How to Revamp Mindfully: A SharePoint Makeover Story
Introduction
From September to December 2024, we were hired by an IT integrations team at a global pharmaceutical company to transform their SharePoint site, accessible to thousands of employees. Over the years, the site had not been maintained consistently, and its look and feel was not fostering a smooth user experience.
While the original brief included developing a newsletter and corporate presentations, the project evolved into a complete SharePoint makeover that prioritised purpose and usability, laying a healthy foundation for future internal communication ambitions.
The Challenges
The site had become cluttered with outdated content and confusing navigation. In large organisations, employees spend a significant amount of time reading pages and sites. Amid information overload, it’s essential to make YOUR content short, relevant, and accessible.
The client’s key objective was to position themselves as the go-to team for integration projects. To achieve this, they needed to focus on the site’s purpose so it could better support that goal.
It was a rewarding experience to guide individuals with little to no expertise in communication, on how to define the site’s purpose (the “why”) and vision (the “how”). They understood quickly why this should come before tackling layout and content.
Finally, aligning purpose and vision with their broad audience was critical. This SharePoint site wasn’t for the team itself but for the people they aimed to support.
The Process
Audience-Focused Redesign: We started with a user-satisfaction survey to assess how the users felt using the site, to then match its results against the team’s expectations. It helped define a clear purpose with the audience at its core, and rethink the structure and navigation of the site.
Content and Visuals: Through a simple yet thorough content review exercise, the team progressively updated or removed outdated materials, fixed broken links, and mindfully reflected on what information users truly needed.
To humanise the site and better connect with users, we suggested to organise a photoshoot to provide relevant visual assets. The team’s energy and personality came through while maintaining alignment with the corporate visual identity. The photoshoot was also a welcome break in the busy day-to-day where we could bond and get to know each other better.
Practical Tools & Proactiveness: We created an extensive guide that documented the process, compiled practical tips, and included the company’s internal resources. This equips the client to maintain the site collaboratively, flexibly, and consistently within their busy schedules.
Recognising their future ambitions, we also provided recommendations for developing newsletters using SharePoint’s built-in news email feature to bring users back to the site.
Finally, to reduce stress associated with site maintenance, we drafted a simple checklist for the manager to use during team meetings. This fosters shared ownership and ensures regular site updates become part of their routine workflows.
Key Takeaways
Start with the “Why”: Defining the site’s purpose ensures alignment with user needs.
Then with the “Who”: By putting yourself in the mind of your audience, it will guide you better when defining the structure and navigation of the site.
Functionality first: Clear, visual and accessible content beats overly complex designs every time. Reflect on how much scrolling is enough…
Stay flexible: Open conversations helped adjust priorities, delivering better value within the team’s capacity.
It’s ok to take things slow in a fast-paced environment: for a long time, we didn’t see visible changes. The hard work was done behind the scenes: Research, cleaning up, testing, and connecting with different stakeholders... Patience is key!
6. When the end is the beginning:
It’s often the part that we don't have time for, but is the most important. Measuring your work and collecting feedback is key, because once this site is published, it's not the end. It is the beginning.
Feedback will be great to help you tweak what is needed and make sure that you continuously improve it for your audience - and ultimately for your team’s motivation and pride in their work.
Keep an eye on statistics, organise informal sessions, and have a feedback survey open at all times. Communicate internally about your new site, and share your learnings with others. Sharing is caring!
