Unveiling a new intranet: Things get worse before they get better

By Susan Ingram, 12 September, 2007

So you are ready to release your brand new, shiny intranet which fixes problems with your current intranet (e.g. the current information architecture isn't intuitive to intranet users, search results aren't "logical" and a host of other frustrating "quirks".) You've taken a user-centred approach and asked staff what they want from the intranet and you feel confident that the new intranet is going to be a winner. But don't relax just yet, things are going to get worse before they get better.

Staff grumble and have to "unlearn"

Often issues with an ineffective search and an illogical structure to an intranet result in staff developing workarounds and memorising ways to get what they need from an intranet. When changes are made to the intranet there may be grumbling and resistance as staff "unlearn" the workarounds associated with their current habits. Undoubtedly it will initially take longer or be more cumbersome for users to figure out the new way of doing things rather than doing it the "old" way. This reaction is predicted in the "J Curve" effect, which means whenever change is introduced into an established system, things will usually get worse before they get better.

Two examples of common situations

• An upgraded intranet Content Management System (CMS) will make it simpler to manage intranet content and allow people to directly author content within the CMS. Not only will these people need to learn to fulfil their new authorship responsibilities, time will also be required to master the new tool, and in the short term, individuals with already full days may resent the time and effort involved. And there may be errors and also situations where it was a lot faster the old way.
• Some staff may have memorised how to quickly navigate to a page or a few pages on the intranet that they use regularly, because navigating through the current information architecture is cumbersome and illogical. In a new information architecture, where information is intuitively structured and user-focused, it may be very simple to navigate from the home page through to the various areas, eliminating the need for memorisation or bookmarking pages. However while learning where information has been relocated, old workarounds or memorised locations no longer work and it may require a little extra time to learn where the new information is stored - even if it is a significant improvement over the previous IA.

Managing the J Curve effect

While staff are experiencing frustrations like those above, they may also be subject to some minor bugs within a new intranet, CMS, search, or IA, further exacerbating their frustrations. So while the new changes may have originally been promoted to managers and staff as a series of benefits and increased efficiencies, initially the change doesn't meet those expectations. Being aware of the "J Curve" effect and other frustrations likely to be experienced by staff after the release of a change is helpful in managing these issues. These kinds of issues which occur during adjustment periods after the implementation of a change can be managed with effective, pre-emptive communications. Warning staff about a transition period ahead of time and that some inconveniences will be experienced is important. Also, advise managers to determine the success or failure of the change at some point after the "J Curve" transition period.

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