08 Feb 2023

Migrating files and shared drives into SharePoint


Historically, electronic files have been stored on drives, in a hierarchical folder structure. This may be on a local desktop or laptop for individuals, but organisations have tended to use network drives. With the rise of cloud storage, the traditional drive approach is being replaced with online document management systems. Many organisations are making this switch, and the pandemic and new hybrid working model has accelerated this change. It’s much easier to work remotely and collaborate on a modern, cloud-based document management platform. SharePoint, Microsoft’s flagship document
06 Sep 2022

Avoiding duplicate content issues on your website


I once carried out a site audit for a large, information heavy website. The site wasn’t getting as many visitors through search engines as they’d hoped, and so I was carrying out a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) analysis to help spot the issues that were holding it back. I soon discovered that, due to a quirk of how it had been built, most of the content pages on the site were being duplicated. If you took these duplicate pages away, the site was about a third of the size. Having duplicate content and is generally seen as bad for websites. While Google doesn’t directly punish you for
14 May 2021

How to write for the web


Understanding how to write for websites can make a big difference to the readability of a web page. It’s surprising how much an online page of text can be improved by following some simple guidelines. Reading text on a screen is different to reading print. People tend to scan content online, only reading a proportion of the words. A study by usability guru Jakob Nielsen discovered that: “on the average webpage, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely”. Here are some simple guidelines to help you make your writing easier to read on websites
07 Jul 2020

The TUC's SharePoint Intranet


I’ve been working with the TUC on the development of their new Intranet. It’s just been launched and is developed entirely in SharePoint. The TUC uses the Microsoft 365 platform as their core business software, for example, for email and document management. A key part of this offering is SharePoint online - a powerful document management and file storage facility. SharePoint can be complicated to set-up and migrating from a traditional, server based, file system to SharePoint is a hefty project. It also requires training and support, as it’s quite different for users who aren’t familiar with
17 Jul 2019

Apprenticeship Essentials


I’ve been working with unionlearn to create a range of new tools for apprentices and those thinking of becoming apprentices. Called Apprenticeship Essentials, this suite of online resources can be accessed either via a dedicated app or on through the unionlearn website . Apprenticeship Essentials has range of features, from pay checking and guidance to elearning and job vacancies. Some of these require registration, but all are free to use. There are guides to apprenticeship basics, entering the world of work, employment rights and how trade unions can help in the workplace. There is also a
17 Jun 2019

Launching Careerzone for unionlearn


Unionlearn , the learning and skills organisation of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has recently launched a new careers area on their website called ‘Careerszone’. The aim is to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ with information and resources on careers. I’ve led on the development of this new facility, which uses official ‘big data’ sources to generate careers data alongside other resources. One of the key tools is a comprehensive careers directory, which has a detailed breakdown of almost 400 occupations as classified by the Office for National Statistics. This includes job descriptions, required
08 Sep 2017

How big is your union website in 2017?


A couple of years ago, I looked at the sizes of the websites of all the TUC affiliated unions , to see how they compared. I’ve found myself coming back to this analysis quite often. Various unions have wanted an idea of how large their website is compared to others, or have wanted to judge how their website has changed since a redesign. As a result, I thought it would be useful to update these metrics. For the sake of this comparison, only pages publically indexed in Google are included. It is impossible to include members’ only pages, so please be aware of this limitation. Also, some pages
16 Nov 2016

Diversity Project website now live


I’ve been working on a website for a new initiative, designed to encourage greater diversity and inclusion in the investment and savings industry. The site has recently gone live, and can be seen at http://diversityproject.com . The project started after a group of leaders in the investment industry got together in early 2016 and decided to take action to accelerate progress towards a more representative workforce in the sector. One of the driving forces behind it is the Helena Morrissey , the Chair of the Investment Association and former CEO of Newton Investment Management. She also set-up
24 Jun 2016

New Prospect website


One of the latest projects I’ve been involved with has recently gone live: Prospect , the professional’s union, has just launched their new website. I’ve been helping with the website's new mobile and tablet friendly design, but also with some major changes to the information architecture . The new design is responsive , a design approach that allows the template to change depending on the screen size being used to view the website. This means that users viewing on tablets or browsers see a slightly different layout than those on desktops, avoiding the need to zoom in and out to read the