Refreshing KNET
KNET is the Kennedy School’s internal documents, information, and data management system hosted on Microsoft Share Point. For community members, the value is clear: access to years of knowledge filed away, a central repository to feature new content, and an overall time-saver while trying to access services. Without a doubt, KNET is a cherished asset. However, after years of maintaining this legacy system, it is time to take a step back and plan what refreshing KNET might look like. The goal is to identify a couple of improvements that will make the user experience a bit easier.
The legacy system is hosted on a 2013 version of SharePoint. The user interface is clunky and designed to look like a company’s organization chart. The rationale of why someone chose this forward-facing architecture is clear: it is a natural organization method. For those producing the content and living on the site, this organization probably seems straightforward. However, this experience for a different user, like the student, feels akin to arriving at an airport and receiving a floor plan.
As the student-user, I want to know exactly where I have to go and now. The clutter is immense and the pages and pages of architecture are dizzying. Did I get off on the right page? There are also so many turns; many of them lead to nowhere. Why are there so many duplicate answers? What is clear is that there is a mismatch between mapping the products and services offered to how it is laid out for customer segments.
Above are some distinct customer segments I identified that operate in the KNET ecosystem. They are mapped by their needs and based on their influence in shaping KNET. While the position of each can be debated, the insight is that KNET serves a lot of different stakeholders with differing needs.
When I look back at even how the home page is laid out, it is clear that our current approach is trying to be a little something for everyone. Pages of scrolling, entire stories, a plethora of links, and announcements that pull users to different domains. As KNET looks to refresh, an option is to build around SharePoint’s updated search features. Similar to a Google or Yahoo home page, as users log into KNET, they are presented with a search bar first. Microsoft’s new AI features— natural language searches and promoting relevant search content — will make it easier for users to find information that matters to them. In this way, instead of users going to the information, the information is coming to them. If technologically doable, the results could come back uniform (as they do on Google). The advantage here is that instead of trying to get all different stakeholders to conform, the software can do the bulk of the work. Moreover, the years of content continue to be an asset to KNET, as a search bar is only good if there is something to find.
The remainder of the home-page could be filled with announcements and advertisements. The idea is to pare this down significantly to highlight only the top items. The current team of decision-makers could consult with faculty, staff, and students with a background in journalism. Their rich experience in creating homepage layouts would be helpful here. As well, using data from current and historical usage could be mined to see what the top pages are. If it can be further segmented by the stakeholders identified above, it will make it easier to plan a redesign.
Overall, KNET is a rich resource with an abundance of knowledge that needs a new outer shell. Instead of all the digital and administrative architecture laid out for all to see, the website needs to consider its users and their experience when creating the website. Leveraging a modern “search” feature could be the needed bridge between how the website is produced and consumed.
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