[Sigia-l] Re: University intranets

[Thompson, Weston]

I agree with James that a "fundamental issue at many universities is the
unbelievable diversity of their populations."  This is a big issue for
us, and I think James is right that it affects how we approach the web
site v. intranet issue.

Donna's point "that staff don't know what is on each site, and
it is not sensible to duplicate it," is consistent with my observations,
and has motivated me to avoid the intranet so far.  I believe that Don
Norman's description of the user's mental model, states that they have
no firm boundaries - people confuse systems.  We see this all the time,
and I hate introducing things that cause more confusion.  So, we focused
on trying to make the one site usable for the various groups, then made
certain parts restricted via login or IP range as required.

Even so, my latest thinking is that if we can segment off at least the
faculty/staff intranet into the portal it will help us simplify the main
web site - making it easier to support efficient and enjoyable site use
for the other audiences / tasks.  Hmmm, maybe it's time for some
prototyping....

Justine, I'd be interested to hear about your findings/recommendations
from your current project.

--Weston Thompson
Claremont McKenna College
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