Understanding staff needs and how to meet them

Slide 1: Understanding staff needs and how to meet them James Robertson, Step Two Designs (jamesr@steptwo.com.au)

Slide 2: S tep T w o D E S IG N S Too many intranet redesigns fail to hit the mark Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 3: There is a world of difference S tep T w o D E S IG N S between usable and useful www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_usablevsuseful Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 4: S tep T w o D E S IG N S An intranet will only be used if it is useful Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 5: S tep T w o D E S IG N S But whatever you do, don’t ask users what they want! Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 6: Example: a call centre

Slide 7: S tep T w o D E S IG N S We’re given a job to improve and redesign a call centre intranet… Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 8: S tep T w o D E S IG N S This is actually one of the main sources of information for staff … Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 9: S tep T w o D E S IG N S … as are these documents, sitting on every desk Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 10: S tep T w o D E S IG N S These documents were actually the big problem for staff Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 11: S tep T w o D E S IG N S Email was the other big source of pain … Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 12: Needs analysis techniques

Slide 13: It can be hard to know where to start S tep T w o D E S IG N S in a large organisation… Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 14: S tep T w o D E S IG N S … and we need to target our efforts for the greatest impact Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 15: We also need to know why staff S tep T w o D E S IG N S visit the intranet www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_visitingintranet Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 16: S tep T w o D E S IG N S Use structured methods to identify and understand staff needs www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_needsanalysis Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 17: Surveys & focus groups S tep T w o D E S IG N S There are two traditional investigation methods:  Focus groups  unstructured  often does not reach consensus  can be dominated by a few vocal members  Surveys  staff will tell you what you want hear  results don’t match reality  difficult to create, time-consuming to analyse Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 18: Staff interviews S tep T w o D E S IG N S  Conduct staff interviews with actual users  Focus on jobs, not intranet, with questions like:  What are the main activities that make up your job?  Who do you communicate most frequently with?  What information do you use during a normal working day?  Where do you obtain this information from?  How do you find out about what’s happening in the organisation?  This is a simple form of knowledge mapping  Can be the first time staff are actually listened to Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 19: Staff interviews (cont.) S tep T w o D E S IG N S For more on this, see the following articles:  Stakeholder interviews as simple knowledge mapping www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_interviews  Selecting staff for stakeholder interviews www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_interviewselect  Fast-tracking research with paired interviews www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_pairedinterviews Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 20: Workplace observation S tep T w o D E S IG N S  Involves going ‘out into the field’, and watching staff conduct their normal activities  It is a holistic approach that can identify many issues and needs  Need to spend enough time to ‘blend in’  Must be done ethically  Very effective in a ‘front line’ environment, such as call centres, branches, etc. Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 21: Selecting a cross-section of staffp S te T w o D E S IG N S Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 22: In-depth with a single group S tep T w o D E S IG N S Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 23: S tep T w o D E S IG N S You can’t deliver effective solutions to people you haven’t personally met Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008

Slide 24: Questions? S tep T w o D E S IG N S Stay in touch:  James Robertson jamesr@steptwo.com.au  Website: www.steptwo.com.au  Blog: www.steptwo.com.au/columntwo  Articles: www.steptwo.com.au/papers/subscribe  Facebook: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7095593237 Step Two Designs (www.steptwo.com.au) IntraTeam • March 2008