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The 2007 annual ICS intranet survey was undertaken by Amarach Consulting and sponsored by pTools Software. The survey targeted end user experience of intranet systems and was designed to compliment the research from 2006 which looked more closely at IT related issues. Once again a sample of over 2000 companies was targeted which resulted in a survey response of 181. The survey runs to 50 questions and both the results of individual questions and combined or grouped questions are detailed and informative. In the main results show a broadly positive user experience of intranet systems however where negative sentiment is expressed it is indicative of specific recurring areas of concern.
Notably as many as 1 in 3 users suggest their company intranet is not useful in relation to daily work and this sense that intranet is not relevant for many end users is a recurring theme. Almost half of all users say they do not in fact use intranet for daily work tasks.
Once again a substantial number of users, over 50%, say they find the Search function on their company intranet ineffective and 80% believe navigation and search need improvement. This builds on the results from 2006 and suggests that search and navigation are recognised as important an issue for intranet user experience as they are for Internet.
In terms of usability and accessibility 2 out of 3 company intranets fail to provide an accessible or text only version and 1 in 3 users find it difficult to access the right information on their company intranet. This builds on results from 2006 which showed that providing accessibility compliance on intranet was not a priority although most organisations believed this would change.
This year’s research contained only a few purely technical questions. Over 80% of those responding say they use Microsoft internet explorer for intranet browsing and this was question that it was felt had been omitted from last year’s research. Unusually, 69% of respondents said they had remote access to intranet from home or mobile devise and this is an area which will be explored in greater detail in the 2008 survey.
Accessing staff information and contact details like phone directories represents the most common recurring activity and is also mentioned most often as the most useful feature of their intranet by respondents. This is reflected in the description of their intranet by 70% of respondents as 'a communication and information resource' which would indicate that most users understand their intranet to be at the early stage of development in terms of the five stage intranet development matrix. As might be expected then respondents felt that improvement was needed in collaboration and other advanced features.
While this research is not exhaustive the 2007 results taken in conjunction with those of 2006 begin to build a pattern from which useful benchmarks may be taken. ICS and the sponsors of the research, pTools Software are committed to the annual survey and in 2008 the results will be used to define this series of intranet benchmarks.
Jim Friars, chief executive of Irish Computer Society commented that the research provided a valuable insight into intranet usage in Ireland and how intranet is by employees. By making this an annual survey ICS aims to grow knowledge of intranet activity and allow ICS members to benchmark against the trends and results identified in the research.
Gerard O'Neill, chief executive of Amárach Consulting felt the survey showed that intranet end-users have strong opinions about the usefulness and usability of the company intranet and that expectations based on Internet experience are very much a feature of how workers understand intranet.
Commenting further Tom Skinner Managing Director of pTools Software said that although the trend is towards more sophisticated development, getting the basics right is essential for intranet end-users and that the research showed a healthy level of intranet development but also a recognition of the need for improvement. He indicated that intranet is becoming an application space, replacing other overused parts of the network like email but that the main requirement is still around sharing information efficiently and putting order into internal communications.
The ICS 2007 research confirms that getting the simple things right delivers the most powerful results for end-users and getting them wrong causes the most frustration and dissatisfaction.
The Irish Computer Society was founded in 1967 as the national body for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professionals in Ireland. In recent years its development of numerous special interest groups, known as the ICS Networks, has extended the remit of the organisation. The Networks offer ICS members a forum for learning, networking and accessing support. In 1997 the ICS founded ECDL Ireland, now known as ICS SKILLS to provide and promote a recognised international standard of computer literacy certification in Ireland. The success of ICS SKILLS is reflected in the uptake of its most widely recognised programme, ECDL (European Computer Driving License). Over 6% of the Irish population has received an ECDL award, internationally the highest per capita rating.
For further information visit www.ics.ie and www.ics-skills.ie
Established in 1998, Amarach Consulting is recognised as Ireland's leading specialist in consumer and business research. Amarach have considerable experience spanning a wide range of sectors, methodologies and subject areas. As well as offering full market research services, Amarach also specialise in economic analysis, forecasting and business consulting.
For more information, visit www.amarach.com or call 01 6605506.
Established in 1997, pTools is a leading developer of enterprise level Content Management Software and solutions for Intranet, Internet and Extranet systems. pTools focus is on mission critical deployments for government, financial services, and healthcare sectors in Ireland, UK and internationally.
For more information, visit www.pTools.com or call 01 6789311.
