This article introduces information architecture and provides guidelines for how to create an effective information architecture.

The second CM Briefing for April has been written by Iain Barker, and it introduces paired interviews. To quote: A paired interview is a method of collecting information from several people at the same time who represent the target audience. The paired interview is not two interviews being conducted simultaneously. The emphasis of the paired interview is to create a dynamic in which the participants interact with each other. In so doing, they validate or clearly identify differences in working practices and terminology.

Paired interviews are a very effective technique for identifying differences in working practices or terminology.

Any intranets structured around the organisational chart are difficult to use. Before attempting a restructure, consider why this structure has been used.

You need to understand how staff look for documents in a business setting, in order to design suitable systems and classification schemes.

Our KM Column article for December has been written by both Donna Maurer and Tina Calabria, and it explores how to continuously improve your intranet. To quote: The amount of work involved in designing a new intranet or redesigning an existing intranet is minor compared to the time needed to maintain an effective intranet over the longer term. In fact, it is common for the initial excitement of a new intranet to fade away as the reality of day-to-day maintenance and the challenges of improving the intranet become apparent. This article outlines 10 practical ways that an intranet can be

Donna Maurer has written our KM Column article this month, answering the question: what is usability? To quote: 'Usability' is widely seen as the answer to many of these frustrating interactions with technology. There are usability books, websites, guidelines and checklists, so why are products and systems getting harder to use instead of easier? There is some confusion about what usability is and whether businesses are 'doing usability' or not. There are many aspects to usability - more than just running a usability test at the end of a project. This article provides an overview of what usability is (and

This article provides an overview of what usability is (and what it is not), as well as giving ideas on how to include more usability…

Donna has also written the second CM Briefing, on the use of a strawman for page layout design. To quote: Designing the page layouts for a new or redesigned intranet can be complex. One of the most difficult aspects is creating the first layout. Starting with an empty screen, you need to determine what will go on each page and where it will go. Using a strawman design - a design that is created with the intent of discarding it - can help to overcome many of the difficulties in the design process.

The first of the two CM Briefings for August is written by Tina Calabria on improving your intranet, task by task. To quote: If a redesign is not feasible, what are the alternatives? There are a number of ways to incrementally improve an intranet, such as redesigning a particular section of the site, or adding a new 'killer application'. One method that is certain to provide immediate business benefit is to improve the way the intranet supports key tasks. In fact, by selecting only one task at a time, improvements can be made in a manageable and cost-effective manner.