Use good interview techniques
Categorised under: Intranets, James' articles, Knowledge management, Usability & user-centered design
Successful intranets are delivered on the back of an in-depth understanding of staff needs and issues. This involves getting out from behind the desk and spending time with operational and frontline staff.
The earlier article Conducting intranet needs analysis outlined a structured approach to conducting user research to improve intranets.
A range of approaches can be used, but the core research technique is one-on-one staff interviews. These quickly provide a huge body of knowledge on day-to-day issues, roadblocks, needs and opportunities.
These interviews must be run well, however, if they are to deliver the greatest depth of information.
The fundamentals of interviewing
To be effective, follow some basic guidelines on interview technique:
- Find a quiet place. Interviews should be conducted in a quiet, private location free of distractions or interruptions. (The alternative is to conduct interviews at people’s desks, which can provide other advantages.)
[CM Briefing 2009-05, read the full article]
Tags: interviews, Intranets, research
James Robertson is the Managing Director of 