A methodology for developing and testing an intranet site

With companies needing to provide information and technical resources to employees who work in a variety of departments from human resources to research & development, many companies are developing their own intranets. The paper focuses on why companies are developing intranets and describes a two-stage development and testing process. Developing the intranet site begins with the conceptual framework that helps the design team establish the architecture and "look and feel" for the intranet. From the information generated during this concept stage, the design team develops a prototype of the architecture for usability testing. The usability team conducts tests on the prototype to evaluate the architecture and navigation of the intranet. Based on the results of the testing, the design team redesigns the storyboards and prepares the prototype for a second usability test. Depending on the time allowed for the development of an intranet, redesign and testing may continue. But, whether the development and testing time is long or short, like many projects moving into the year 2000, this one involves cross-skill teamwork.