a chat or submit a response.

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