Under the Hood of DiscoverALGIM Web Symposium 2008

ALGIM = Association of Local Government Information Management Inc www.algim.org.nz

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) is a government agency responsible for creating transport related policy papers and reports for the NZ government.

They wanted an intranet that would improve the flow of information around the organisation, as well as being engaging and enjoyable to use.

Overview

What doesPolly want?

How We Created a Winning User Experience

1. Improve information flow throughout the organisation.

2. Improve information “findability”.

3. Improve access to business-critical information.

4. Intranet a channel for staff interaction.

5. Reduce the amount of email.

Goals for User Experience

Understand your users!

Primary Persona

• Karen is a 34 year old university graduate in Political Science with average computer office skills. She has been with The Ministry of Transport for less than a year.

• She’s a regular visitor to the Internet, where she buys books and 2nd-hand goods online, uploads photos to Flickr and reads the news.

• She likes to read - prefers to print out any articles she finds online.

• Her work is fast-paced with a lot of meetings - requiring a mixture of people management and technical know-how.

Attributes Fast learner.Cautious but early adopter of new technology.Never learnt to touch type – mouse dominant.Windows XP, 19” LCD monitor, LAN Network.

Information NeedsFind information needed to write a policy or answer the minister.Access internal and external contacts. Easy access to current and historical policies, Parliamentary bulletins, internal news, cabinet times.Easy search functionality generating accurate results.

Common ScenariosResponding to a Ministerial Inquiry about the number of aircraft fatalities in New Zealand between 2005-2008.Receive Alerts on modifications made to a documentIs assigned to write new policy.

Karen

Make information findable...

Quantum Content

“Radio”

“Funky”

“Retro”

“Appliance”

“Transistor”

iPhone

Cellphone

Mobile

Music Player

Phone

Internet Device

Digital

Multi-Touch

Return

103B

TAX Form

Document

Payment Form

GST Form

IRD Form

Quantum Content

Leave Form

Karen - Advisor

HR022

Sue – Human Resources

I need a holiday

Mark – Desktop Support

Make metadata magic!

Pathways to Information

PolicyManual

FormContactMeeting

LegislationResearch

News & Events

AirLandSeaRail

LawMoney

PropertyRisk

SafetySecurityTravel

TransitLTSA

Maritime SafetyCAA

AdministrationCommunications

FinanceHuman Resources

ITInfrastructure

Pathways to Information

Plus:• by Audience• by Title• by Name• by Date• by Author• by Doc Type (e.g. PDF)

Metadata Magic

By Content TypeBy Transport

Mode By Topic By Origin By Business Unit

Leave Form

FORM N/A LEAVE MoT HR

HOLIDAY

Metadata Magic

Bike Wise Hits the

Road

By Content TypeBy Transport

Mode By Topic By Origin By Business Unit

NEWS LANDSAFETY

COMMSCYCLING

PEDESTRIANS

Health Sponsorship

Council

PRESS RELEASE

Metadata Magic

Dog Registration

By Content Type By Audience By Topic By Origin By Business Unit

GUIDELINEDOGS

REGULATIONSREGISTRATION

PERMIT

Health Sponsorship

Council

REGULATION

PET OWNER

FARMER

RATE PAYER

Metadata Schema (Tagging)

Metadata Element Element Definition Possible Attributes(Default is underlined)

Topic The topic of the content of the resource or keywords related to the resource that might be used by customers when performing a search (e.g. alternative spellings, acronyms).

Examples: Administration, Communication, Government, Law, Money, People, Projects, Property, Publications, Research, Risk & Insurance, Safety, Security, Technology, Travel, Other

Note: No default – user must make a selection.

Transport Mode Identifies the transport type associated with the resource

Air, Land, Sea, Rail, Multimodal, All

Origin Resources can be identified by the government department concerned

Ministry of Transport, Transit New Zealand, Land Transport New Zealand, Maritime Safety Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, Aviation Security Service of New Zealand, New Zealand Police, Ministers Offices, Transport Accident Investigation Commission, Ontrack, Other Govt, Non-Government

Ministerial Portfolio Resources can be identified by a ministerial department

Minister of Transport, Associate Minister of Transport, Minister for Transport Safety, Other

Wireframe

Wireframe

Content

Title

Content

Title

Content

Wireframe

Content

Title

Content

Title

Wireframe

Content

Title

Content

So did Polly geta cracker?

Report from Hamish Denston (Intranet Content Manager)

Findability

“My observations show that staff are exploring the new design and features - and as a result discovering information they initially missed.”

“The redesign results go beyond just general satisfaction - they’re having a positive effect on staff productivity as well.”

Report from Hamish Denston (Intranet Content Manager)

EmailPrior to the intranet, employees communicated to all staff or to a group of staff members using email.

The email volume was significant, as was the demand on staff time in dealing with it. These emails have been replaced with the intranet’s Alerts and Announcements features, and the notifications are now unobtrusive.

“This helped to reduce the stress on staff of having a build-up of emails—that may or may not be relevant—cluttering their in-boxes.”

“The New Zealand Ministry of Transport intranet makes it effortless to communicate research work and news across the organization.”

“The design team achieved this effortless communication by applying sound information architecture and considering user tasks and simplicity.”

“And they were able to do this while still promoting the transportation theme in subtle and pleasant ways across the site.”

www.provoke.co.nz