Design: WHO Intranet
Summary: Visual redesign for the World Health Organization Intranet. Redesign was commissioned to address aesthetic and usability shortcomings of the Intranet interface as the first phase of a more substantial functional redesign.
Problem context: The WHO Intranet is the communications focal point for World Health Organization employees worldwide, allowing them to find everything from contact phone numbers to governance documents to technical health information. In late 2003, the incoming WHO administration determined that the usability and aesthetics of the Intranet were unacceptable. This opinion was verified by interviews and observations of multiple WHO employees on-site in Geneva, Switzerland.
Project goal: Improve aesthetic appearance and usability of WHO Intranet pages. Focus was particularly on: improving scannability of frequently used links, improving appearance of news headlines, and generally refining the appearance of banners.
Target audience: All WHO employees, including those at remote offices on slow modems. WHO employees are health professionals, administration professionals, and clerical and maintenance workers.
My role: Worked with WHO project manager to clarify business goals and requirements for redesign. Interviewed WHO employees to discover needs such as aesthetic preferences and typical/critical tasks. Designed all visuals, layouts, and information architecture using Photoshop and HTML. Presented work over several rounds to client, collected feedback, and refined designs for subsequent presntations.
Initial designs: