Creating a trusted home for everything staff need
University of Sydney,
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
The brief
Intranet strategy • User research • Information architecture • Content design • SharePoint design & build • Internal communication
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) is a large, diverse community of academic and professional staff spanning several schools, portfolios, research centres and disciplines.
Since SharePoint arrived across the University, internal sites had multiplied. Faculty-wide information was spread across more than 680 pages on overlapping sites and platforms. Staff didn't know which source to trust, spent too long searching, and often fell back on asking colleagues or digging through email. Only around one in ten were using the ‘intranet’ at all.
FASS needed a simpler, faculty-wide intranet that would help staff:
quickly find trustworthy information
complete everyday tasks
access services and systems
stay informed
understand how their work connected to the Faculty’s strategy and priorities
We were engaged to turn a fragmented and frustrating information environment into one clear, connected and sustainable home for staff.
“Add testimonial pull quote here”
— Jess Morris, Faculty General Manager, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
Our work
Designed around staff needs
Rather than moving old content into a new site, we started with staff and what they actually need.
We began with a comprehensive discovery phase combining user research, content analysis and site mapping.
What we learnt shaped a set of user personas and design principles, which guided the structure, content and experience of the new intranet.
We organised information around what staff need to know and do, rather than which team is responsible for it.
We also set up a staff advisory group to give input and feedback throughout, so every key decision was tested with the people who'd actually use the site.
The result is calm, clear and consistent: fewer clicks, plain English and clearer pathways to the right information, service or person.
24 one-on-one staff interviews
350+ intranet pages reviewed
200+ staff tasks identified
Weekly visits up from
~590 to ~3,365
Roughly 1 in 3 staff now visit the intranet every week
One-to-one user interviews shaped user personas and intranet strategy.
We developed an interactive online workspace to asynchronously gather inputs and feedback from the the FASS Intranet Advisory Group (FIAG), leveraging the incredible knowledge and experience of staff.
Simplifed content
Working closely with subject matter experts, we reviewed, consolidated, rewrote and designed content.
We removed outdated and duplicated material, and turned complex information into step-by-step, task-based guidance wherever possible.
A streamlined information architecture and distinctive page templates created a more appealing and consistent experience across the site.
Before:
Dense: information was buried on pages, sentences were long and headings were missing or used the wrong hierarchy
Not web-friendly: critical information was embedded in PDFs that weren't searchable
Unwieldy: content was duplicated across pages
After:
Scannable: clear text hierarchy and intentional visuals help people quickly find relevant information
Intentional: short, informative introductions help people know they're in the right place
Strategic: considered calls to action and links help staff find other relevant resources
Established a hub for news, events, opportunities & strategy
We created a central place for faculty news, events, opportunities and strategy updates, cutting back on all-staff emails. It also made important information easier to search and catch up on later – a key need given the rhythm of the academic year.
Instead of adding another system, we built on the Faculty's existing planning calendar in Power BI, so events and key dates flow straight onto the intranet. News, events and the tools directory are all built once and shown wherever they're relevant across the site – less duplication, less workload and more consistency.
Built capability to embed & sustain
We developed and delivered role-based training to help FASS staff confidently manage the intranet within the new governance model.
Training was tailored to different levels of responsibility, from editors maintaining individual pages to staff stewarding the broader structure and health of the site.
This embedded clear ownership and decision-making, and gave FASS the capability to keep the intranet consistent and trustworthy over time.
The results
When we started, only around one in ten staff were using the intranet. Now roughly one in three visit every week.
The intranet is now the cornerstone of the Faculty's internal communication.
It's built around how staff actually think and search, and brings everyday guidance, services, systems, news and strategy together in one place.
Along the way, we fixed the small things that make a big difference: a staff finder that finally works, with long-standing profile data issues resolved, and an acronym glossary for a place that runs on them.
Beyond improving access to information, the intranet strengthens transparency, connection and a shared sense of Faculty identity.
What our client said
[Add client testimonial here]
— Jess Morris, Faculty General Manager, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
Let’s partner
If your staff are digging through old pages and inboxes to find what they need, we can help. We build intranets people can find, use and trust – shaped with your staff, not just for them.