Intranet

Betfred employs over 10,000 people across Retail and Digital teams. Over time, it became clear that the existing intranet wasn’t keeping up with the needs of a modern, connected workforce. Information was scattered, communication was inconsistent, and employees often struggled to find what they needed.

The goal was simple but ambitious — create a single, modern intranet that connects everyone. A place where colleagues could access company news, documents, and training materials; where internal jobs could be promoted; and where teams across the UK, Gibraltar, the US, and South Africa could feel part of one connected organisation.

It wasn’t just about building a website. It was about creating a central hub for communication and culture — somewhere that made everyday work easier, faster, and more transparent.

The Challenge

This was a large and complex project with a lot of moving parts. There were technical constraints, multiple platforms to merge, and a long list of stakeholders — from senior leaders to “department champions” representing staff across the business.

My challenge was to design an intranet that:

• Improved communication across all staff groups

• Made it easy to find and access information

• Merged multiple legacy portals into one shared platform

• Worked within Microsoft SharePoint’s design constraints

• Reflected the company’s new brand identity

• Encouraged ownership and regular content updates from departments

We also needed to deliver everything — from research to development handoff — within 14 weeks. That meant being smart about priorities, testing early, and working closely with the people who would use and maintain the system.

My Process

I followed a Lean UX approach, focusing on collaboration, iteration, and evidence-based decisions.

Discovery & Research
I began by reviewing Betfred’s existing intranet, benchmarking competitors and non-competitors to understand what “good” looked like. Then we spoke directly to staff through interviews and surveys to uncover pain points and expectations.

Many said they didn’t use the old intranet because it was outdated, hard to navigate, and rarely updated. They wanted something cleaner, faster, and more reliable — a tool that genuinely supported their day-to-day work.

Workshops & Collaboration
We identified 20 department champions from across the business and ran workshops to explore what they needed from the new intranet. These sessions helped us shape priorities, map journeys, and define success criteria together.

Regular check-ins with stakeholders ensured we stayed aligned with both business objectives and technical realities.

Information Architecture
I audited existing content and created a new sitemap that reflected how people actually looked for information — not how departments were structured. Tree testing with staff validated the new navigation. I also used AI tools to cross-check that we’d covered typical intranet categories and patterns.

Design & Iteration
Because we were working in SharePoint, I explored which templates and components we could use while still maintaining flexibility and a strong visual identity.

I created wireframes for key templates including: Home, News Home, News Article, Downloads, and Department Home. Linking them into clickable prototypes helped test how people would move through the site.

User testing sessions with department champions were invaluable. We discovered small but impactful improvements — such as clearer document labels and better grouping of internal news. These refinements made the final design more intuitive and enjoyable to use.

High-Fidelity Design & Delivery
Once we validated the structure and flow, I produced high-fidelity designs reflecting Betfred’s refreshed brand. The new visual system felt bold yet professional, with clear typography, bright accents, and strong visual hierarchy.

A style guide captured typography, colour, and component rules to ensure long-term consistency. I worked closely with developers during handoff and QA, checking that the final build stayed faithful to the design and performed well across devices.

The Solution

The result was a modern, unified intranet that brought together more than 10,000 employees under one digital roof.

It gave staff a single, reliable source for company updates, documents, and training. It made it easy to find people, policies, and department information. And it reflected Betfred’s brand in a way that felt fresh, cohesive, and professional.

Highlights of the final experience:

• A clean, intuitive navigation that helped users find what they needed fast

• A central news feed with regular updates from across the business

• A document repository that standardised where key policies and training materials lived

• Dedicated department pages, helping teams like HR and Compliance share updates in one place

• A robust framework that’s flexible enough for future growth and localisation

Most importantly, it was built on user feedback at every stage — from early workshops to user testing. The final product wasn’t just designed for staff, but with them.

Impact & Outcomes

After launch, the numbers spoke for themselves:

• User engagement: ↑ 6.6%

• Page views: ↑ 8.7%

• Clicks: ↑ 10%

• File downloads: ↑ 71% (suggesting people were finding what they needed)

• Search usage: ↓ 42% (suggesting navigation was working effectively)

Business-wide, the intranet created:

• Centralised access to key business updates and documents

• Increased productivity through better communication and information flow

• Fewer errors thanks to standardised policies and procedures

• A stronger sense of connection across Retail and Digital teams

In short, this project transformed Betfred’s intranet from an underused, outdated system into a vital communication hub that supports the business every day.

It proved that when you listen to users, simplify access, and design with empathy, you can create something that genuinely changes how people work — and that’s what great UX is all about!