What content should your intranet have? What is important for the end-users? In order to know that, you have to ask them – and observe them. Otherwise there is a risk of focusing on the wrong content.
One way to ask them is to conduct a user needs analyses using the top tasks model (championed by Gerry McGovern, Fredrik Wackå et al). We asked 1,200 employees what they need in their work. This is our Top-20 end-user needs list, filtered for our primary user group (healthcare staff):
| Needs | Solutions |
| 1. Medical guidelines and procedures | In the units’ work spaces (most of this information is ultra-local, relevant only for one unit) + section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 2. Search (finding an answer about a job-related question, a colleague, an anonymous colleague with a specific competence…) | Global function in the header + Staff directory |
| 3. Local news (info/news about my own unit) | In the unit work space + on My start page |
| 4. Staff training, skills development | Section/tab My employment |
| 5. Pay, compensation, benefits | Section/tab My employment |
| 6. Diseases information, infection control | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 7. Working hours, leave, absence | Section/tab My employment |
| 8. My schedule | In the unit work space (no global tool exists, many different solutions in the organization) |
| 9. Medical error reporting and handling | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 10. Sampling instructions, analysis ”portal” | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 11. IT problems, maintenance info | Global alert function in the header |
| 12. Support, manuals, it error reporting | Section/tab Self service |
| 13. Vacancies/job opportunities | Section/tab My employment |
| 14. Staff wellness/work culture | Section/tab My employment |
| 15. Crisis and disaster routines | Section/tab About our organization |
| 16. Safety procedures | Section/tab About our organization |
| 17. Research findings, new findings related to my profession/our team mission | In the unit work space + in My job role (if available) |
| 18. Global news (info/news concerning the whole organisation and my subsiduary) | on My start page |
| 19. Patient logistics (available hospital beds and patient waiting times) | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 20. Medical equipment (info, manuals, support) | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
| 21. Order medical products and services | Section/tab Providing healthcare |
Every color above represents 25 percent of the votes. Not on this list is another 40 needs sharing the last quarter of the votes. The top need was 30 times more popular than the bottom need (how to manage a project). Pretty obvious we are a healthcare organization, don’t you think? Needs No 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20 and 21 are directly linked to medical care. In fact, you could say the section/tab Providing healthcare is a big job role for our main end user group (doctors, nurses, assistant nurses).
This Top tasks test tells the intranet team what content to focus on when building pages, what to prioritize on the start page and which things that should be 3-4 clicks away in the structure.
Jesper Bylund – Intranet Manager 