Background
John Wardle Architects required a central repository of commonly used
information for all the staff to use. The existing structure presented a series
of items such as drives, data and assets haphazardly. Information was parked across multiple drives
and folders making the task to find certain information less that ideal. There
was also no ability to track usage or easily update assets.
Solution
I proposed an investigation with a small working party to establish needs of a
busy architectural practice. Meetings were had to work out the structure and
classification of the information at hand. I also presented a series of
diagrams outlining the needs described by the group that articulated their
thoughts. This helped to direct and refine the various usage patterns. We also engaging
a programmer for a active custom made CMS. Specific demands of JWA employees
were considered such as; a simple staff directory, seating plan for new
employees, “out of office”, booking equipment, leave tables for both a single
worker, or internal teams, in office social events, site visit social stories
and galleries. Based on findings I aimed for an intranet that reflected the social
activities of the practice servicing the daily demands of use.
The aesthetic of the user interface was kept neutral to facilitate future
rebranding. Importantly the employees easily learned the layout design. It was simple
to navigate, as the depth of the navigation was always shallow. The intranet is well received by the employees
and is a first active step in improving the companies’ internal practices.
