Problem

The Goedert Intranet, used for internal communications, photo-sharing, and document-sharing, was outdated and rarely used by employees. Several factors contributed to this:

• Outdated Design: The website looked boring and failed to engage employees, leading to poor user interaction and many missing important communications.
• Frontend Bugs: There were persistent bugs on the frontend, making the user experience frustrating and unreliable.
• Inefficient Admin Panel: The backend admin panel was cluttered and difficult to use, making it hard for the HR and Marketing departments to manage content effectively.

These issues not only reduced employee engagement but also created inefficiencies for internal teams managing the intranet.

Objective

The goal was to completely overhaul the intranet with a modern design, eliminate frontend bugs, and create a clean, user-friendly admin panel for the HR and Marketing departments to work efficiently.

Our focus was on improving the user experience with a sleek design, while also providing a more intuitive and streamlined backend for content management.

Solution

To solve these issues, we developed a brand new website with a focus on modern design and functionality:

• Technologies Used:
  • Ruby on Rails for rapid backend development
  • PostgreSQL for the database
  • Docker and GitHub Actions for automated CI/CD deployment

Key Features:

• Slick and Modern Design: We implemented professional animations and a visually appealing layout to increase engagement and make the site more inviting for employees.
• Bug Fixes: All major frontend bugs were addressed, ensuring a smoother and more reliable user experience.
• Improved Admin Panel: We developed a clean, user-friendly backend interface, allowing the HR and Marketing departments to easily manage content and communications. This was a key area of focus to streamline their workflow and improve efficiency.
• Automated Deployment: With Docker and GitHub Actions, the website is automatically deployed when a new change is committed, including seamless database redeployment if necessary.
• Email Notifications: Every time a new important communication is posted, automated emails are sent to all employees with a direct link to the post.

Development and Testing

The development process, including preparation and testing, took around 2 months. Using Ruby on Rails greatly sped up the development cycle, allowing us to build a robust solution in a relatively short timeframe.

Result

The revamped intranet was successful in my opinion, significantly boosting user engagement and internal communication. The new, easy-to-use admin panel also empowered the HR and Marketing departments to manage content more effectively.

The new intranet not only improved the user experience but also provided a much-needed operational boost for the HR and Marketing teams.