The other day I went shopping at my usual supermarket. Everything was going great until I stepped through the door and found the entire store had been reorganized with new aisles, new arrangements, new endcaps and new specialty sections. I was frustrated. In the past, I knew where everything was, but now I was lost. And all I needed was a jar of spicy mustard…
An Exercise in Frustration
The old arrangement of the store wasn’t necessarily good, either. Like leaves blown by the wind, similar products were scattered throughout the main aisles, on arbitrary endcaps, in specialty sections and other random locations. Forget comparison shopping, and forget finding that spicy mustard.
The maligned organization is likely a matter of competing needs that conspire to create a dysfunctional organization. Over time, we become accustomed to the chaos and can find what we need. The same is true for our company’s home page. Its chaotic nature likely reflects the competing needs and desires of users. Over time we learn to use it, and it becomes “normal.”
Starting November 1, the supermarket you knew – the homepage – will take on an entirely new look. But there is a method to the apparent madness, and the changes were carefully calculated. The new design – two years in development – reflects the diverse spectrum of users who rely on it daily.
Why do we need it?
Some say the old homepage works fine, so why develop something new? One reason is that the homepage is a reflection of the company, its vision and its values. It must support the needs of the users – connecting them easily to the information they need. But concerns expressed in recent years made it glaringly obvious that the old homepage was not serving the needs of the EB community. And it wasn’t just the content that needed a revamp.
The old homepage structure made it difficult for newer employees to find what they need. So the Knowledge Management (KM) team worked with experts from across the enterprise to understand the top level company organization and develop a taxonomy to efficiently manage information. The top ribbon of the new homepage (Homeport) reflects the company’s functional organization, focusing on what we do rather than on our constantly evolving company organization.
The taxonomy is critical to the search function, but it’s what lies behind this homepage that ultimately enables the needed functionality. Homeport is one of many SharePoint sites that work together as an enterprise content management system (ECMS), sharing data with related sites such as VIRGINIA Program, Ask a Submariner, Sea Stories, Core Values and Knowledge Management (KM) sites. The KM team is now developing “team sites” for individual functional areas and organizations to help manage their information. As more sites are completed and more of our intranet information is migrated to SharePoint, the search capability will become even more powerful.
User Input
Homeport’s design relied heavily on user input. Beta version testing of the site began in March of 2018 when about 1,500 employees test drove the site with an invite to provide feedback. A survey and usability tests were used to gain further feedback and insights. Hundreds of comments were submitted that identified bugs and suggested improvements. The improved site was soft launched in November of 2018, when opening Internet Explorer gave users access to both the legacy homepage and the new Homeport. Since that time, the KM team has worked feverishly with the EBIT Webmasters, DXC, and Communications to improve the site and add new features based on user input.
A Host of Features
The new Homeport homepage has a strong focus on communication, with sections that provide company news, industry news, community news, bulletins, blogs, and an events calendar. The rest of the site focuses on the critical functionality needed by employees, including:
•Popular Resources
•Acronym Finder
•Department Directory
•Employee Directory
A star feature of Homeport is a “My Links” tab on the right side of the screen. Individual users can add links to the information and resources they need every day that aren’t included under Popular Resources, and this feature travels with you. No matter what computer you log into at EB, you’ll see your Homeport page with your personalized “My Links” tab.
What to Expect
Beginning November 1, Homeport will replace the current default homepage. A temporary (6 month) link to the old home page will be available for those times when you just can’t find what you need. But one thing to explore is the search bar. Many users ignore the search bar on the current homepage because it seldom leads to success. But Homeport’s search is better and will improve over time. If you can’t find something on Homeport, let the KM team know so they can make the needed changes.
So, where exactly do I find that spicy mustard?
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