Architecting Your Digital Workplace to support a collaborative organization Jeff Leatherwood Naomi Daniel Kristina Mausser Internal Communications, Ford Foundation Information Architect, The Understanding Group Content Strategist, Kina ole Inc.
Who is the Ford Foundation? Founded in 1936 by Edsel Ford in Dearborn, Michigan with an initial gift of $25,000. Today, we are the 2nd largest private foundation in the US.
11 Global Offices
the Ford Foundation today
The Problem(s). Internal communication issues identified as a strategic objective Regions and thematic areas feel siloed Overabundance of technology solutions
THEN NOW
The Solution(s). Build a central information hub, a starting place for people to find information and get work done Supporting a collaborative organization and improving internal communication
Information Architecture
Architecting Ford s Digital Workplace CHALLENGE design a digital place that reflects strategic goals APPROACH intention modeling + user research OUTCOME structural IA design
TUG architects digital places for people
Turning spaces into places where strategy shapes the structure to ensure good fit between what you intend
and how people experience it.
East 43rd Street LANDMARK BUILDING image sourced from creative commons
culture + ARCHITECTURE building and reflecting cultural change via architecture
information architecture PROCESS understand the business problem decide together understand the user distill design rationale design IA structure
IA PROCESS DESIGN THE IA STRUCTURE UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS PROBLEM UNDERSTAND THE USER DISTILL THE DESIGN RATIONALE Backgrounding Stakeholder Interviews As-Is Audit User Research Concepttual Modeling High-Level Structural Design Page-Level Navigation Design Intention Modeling
UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS PROBLEM what are INTENTION MODELS? Intention models help us understand what good means. At each end of a continuum are concepts that are in tension with one another. Continuums are the dials we use to tune our focus, and understand the edges of for your organization and the direction you want to go. The goal is not to force a this or that decision, but to allow for this yet that situations. Continuums help us understand where to put the emphasis in the balance between two goods.
INTENTION models Communication across teams Provides utility: Enables employees to do their job Top-down communication Tool-centric January balance point January tallie mark 2018 balance point 2018 tallie mark Communication within teams The tilt toward cross-team communication reflects a desire to strengthen it relative to intra-team communication, which is perceived to already be taking place successfully in other channels. Communicates culture: Builds sense of connection These tallies are an expression of what is practical rather than aspirational. The team expressed that providing utilitarian content is more achievable in the short-term than changing the organizational culture. Yet the intranet is tasked with building a sense of connection / reflecting the values of the organization; the balance point reflects this. Sideways communication (b/t employees/teams) The skew toward sideways communication represents a desire to balance top-down communication and sideways communication, recognizing that top-down communication is fairly good already. Task-centric The team is strongly aligned on an approach that prioritizes a focus on users workflow needs.
user interviews UNDERSTAND THE USER approach: user research METHODOLOGY STRENGTHS: establish trust, capture nuance, tangents provide unexpected insights LIMITATIONS: time intensive -- fewer users all-employee survey STRENGTHS: broad reach, apples:apples, patterns LIMITATIONS: lacks nuance & serendipity content provider survey STRENGTHS: insights from SME experts, another input LIMITATIONS: listen for disconnects
UNDERSTAND THE USER CONCEPT MODELS COMMUNICATION FLOWS
positive FEEDBACK LOOP UNDERSTAND THE USER CONCEPT MODELS Watering Hole COMMUNICATION announcements accomplishments office closing alerts new hires One-stop Shop UTILITY forms policies apps tools One Foundation
DESIGN rationale intention models best practices user research findings DESIGN PRINCIPLES what we heard
DESIGN principles 1. everyone is new 2. it s about me 3. cause collisions 4. increase understanding 5. heighten awareness
WIREFRAMES wireframe : website :: blueprint : building A wireframe renders the bones of a digital space: its architectural structure, rather than its interior design. It purposefully eschews graphic design and color, but rather conveys how design elements are situated with respect to one another, how language is used for sense-making, to create a place that serves its inhabitants.
Getting from the as-is state, to the to-be state
Support Information Architecture with relevant, useful and usable content. Process requirements Identify and engage employees across the organization to assist efforts and champion adoption. Develop sustainable foundation for ongoing publishing and continuous improvement process through governance.
STRUCTURE WORKFLOW Content People SUBSTANCE GOVERNANCE
STRUCTURE WORKFLOW People Content SUBSTANCE GOVERNANCE
STRUCTURE WORKFLOW Content People SUBSTANCE GOVERNANCE credit: Kristina Halvorson
Collaborative Workflow Content Stakeholders Content Migration Content Providers Steering Committee Technical Implementation
Introduce content migration process Content provider interviews Develop voice and tone of the organization by reflecting values heard. Mobilize for content audit
We are giving you an empty box. Only fill it with the things you want to keep.
Editorial calendar
Factors for success 1. Content Providers involved early and often. 2. Content Providers empowered to evaluate their own content. 3. Increased personalization due to content widgets.
IA PROCESS DESIGN THE IA STRUCTURE UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS PROBLEM UNDERSTAND THE USER DISTILL THE DESIGN RATIONALE Backgrounding Stakeholder Interviews As-Is Audit User Research Concepttual Modeling High-Level Structural Design Page-Level Navigation Design Intention Modeling
Everything is in one place I like it very much Beautiful color and photos, clocks for each office FORDIFY IMPRESSIONS positive feedback Great design, user friendly EASY TO FIND THINGS Clear Convenient INFORMATIVE well-organized Simple Interactive INTUITIVE It gives the feeling of Ford Foundation being a community
76% of respondents said they were somewhat or very satisfied with Fordify. FORDIFY IMPRESSIONS satisfaction rate
Key takeaways: If you can, ask the experts! Have a governance plan. Iterative improvement is vital to success. Make sure your plan can be sustained. Adoption campaigns! Find champions for your site.
THANK YOU! Questions?
renovation: ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS [Placeholder]