"In two clicks"

There's a phrase "..in two ticks" which means it wont take long for something to happen, this phrase should be adjusted and applied to an Intranet "...in two clicks."

The majority of users will look to an Intranet as they have a need for information, or they have a problem to solve. They will be expecting to find what they want quickly and accurately. An effective Intranet will have a search engine that delivers quality content and satisfies a need or curiosity. Of course the quality of content relies on the skills of the author, the speed of search will rely on both the capability of the software as well as being dependant on the labelling of the content.

In a list of "Must-haves" for an intranet a search facility should be very high up on the list. The search should be able to analyse and report based on headline, summary and content of information. It should also offer the facility to add keywords to content, and although this might be on the list of options, the use of keywords and the benefits of using them should be made clear to all authors.

Consider a maternity/paternity policy; a staple of many intranets. This may be littered with references to giving birth, child, etc and will be written in a style and language suited to the content. However there is a strong possibility that content is labelled in a different way to how a user may search for it. What about the user who is searching for what happens when their 'baby' is born? They are left perplexed as there appears to be no information for them. 'Baby' didn't appear in the body of the document, nor in the summary, or headline, so their search brings about zero results. Applying 'baby' as a keyword will fill this black-hole in their search and present them with what they were looking for.

The search facility is a key feature and it's capabilities shouldn't be overlooked, nor should it be assumed that all searches work in the same way and do the same things. Think about your own use of the Internet. When you are looking for information, what is your first step? There is a very good chance that, like me, you'd use a search engine. I did. I found out that when looking for information appproximately 80% of people use search engines to search for information. Further research by NPD revealed that 45% of searchers used multiple keywords, (I used three.) 28% used one word and 18% searched using a pre-defined option. So, you need a search facility and you need to utilise keywords, otherwise content might not get found. Those statistics show that few users will navigate around an intranet, leafing through top-menu items and navigational systems, most of us head straight for the search.

An effective search, coupled with quality content, will deliver what a user is looking for. One click to enter the search phrase, and another to confirm the content to be displayed from the search results.

Job done. Information delivered or problem solved in two clicks.