Organizations and schools need to be more digitally efficient in order to stay competitive in today’s modern world. Collaboration needs to be easier for companies with global offices that span different time zones. Colleagues in different continents can now seamlessly work on a project that includes user interface designs and stay connected like never before (Scott). This is made possible through the technology of the digital workplace:
“The “Digital Workplace” is a collection of electronic tools that enables productive, efficient and effective work to take place anywhere. It is a collaboration space, a community, and a place to find our corporate knowledge. It is how we work digitally” (Wilson).
5. Executive Dashboard
Key feature: integrated Power BI and Office 365 / SharePoint
User interface made with LiveTiles Design (design view)
An important part of the digital office is having a gathering place online, one that draws from different parts of the Microsoft Office 365 suite. With Office 365 and SharePoint’s many features, a central hub where everyone can find what they need will speed up the flow of business, whether it’s for data management, SharePoint workflows, information on product design and development or any number of project management tools. It’s best when everyone can interact with each other and the material.
It’s available now, and it’s called the social intranet, “Originally designed to augment the workplace, it now has the opportunity be much more.” (“Digital Workplace”). By encouraging greater collaboration and teamwork, “Intranets play a low-key but essential day-to-day role in making employees more productive” (Marshall).
4. Human Resources Portal
Key feature: integrated TedTalks sourced from YouTube and Office 365 / SharePoint
User interface made with LiveTiles Design (end-user view)
Social intranets also make it easy to reward employee recognition, “A highly social intranet is a great place for managers to express appreciation for employees and give kudos for a job well done” (Ferrier). Along the same lines is the increase in employee engagement that comes with social intranets, “When information flows freely employees are more engaged and aware of organizational activities and management decisions that affect their jobs (“Internal Communications”).
Managers interested in employee retention could make a difference by engaging and encouraging their people. The benefits of social intranets are so well documented, it would seem like everyone would have a good intranet up and running. Unfortunately, they don’t.
3. Marketing Portal
Key feature: integrated Google Analytics and Office 365 / SharePoint
User interface made with LiveTiles Design (end-user view)
There are technical and know-how hurdles to overcome when building intranets. Organizations have struggled to get the most out of them because “Many intranets based on SharePoint were designed by well-meaning IT folks who had no idea what they were getting themselves into” (Pernice). Knowing that intranets bring productivity benefits, too many businesses started out with high hopes but were disappointed with a system that wasn’t set up to work very well. Once an intranet is running smoothly, users will quickly adapt and make the most out of it.
To get there, it has to have a simple UI that pulls people in, “Simply installing SharePoint is only the beginning. To have a great intranet, you will still need UX design and development” (Pernice). LiveTiles specializes in UX and UI. Our drag and drop design method means that anyone can create an intranet or portals. Pre-configured tiles drop onto the grid and go live in seconds. The end user can scan for the tile needed and interact with it easily. This is the critical missing step between simply having an intranet, and actually benefitting from it.
2. Digital Classroom Portal
Key features: integrated Dropbox, Microsoft applications, video media and Office 365 / SharePoint
User interface made with LiveTiles Design (end-user view)
Whether it’s business or education, public or private, one thing all institutions have in common is the importance of their Human Resources department working together with employees—both at the beginning of employment and throughout the course of a person’s career. With such a big footprint, HR departments are using digital technology to make themselves more user-friendly. Videos, such as the popular Ted Talks, can be posted on a social intranet to explore a topic or introduce an idea. Ted Talks are also useful for educational purposes for the same reasons.
Onboarding is becoming more innovative and engaging as Human Resources departments bring visuals and social media into process. Since many people are on their social networks anyway, it can make a transition into a new workplace easier. It’s also seen as a way to make a good first impression during a process that can otherwise be uninteresting for the employee (Le Mare).
1. Marketing Campaign Portal
Key feature: integrated Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Office 365 / SharePoint
User interface made with LiveTiles Design (end-user view)
As new programs come online, social intranets will continue to evolve, but we can say with confidence that the core of our intranets are already on the right track:
“Who knows what new enterprise technology will be common on the intranet of the future? We’re not sure. But we’re pretty sure wide authorship and the formation of connections will be at the core. What really matters is that social intranets humanize the workplace and give every employee a face and a voice” (McGrath).
Make the most of your intranet, take advantage of our easy to use LiveTiles Design platform, and bring the best in digital design trends to your workplace.
References:
1. “Effective Internal Communications.” CEB Global n.d. Web. 1 August 2016.
2. Ferrier, Kelly. “Are Social Intranets the Digital Answer to the Employee Engagement Question?” Communicato 9 August 2012. Web. 1 August 2016.
3. Le Mare, Nicole. “Onboarding Success.” New to HR June 2015. Web. 28 June 2016.
4. Marshall, Sam. “Intranet Value Lies in Employee Satisfaction.” CMS Wire 14 May 2015. Web. 1 August 2016.
5. McGrath, Chris. “Social Intranet Blog.” Thought Farmer 10 August 2011. Web. 1 August 2016.
6. Pernice, Kara. “Design a Brilliant SharePoint Intranet.” NNG 21 February 2016. Web. 1 August 2016.
7. Scott, Sherrie. “Importance of Technology in the Workplace.” The Houston Chronicle. Web. 17 March 2016.
8. “The Intranet as Digital Workplace.” Jive Software 15 September 2015. Web. 1 August 2016.
9. Wilson, Stacy. “Getting from Intranet to Digital Workplace.” SharePoint Pro 23 June 2014. Web. 1 August 2016.
