January 16, 2003

Intranets that Matter

Digital Web published Shiv Singh's Building Intranets that Matter. Singh, an Experience Lead & Information Architect for consulting company Razorfish, outlines four of Razorfish's "best practices" for intranets:


  • Make it matter—to both the business and individual users

  • Solve someone’s problem well

  • Engage users wisely

  • Cultivate multi-disciplinary collaboration

I think all of his points are well made, and should be taken to heart by anyone involved in intranet development. Singh's first two points are especially important. An organization should not just have an intranet for the sake of having an intranet. It must solve problems, and it must solve them effectively and efficiently. Of course, to figure out what the problems are, you have to have a solid understanding of the users and the issues. Doing this right is not for the faint of heart, but doing it right can have a hugely positive impact on an organization.