Recent Trends in Intranet Design & Functionality
Today’s intranets have evolved far beyond static pages of HR policies. Modern intranet design is driven by user experience and the needs of the digital workplace. A few key trends are shaping intranets in today’s market:
User-First Design & Employee Experience: Organizations now recognize that intranet adoption hinges on a great user experience. Intranets are being designed with clean, intuitive interfaces and engaging visual content. Research shows that poor UX and design lead many intranet initiatives to fail ROI goals. The trend is toward personalized, streamlined UIs that make important content easy to find, encouraging employees to use the intranet daily. Instead of cookie-cutter portals, companies want custom-branded intranets that feel inviting and align with their culture.
Intelligent AI & Search: Artificial intelligence is making intranets smarter. “Intelligent digital assistants” and AI-powered search are now top trends. Modern intranet platforms incorporate AI to improve search results (employees expect search to work like Google) and even answer questions via chatbots. This means employees can quickly find information or get help through the intranet, saving time and reducing frustration. AI-driven personalization is also emerging – content and recommendations tailored to a user’s role or behavior.
Integrated Digital Workplace Hub: Intranets are becoming the single resource for getting work done, integrating with the myriad apps employees use. Rather than trying to do everything, a modern intranet brings together links and integrations (HR systems, project management tools, CRM, messaging apps, etc.) in one place. For example, an intranet might surface an employee’s tasks from Salesforce or display a Teams calendar. This meaningful integration streamlines workflows and reduces app-switching, making the intranet a central productivity hub. In fact, one emerging best practice is to include an app launcher – a personalized menu of key applications for each user.
Mobile-First and Remote Access: With remote and frontline employees in mind, intranets are now mobile-friendly or come with dedicated mobile apps. Over 80% of the global workforce is deskless, so providing a great mobile intranet experience is essential. Responsive design, mobile push notifications, and even offline access for field workers ensure everyone stays connected to company news and resources, whether they’re in the office or on the go.
Social and Collaborative Features: Borrowing from social media, modern intranets include interactive features that foster community and engagement. This might mean employee recognition badges, discussion forums, the ability to “like” or comment on news posts, and interactive org charts. The intranet is also a place to celebrate wins and share company culture – an outlet for blogs, peer shout-outs, or interest-based communities. These social features help strengthen company culture and make the intranet a lively two-way communication channel, rather than a top-down bulletin board.
Analytics and Continuous Improvement: Organizations are paying more attention to intranet analytics. Built-in dashboards track metrics like most viewed content, search queries, and user engagement. This data helps intranet administrators identify what content is useful and what’s not, informing continuous improvements. Some platforms even visualize data for teams (e.g. KPI dashboards) directly on the intranet, merging internal comms with performance insights.
The modern intranet is a dynamic, user-centric platform. It prioritizes ease of use, intelligent search, integration, mobility, and engagement. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the key features that make up a modern intranet.
Key Features of a Modern Intranet
While every organization’s needs differ, the best intranets share a core set of features that drive value. Here are some essential intranet features we typically include in our solutions:
Robust Search and Discovery: An intranet is only as good as its search function. Modern intranets offer enterprise search that indexes pages, documents, people profiles, and even within PDFs or images (sometimes using OCR). With AI enhancements, search can understand natural language queries and correct typos, helping employees find what they need quickly.
Knowledge Base & Document Management: Centralized libraries for policies, SOPs, templates, and other documents are a staple. Version control, document tagging, and permissions ensure everyone accesses the latest information. Some intranets integrate with SharePoint or cloud storage for backend document management, combining the power of those systems with a friendly intranet UI.
People Directory & Profiles: A searchable employee directory with profile pages (including photos, contact info, department, skills, and org chart) makes it easy to find colleagues and expertise. This is consistently a “top task” for intranet users. Modern intranets often let employees personalize their profiles and include social elements (like interest groups or recognition badges on profiles).
News and Internal Communications: Intranets serve as the news hub for company updates. Features like news feeds, blogs, or video announcements keep everyone informed. Targeting or personalization can show relevant news to different locations or roles. Some platforms even have built-in newsletter capabilities – for example, modern intranets can generate email newsletters from intranet content. This ensures important news reaches employees whether they check the intranet or not.
Social Collaboration Tools: To encourage knowledge sharing and engagement, intranets include forums or communities, comment threads on news articles, “like” buttons, and sometimes chat or micro-blogging. These tools turn the intranet into a place where employees can ask questions, share wins, and collaborate across silos. Recognition tools (like peer shout-outs or showcasing top contributors) also boost engagement.
Security and Permissions: Enterprise intranets have granular permission controls to ensure sensitive content is only visible to the right audiences. Single Sign-On (SSO) is typically implemented so employees can log in with their company credentials securely. For clients with extra security needs, we design intranets with secure hosting and compliance (for example, HIPAA compliance for healthcare intranets).
These features work together to make the intranet a productivity enabler. At Hart, we work with you to prioritize the features that matter most for your organization and select the right platform or custom approach to deliver them.
