Replacing an HR document library with user-centred Intranet content

The challenge

A global financial services organisation relied on a large library of instructional PDFs to support staff using their HRIS system.

Regular HRIS change projects meant new PDFs were added to the library on a regular basis, often without reviewing or updating existing content.

Over time, search results were flooded with outdated instructions. Documents varied in layout and quality and content ownership was unclear. Project teams would publish content and leave the company once the project was complete.

As a result, staff struggled to find the guidance they needed. HR and IT support teams could not reliably direct employees to self-service resources and trust in the Intranet as a source of accurate information declined.

The approach

We focused on understanding how staff looked for help and where the existing content failed to support self-service.

• Conducted interviews, reviewed analytics and analysed help desk data to understand how users searched for guidance and what language they used.

• Audited all existing PDFs, Intranet pages and search results to identify content that was still relevant and content that could be retired.

• Documented gaps in governance and ownership to inform a sustainable solution.

Our focus was on content design and governance issues to improve usability and maintainability.

Designing the solution

The solution applied content design best practices and structured governance to ensure clarity and sustainability.

Assigning ownership

All instructional content was assigned to the HRIS systems team, who codesigned the solution with us to ensure it met their ongoing needs. Two team members were named site owners, responsible for quality and governance. All other HRIS content authors were notified that moving forward, they would need to go through the systems team for any updates or changes.

Co-designing user-centred content

We formed a team of HR and transformation team members who were interested in learning the principles of content design and applying them to drafting new content. As a team, we systematically converted a large library PDFs into individual web pages using a consistent page template and a careful review process. Each page had clear headings, concise steps and scannable content. New guidance pages were organised by task rather than system structure to match how users work.

Testing and refining content

Navigation, labels and page structure were tested with users early and often. Feedback was incorporated continuously to ensure instructions were easy to find and follow.

Embedding governance into workflows

We worked with the HRIS systems team to agree on some publishing rules:

• New pages required peer review before publishing

• Reports based on SharePoint metadata would be used to monitor changes to content and to guide fortnightly content meetings

• Site owners would issue our video training modules to any new members of the team and ensure completion before providing authoring access.
  

Reducing legacy confusion

To avoid the temptation of uploading PDF documents in the future, all document libraries on the site were removed from search results so that only web pages appeared. We also avoided any customisations to ‘out of the box’ SharePoint. Standard SharePoint features were used throughout to maintain accessibility and simplicity.

The outcome

HRIS teams regained control over all system related content. With design standards and governance now built into the flow of their work, they could:

• Ensure HRIS instructional content remained easy to find, use and maintain

• Autonomously write, publish and manage SharePoint content without assistance from communications or change teams

• Have confidence that their governance process required other teams to consult them when new content or changes to existing content were needed

• Keep standards high when HRIS systems team members left the organisation. The evergreen self-service training modules made it easy for new team members to pick up content design skills and understand the publishing rules of the site.

Reflection

This was a content problem, not a technology problem. Replacing unmanaged PDFs with user-centred web pages and clear ownership improved both the experience for staff and the sustainability of HRIS guidance. Staff could rely on the content, and the HRIS systems team maintained ongoing control.