In Part 1 of this review of the NNGroup Intranet Design Annual 2020 I summarized some of the trends and insights noted by the report authors (Kara Pernice, Patty Caya, Maria Rosala and Anna Kaley) as they worked through the profiles of the ten award-winning intranets.

In Part 2 I have integrated a description of the organisations, the objectives (in quotation marks) the teams set themselves in the design process and a brief note about the technology platform.  These profiles are the ultimate in depth and clarity, with a good use of tables and high-quality images. Each profile runs to between 40 and 50 pages, so the depth of detail can only be described as extraordinary.

Angelini Holding SpA (Italy), international group leader in the health and well-being area of the pharmaceutical and mass-market sectors. “Develop a unique and inclusive group identity, overcome organizational divisions, and integrate the faraway countries; increase sharing and collaboration on projects and cross-functional processes; stimulate innovation and digital culture in employees”.  (SharePoint Online)

 Bank Spoldzielczy we Wschowie (Poland), cooperative bank serving three Polish provinces (Custom intranet application based on Linux)

 Barclays (UK), financial institution that moves, lends, invests, and protects money for customers and clients worldwide)  “Organize hundreds of tools and division-specific microsites in one place.” (Custom internal build)

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (US), one of the Unites States’ largest investor-owned energy-delivery companies, providing a range of energy-related products and services. “Unify Con Edison and Orange & Rockland (O&R) employees on a single intranet platform.” SharePoint 2016 and Office 365

Dynacare (Canada), one of Canada’s largest health solutions companies, offering services that include medical testing, insurance solutions, corporate wellness programs, advanced genetic testing, and digital health solutions: “Improve collaboration and productivity; provide employees with the ability to search for and find colleagues with expertise in different areas; provide a single point of access for all systems.” (Unily, Digital Experience Cloud)  

Husky Energy (Canada), integrated energy company with 30 office locations across Canada, the US, and Asia-Pacific “Enable two-way communication with employees to create a more informed and collaborative workplace culture; provide a reliable, single source of information for employees that is mobile accessible; provide a consistent experience for all end users when accessing corporate or regional information and services.” (SharePoint Online, Bonzai)

Korn Ferry (US), global organizational consulting firm, helping companies design their organization’s structure, roles, responsibilities, compensation, and development “Bring together staff and teams under one digital roof; provide one platform to effectively communicate, collaborate, and manage knowledge across the entire organization; and ensure consistency in knowledge sharing by connecting the right people with the right knowledge at the right time.”  (SharePoint Online)

Loblaw Companies Limited (Canada), Canada’s largest retailer, providing grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services “Build a sense of community among all colleagues, regardless of location or role; expand the intranet’s reach beyond existing users to include more than 140,000 frontline colleagues.” (SharePoint Online, Bonzai)

United Nations (US), international organization that takes action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century and offers a forum for countries to come together to tackle these challenges “Uniting the United Nations” by bringing diverse people together. (Drupal 7)

Wellcome Trust (UK), a health organization that supports researchers, campaigns for better science, and exists to improve health “Give users a sense of community and a clear picture of Wellcome, how it fits together, and how it achieves its vision; help users connect to colleagues and feel valued, appreciated, and heard.“ (Drupal)

 In conclusion I have to congratulate all the winners for spending the time and effort to provide the information (and thus inspiration) in the profiles, and the report authors for what is a massive task of creating a report of this size, complexity and value. The single copy price is $248. If as an intranet manager your budget does not extend to £190 for 540 pages of insights and proven good practice I’d have to ask if you feel your intranet has both a purpose and a future.

Martin White