Twitter employees needed a single source of truth to house company news, employee communications, and their tools to accomplish day to day tasks. At the time of engagement, Twitter employees accessed an array of different products on a normal basis: the Twitter intranet (Birdhouse), Confluence, Offices site (maps and practical information on their global offices), shared calendars, go/Link lists, and weekly emails which highlighted upcoming events. The current Birdhouse intranet lacked hierarchy and integration. Essential CTAs and employee related deadlines were buried and scattered in an on-going live stream of unprioritized information. The new Birdhouse needed to be a relevant destination with organized access that created an inspired community.
By incorporating a five day forecast calendar at the top of the page, employees could quickly view and sign up for local and global events. go/Links (employees’ personalized lists of short cut links) were moved into the employee’s account profile with improved functionality. Featured stories highlighted the energetic Twitter community around the world. An active stream of Shout-outs, internal recognition Tweets, highlighted individual’s accomplishments and encouraged employees to join the conversation.
For a fast growing company like Twitter, organizational charts and office maps were in constant demand. Integrating these to the main hub of Birdhouse was essential. Making the appearance and interactions of these tools consistent created predictable patterns that improved the user experience.
