Natalie Smithson of the Land Registry, at Intranet Now Oct 2017.

2. Content is critical for an intranet
How starting with user needs helps shape
content that is useful and relevant to
people reading it
Natalie Smithson - Intranet Officer HM Land Registry #IntranetNow

3. • Old intranet had 140,000 files of content;
• 130 links from the home page alone;
• Testing showed no one knew where to start;
• Not accessible – drop downs, many different colours,
fonts, styles; and
• System Usability Score: 36.88 Poor
Because we didn’t start with user needs…
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

4. System Usability Score
A standardised10-item questionnaire used to measure perceived ease of
use. It is given to the participants immediately after they have used the
site.
A mean score out of 100 is generated. This is then converted into a
grade scale and adjective rating.
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

5. Comments: old intranet
“I had to read it all to
understand it wasn’t
what I wanted”
“I was hoping for some
kind of search facility –
you have to read every
single one (links)”
“Not pleasant having
to read through all
that text and find key
words”
“Does anyone use
that anymore?”
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

6. Example: Reservist frequently asked questions
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

7. • Picked a proven platform/template;
• Focused on the content;
• Representatives from each directorate looked at their
content, thinking about the purpose of the content;
• User needs as defined by GDS to help sort content; and
• System Usability Score: 90.00 Excellent
What we did
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

8. Principles created by directorate reps
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

9. Comments: new intranet
“I am finding more
on here than I would
normally”
“(I am) having to dig a little for this
one I’m afraid…wasn’t sure what I
was looking for… It doesn’t
immediately jump out whether the
Policy is the manager guide or
employees guide”
“Really good, a lot better,
visually better. Policies are
in manageable chunks,
they draw your eye to the
bit you need to be in”
“Think it reads ok,
‘you are entitled..’,
speaks directly to
the reader”
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

10. Example: Reservist questions and answers
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

11. Example of user generated content
“…I just had to find the closest first aider and it was not intuitive. In fact, I gave up… Is
there a way to make access to this information more prominent bearing in mind the
nature of the enquiry? Normally these things are searched for during a period of stress
so the easier to locate the better.”
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

12. • No adverse comments in recent pulse survey;
• Improve ways to help readers feedback;
• Use network of advocates to set up interviews, find out
what’s working, what’s not working; and
• Use data to focus user research
Measure impact
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

13. Measure impact
Natalie Smithson #IntranetNow

14. • Hot jar – click maps: https://www.hotjar.com
• Tag Manager in Google Analytics:
https://www.google.com/analytics/tag-manager/
• GDS Digital Service Standard:
https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard
• GDS User needs:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/user-needs
• Intranet WordPress theme by Helpful Technology:
https://www.helpfultechnology.com/
natalie.smithson@landregistry.gov.uk #IntranetNow
Tools used