Comments for Mark Morrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com An insight into how intranets are managed Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:12:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Why are intranet applications so difficult to use? by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/why-are-intranet-applications-so-difficult-to-use/#comment-542 markmorrell Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:12:01 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-542 Dave, Thanks for your comments. good to hear from you. :-) I don't see why more enterprise applications can't be simpler like Amazon's interface. I find software vendors mistake improving usability to mean more features rather than making the existing features easier to use. I would even go so far as to say 'more is less' and just give users a limited number of easy to use features for the vast majority of tasks with extra features discreetly placed for the minority of power users. I think Oracle is improving because there are new kids on the block who are giving customers what they need to improve productivity by user interfaces that are simpler and easier. I agree it takes time. Too long for me though. I'm impatient! Mark Dave,

Thanks for your comments. good to hear from you. :-)

I don’t see why more enterprise applications can’t be simpler like Amazon’s interface. I find software vendors mistake improving usability to mean more features rather than making the existing features easier to use.

I would even go so far as to say ‘more is less’ and just give users a limited number of easy to use features for the vast majority of tasks with extra features discreetly placed for the minority of power users.

I think Oracle is improving because there are new kids on the block who are giving customers what they need to improve productivity by user interfaces that are simpler and easier.

I agree it takes time. Too long for me though. I’m impatient!

Mark

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-541 markmorrell Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:04:30 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-541 Samuel, Yes it is. It's voluntary so some people have nothing, some have lots of information and yes, some of it is not up to date. It is really down to people finding it helps them find other people and decide to add information about themselves. There are reasons why HR don't let the field be automatically filled or partly filled but I can't remember the full reasons (sorry). If we do decide to do this then I'll bear your suggestion in mind. Thanks, Mark Samuel,

Yes it is. It’s voluntary so some people have nothing, some have lots of information and yes, some of it is not up to date. It is really down to people finding it helps them find other people and decide to add information about themselves.

There are reasons why HR don’t let the field be automatically filled or partly filled but I can’t remember the full reasons (sorry). If we do decide to do this then I’ll bear your suggestion in mind.

Thanks,

Mark

]]> Comment on Why are intranet applications so difficult to use? by Dave Collins http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/why-are-intranet-applications-so-difficult-to-use/#comment-539 Dave Collins Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:12:51 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=49#comment-539 First, the web wasnt designed to be a application or transaction system, it was supposed to be a information giver, you can give it all sorts of names web 2.0 etc etc etc, but it is nigh on impossible to squeeze a thick app into thin app functionality, it is business needs that has forced it down this route, look at livelink and the like its very klunky, if you try to stack that up with the expierience say from a XP / Vista desktop it just aint gonna work no matter how much you try. It has to be acknowledged that the web can have its uses but for it to work as a normal application it has to be accepted that the UI is just not going to cut it, its a different beast, okay there are exceptions like Amazon, but Oracle has been trying for years to get there back end (Database) into the front end (Web World), if it is clunky after lets say 5 - 6 years of development you cannot hold out much hope in the next weeks a months this is a long time in the internet world. Dave Collins Munich Germany. First, the web wasnt designed to be a application or transaction system, it was supposed to be a information giver, you can give it all sorts of names web 2.0 etc etc etc, but it is nigh on impossible to squeeze a thick app into thin app functionality, it is business needs that has forced it down this route, look at livelink and the like its very klunky, if you try to stack that up with the expierience say from a XP / Vista desktop it just aint gonna work no matter how much you try. It has to be acknowledged that the web can have its uses but for it to work as a normal application it has to be accepted that the UI is just not going to cut it, its a different beast, okay there are exceptions like Amazon, but Oracle has been trying for years to get there back end (Database) into the front end (Web World), if it is clunky after lets say 5 – 6 years of development you cannot hold out much hope in the next weeks a months this is a long time in the internet world.

Dave Collins

Munich Germany.

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by Samuel Driessen http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-536 Samuel Driessen Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:43:10 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-536 Thanks for sharing, Mark! Is the 'interest' and 'expertise' part filled manually by the employee? If so, do BT employees keep that info up to date? We used an interesting concept (that is now a separate company called Guruscan.nl) to semi-automatically fill the expertise field. Thanks for sharing, Mark! Is the ‘interest’ and ‘expertise’ part filled manually by the employee? If so, do BT employees keep that info up to date? We used an interesting concept (that is now a separate company called Guruscan.nl) to semi-automatically fill the expertise field.

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by Steve Ellwood http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-533 Steve Ellwood Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:33:44 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-533 I *love* working for this company. Well, for stuff like this! I *love* working for this company. Well, for stuff like this!

]]> Comment on BT today – BT’s great intranet news site by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/bt-today-bts-great-intranet-news-site/#comment-531 markmorrell Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:12:49 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=397#comment-531 Mark, Thanks for your comment. The answer is "No, not yet.....". BT plans to introduce these to help give users an even better experience in 2010. In BT we basically have a bucket of news stories that are all tagged so they can appear by organisation, community or interest in whatever channel users choose. Mark Mark,

Thanks for your comment. The answer is “No, not yet…..”.

BT plans to introduce these to help give users an even better experience in 2010.

In BT we basically have a bucket of news stories that are all tagged so they can appear by organisation, community or interest in whatever channel users choose.

Mark

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-530 markmorrell Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:06:32 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-530 Tim, Fantastic news. Do you have a go live date? Mark Tim,

Fantastic news. Do you have a go live date?

Mark

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-529 markmorrell Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:20:55 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-529 Kerry, Whoops! Thanks for letting me know. I've change the link to the right one. Mark Kerry,

Whoops! Thanks for letting me know. I’ve change the link to the right one.

Mark

]]> Comment on I’m on the move and still able to use BT’s intranet by BT Directory – connecting people easily « Mark Morrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/i%e2%80%99m-on-the-move-and-still-able-to-use-bt%e2%80%99s-intranet/#comment-528 BT Directory – connecting people easily « Mark Morrell Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:18:42 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=192#comment-528 [...] Mobile users can also use a cut down version of Directory to find people’s contact details (slide 8).  The results shown are the key contact details you will need (slide 9). [...] [...] Mobile users can also use a cut down version of Directory to find people’s contact details (slide 8).  The results shown are the key contact details you will need (slide 9). [...]

]]> Comment on BT Directory – connecting people easily by markmorrell http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/bt-directory-connecting-people-easily/#comment-527 markmorrell Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:15:36 +0000 http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/?p=409#comment-527 Steve, You're right. There are many other features. I thought my blog post might turn into a thesis if I listed them all. :-) ClickDial is great and make contacting someone by phone so easy. Mark Steve,

You’re right. There are many other features. I thought my blog post might turn into a thesis if I listed them all. :-)

ClickDial is great and make contacting someone by phone so easy.

Mark

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