Click to edit Master subtitle styleClick to edit Master subtitle style
bringing web best practices to sharepoint intranets
Virgil Carrollpresident high monkey
Thanks to our Sponsors!!!
about me
• From the great State of Alaska• Certified Athletic Trainer• Masters in Instructional Design (from UAB)• User Experience Aficionado• Been building websites since 1998• Been building SharePoint since 2001• Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com • Twitter: @vcmonkey
about high monkey
• Been around since 1998 (HMC name since 2004)• Offices in Minnesota and Michigan• Clients throughout the US and Canada• Core Competencies• Web and interface design• SharePoint / CMS consulting• User Experience
why intranets fail
Its not what you thinkReason Percentage
Lack of Executive Support 22%
Other, bigger priorities 18%
Lack of interest 13%
Business specific issues 12%
Policies 10%
Cost 7%
Other 9%
Reference: Nielsen Norman Group
DO YOU NOTICEWHAT IS MISSING?
ITS NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
Collaborative experiences still sucks
• Even with improved systems, they are not keeping up with the ever changing enterprise• Projects that start well go wrong quickly due to
perceived ‘business needs’• Business still doesn’t understand people’s time costs money
The resources we need aren’t there
• Most SharePoint intranet teams still feel understaffed• People experience implementation takes $$• Technology changes rapidly, businesses don’t• No matter how much we want it, TECHNOLOGY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM
web best practices for intranets
why use web best practices?
• People think intranets are websites, not SharePoint• Most intranets focus on finding information not
collaboration• Like a website, if you have to teach someone how to use
an intranet, you have failed
talk to people not on your team
• Good intranets will include feedback from other people• Requirements interviews• Discovery workshops• Surveys
• You must balance opinions with the questions you ask• ‘What would you like to see’ vs. ‘What challenges do you encounter with
our current intranet’• A ‘wish list’ build will fail
REMEMBER Just because someone has an opinion, doesn’t mean they are right
example
good info• “HR forms are important, but
getting to my team site is more”
• “Why do I have to go to 3 different systems to figure out all my employee stuff”
• “I don’t understand different department acronyms”
wishful thinking• “People really want to know
about project updates”
• “The page should know who I am and only show me what I want to see”
• “We should have a chat window where I can ask questions”
your people should always be first
• We believe our people know us better than they do• If ever in doubt, ask any person to recite your org chart• Often treat employees like its their first day
• Unlike Facebook, intranets are not suppose to help people waste time• Focus on functional-based results• Latest news is only important to the communications group
• Understanding their stories• For large, multi-discipline organizations consider creating personas /
customer journeys• Accessibility
example
getting around should be easy
• Organize information according to how your people think• Card sorting• Tree tests
• Navigation should be simple and act like a multiple choice question• Mega-menus can be useful when used well
example
good design supports function
• We don’t call it ‘branding’ its design• Design should never be used for the sake of pretty
colors• Balance must be established between the design and
getting people to what they need to do• Color contrast can help people be successful• Making it mobile
• Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should• Popular frameworks: Bootstrap, skeleton, responsive grid system• Use media queries vs. 2013 device channels
UX best practices
example: too little
example: too much
example: just right
make sure search … works
• People are really poor searchers• You have to handle all the variabilities
• They don’t know what they are looking for• They don’t know how to spell
• Refiners that are relevant• Remove SharePoint objects from the results• Great use of 2013
example
documents are NOT content
• Documents are for reading ‘stuff’ longer than people will read on a screen• Develop content standards, consistent tone and plans to
govern• Find a good balance between too much and too little• Just because content resides somewhere else doesn’t
mean people want to go there too
tips: what people want to read
• Content that’s scannable• Bullet points•High level information up front, can dig further if desired• Easy to read and understand•Up to date information
26
example: how do people read on the web?
27
example: how people spend their time
Above the fold
80%
Below the fold
20%
Reading Above and Below the Fold
28
Right Half30%
Left Half70%
Left vs. Right
• People at most read 20% of the words on a webpage• People are much more likely to scroll past the fold if the first content they see
matches their need
learn from your logs
• Search logs• Great source for understanding
• Spelling challenges• Search patterns• Many searches for obvious things mean they are not
• Web analytics• Great source for understanding
• What people really do on your intranet• How non-search people look for information• Creating ‘push paths’ or placing of content in multiple locations
• SharePoint web analytics is still crap, use Google analytics
example
separate storage from presentation
• Content may need to be re-used• Allows authors to store and work on content ‘where they
want’• Good use of 2013
• Roll up content summaries via CQWP or CSWP• Use audience targeting to further refine
example: content from different sources
example: content on multiple pages
Home
My Employment
Forms
Expense Sheet
Documents and Forms
Expense Sheet
Company News Departments
HR
Expense Sheet
example: sharepoint 2013
use the ‘modularness’ of sharepoint
• Centralize CSS and media assets• Use proper page structure for flexibility and future
updates• In 2013, display templates add another layer of flexibility
• Create structure that content contributors can expand easily
master page
• Can be applied to entire site or sub-sections
• Link global CSS & Script files
• Establish overall look-n-feel
page layout
• The insides of an overall page• Designers can create
multiple, content creators
can pick-n-choose
display template (2013)
• Represents the ‘container’ of a search web part rendering
item template (2013)
• Controls the rendering of each item in a Display Template
pay attention after launch
summary: why use web best practices
• People already think your intranet is a website, so make it like one• Web usability teaches us we shouldn’t have to teach• Good websites grow by learning what your people do
and helping them do it better• One path to success usually breeds failure
• The details can be found through the EventBoard Mobile app – http://app.spsdc.org -> SPSDC
Session Info
Only have a web browser?http://lanyrd.com/2015/spsdc/
Lanyrd
Join us at #SharePint sponsored by K2 at Clyde’s of Chevy Chase in the RaceCar Bar Downstairs
Why? To network with fellow SharePoint professionalsWhat? SharePint!!!When? 6:00 PMWhere? RaceCar Bar Downstairs5441 Wisconsin AveChevy Chase, MD 20815
Thanks to?K2!
questions??
Virgil Carroll, President
High Monkey Consulting
763-201-6040
Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com
Twitter: @vcmonkey