No Code app to establish intranet governance

During early project discovery for the intranet redesign, establishing a governance structure was identified as a key initiative for new content strategy. I led a design analysis and user research project, In order to understand the work experience for the intranet team. I found that the content workflow was a critical area to address for the establishment of governance.

The goal was to create a new digital governance to support improved content strategy.

Background

When the digital team decided to update content strategy and redesign the intranet, standing up governance was listed as one of the project objectives. In early project discovery, the content maintenance and the lack of structured governance were both identified as breaking points for the new content strategy.

In a previous phase of the project I identified the content request workflow as common tactical piece that impacted both areas, I learned in discovery that if addressed the content workflow it could return fast results.

Challenges

Empathizing with resistant new user

I wanted to communicate potential outcomes that would interest and excite them and impact business goals.

User

Corporate content network adjusting to learning curve

Designing a new content publishing experience

To design the interaction, I used an iterative approach. Testing features early and fast, with recorded interviews to captured user reactions.

Content workflows lacked a system for coordinating content author requests and content publishing workflows. I used Acrobat PDF to make a rapid prototype PDF form to collect user data. I took the form into interviews to validate that my solution would work. Additionally, I was able to gather reactions from content authors regarding the change in processes. Tests helped me identify which features were most important for an improved user experience, and how to craft the release story to encourage early adoption. I used a semi-agile approach to iterate versions of the early prototype into an internal tool to support the new workflow and intranet governance process.

Stakeholder

Intranet manager wearing many hats

Empathizing with overwhelmed stakeholder

I wrote a project brief in order to identify and prioritize the outcomes for a new system and tool, as a result, the system and new tool were added to the charter for the intranet redesign project.

I identified challenges to address as a result I was able plan features and roadmap for user adoption.

I drew an experience map and task flow as a result I was able to share insights on what the root cause of user pains, and additional risks in the current workflow.

Pains in the publishing workflow

No documentation. Only a couple of team members knew how the workflow works and were capable of exectuting.

Knowledge Transfer
Governance was identified as a gap during intranet audit.  Roles, standards and task flows were undocumented.

Knowledge Transfer
There was not training, but content authors felt the workflow had a deep learning curve.

Knowledge Transfer

Need for new roles, no additional headcount resources.

Content management
Maintenance and policing new standards.

Content management
Workflow steps are cumbersome and require lot of redundancy.

User Experience
Need for automation. Wearing many hats, lean resources.

User Experience
No platform to support gaps. Requests all coming to personal inbox,

User Experience

Goals

Create a system to support governance on the intranet

Build a prototype app and test with real users

Approach

Revised workflow

Iterative Design

How I got from idea to PoC

All-in-One system

I used Power Platform apps to build an all-in-one system that content owners used to submit content requests to content Publishers.

Features

interface for requests
Status dashboard
Content Archive
Tips & guides for content authors
Automated notifications & alerts

I leaned a lot on my communications background to empathize, but I also built a technical portfolio of experiences with many of the pieces of the Microsoft Power Platform suite.

Tools

Content Manager

An Internal Digital Communications Manager uses this app to manage all phases of the publishing workflow. The app also trains content authors on governance and collects an archive of your content for analytics and measurement.