Comparing Custom-Built vs. Pre-Built Intranet Solutions
One of the early decisions in an intranet project is build vs. buy. Do you invest in a custom intranet built from scratch (or on a flexible CMS), or do you implement a pre-built intranet platform (often called an “out-of-the-box”)? Hart has guided clients through both paths. Here’s a comparison outlining the pros and cons of each approach:
Custom-Built Intranet:
A fully bespoke intranet developed from scratch or on an open framework (like a CMS) to meet your specific needs. Hart’s team handles design, development, and integration tailored to you.
Pros:
- Ultimate customization: You get complete control over design, functionality, and integrations; the intranet can be built to fit your exact business processes.
- Integration flexibility: Easier to hook into existing systems or unique databases since it’s all built in-house.
- Data ownership: All data is within your own environment; security and compliance can be fully managed to your standards.
Cons:
- Time & resources: Building from scratch requires significant development time and skilled personnel. Projects can span months of design and coding.
- Higher upfront cost: The initial investment is typically larger, since you’re funding a full development cycle (planning, coding, testing).
- Maintenance burden: Ongoing support, updates, and improvements rely on your (or Hart’s) development team. Without vendor support, enhancements and bug fixes are your responsibility.
Pre-Built Intranet Platform:
A ready-made intranet solution from a vendor (e.g., SharePoint, Axero, Unily, Simpplr). These come with out-of-the-box features and templates, and can be configured and branded. Hart assists with setup and customization.
Pros:
- Quick deployment: Can be up and running in weeks, not months, since core features are already built.
- Lower technical burden: The vendor handles the heavy lifting (hosting, updates). Minimal coding is needed, which is ideal if you lack an internal dev team.
- Continuous improvements: You benefit from the vendor’s updates and new features over time (e.g., security patches, new integrations) without doing it all yourself.
- Proven features: Comes with a suite of best-practice features (news, search, social, etc.) based on what works for many companies.
Cons:
- Limited customization: You may be constrained by the platform’s capabilities. Unique needs might not be met if the software doesn’t support them. Some platforms allow only light customization of look and feel.
- Recurring costs: Typically involves subscription or licensing fees. Over years, total cost can rival a custom build, especially for large user counts.
- Vendor dependency: You rely on the provider for support and future updates. If the vendor’s direction changes, you might have to adapt. Integrating with non-standard systems can also be challenging if the platform wasn’t designed for it.
In practice, many organizations find a middle ground: using a pre-built platform as a base and customizing it to a degree (through provided APIs or modules). At Hart, we help evaluate your organization’s specific needs, budget, and IT capabilities to recommend the best-fit approach. For example, a small non-profit might opt for a cloud intranet solution to minimize IT overhead, whereas a highly regulated enterprise might lean toward a custom intranet to meet strict compliance and integration requirements.
Hart’s Experience in Building Intranets
Hart has successfully delivered intranet projects across various industries, each with unique challenges and objectives. Here are a few highlights of our intranet work:
Lima Memorial Health System (LMHS) – Custom Umbraco Intranet: For a regional healthcare provider, Hart built a bespoke intranet on the Umbraco CMS platform. This intranet served as a central hub for hospital staff communication, policy distribution, and department-specific pages. We developed custom features like a physician directory and integration with third-party health content. The choice of a custom Umbraco solution gave LMHS complete flexibility to implement healthcare-specific functionalities and maintain strict control over data (important for HIPAA compliance). Today, Hart continues to support LMHS with upgrades (e.g., migrating from Umbraco 8 to 14) and enhancements to ensure the intranet evolves with their needs.
Hylant – Axero (Communifire) Intranet Implementation: Hylant, a large insurance brokerage, engaged Hart to reinvent their aging intranet. After a thorough evaluation of intranet software, we recommended Communifire by Axero Solutions as the foundation. Hart led the implementation of Communifire (now branded as Axero) to deliver a modern, social intranet experience. We customized the platform to match Hylant’s branding and integrated single sign-on and data from Hylant’s HR systems. The new intranet introduced features like Communities (sub-sites for each office/department), a powerful enterprise search indexing everything (documents, posts, people), and engagement boosters such as employee recognition for birthdays and work anniversaries. The result was a vibrant intranet that not only housed content but also fostered a sense of community across Hylant’s multiple offices. Hart provided training to employees and content owners to ensure long-term adoption.
Each intranet project we undertake is grounded in a deep discovery process. We work closely with stakeholders and end-users to identify pain points and must-have features. Whether it’s building from scratch or configuring a leading platform, Hart’s holistic approach (covering strategy, design, technical implementation, and content calendar planning) ensures your intranet truly supports your organization’s goals.
Ready to Build Your Intranet? Let’s Talk.
A well-designed intranet can transform your organization’s internal communication and collaboration. Now it’s your turn to elevate your workplace with a modern intranet. Ready to get started? We’d love to discuss your goals and show you how Hart can help. Fill out the contact form below, and one of our account specialists will reach out to schedule a consultation.