As part of our lead-up to the launch of People-First Internal Communication, we invited Alex Graves, Chief Visionary Officer at Silicon Reef, to share the story behind their multi-year digital transformation partnership with the University of Leeds — a project that also features in the book.
It’s a case study that beautifully captures what we believe at People Lab:
successful digital transformation begins with people, not platforms.
A complex landscape with one clear problem: fragmentation
When Silicon Reef first engaged with the university, the scale of complexity was immediately clear:
- Nearly 9,000 staff
- 650+ websites
- An intranet split across multiple platforms
- 500+ self-created Teams sites
- No consistent governance
- No single version of the truth
The result? A confused, inconsistent digital experience and staff spending far too long trying to find basic information.
This wasn’t just a technology issue — it was an employee experience issue.
A listening-first approach that shaped the entire programme
What makes this case study stand out is the depth and intentionality of the discovery stage.
Over a three-month period, Silicon Reef:
- Ran extensive surveys
- Held focus groups across faculties
- Analysed pain points
- Brought stakeholders together in a structured Envision session
The Envision workshop was pivotal.
By focusing on real people, real roles, and real stories, the team created a shared vision statement that became the North Star for the entire programme.
This is the heart of people-first transformation:
clarity, co-creation, and understanding before design begins.
Turning insight into a roadmap — not just an intranet
The technology solution was Microsoft 365 — but the real value was how insight translated into action.
Silicon Reef created a two-year roadmap that:
- Sequenced activities based on real employee needs
- Prioritised governance and simplification
- Built an ambassador network to sustain adoption
- Defined a future-ready digital workplace, not just a website
- Ensured the crawl → walk → run → fly maturity progression
It wasn’t about launching a shiny new intranet.
It was about designing an ecosystem that improved experience, performance, and connection across the university.
The future of work is already here — but capability needs to catch up
One of the most striking parts of the webinar was the conversation about the future of digital experience.
AI-generated audio summaries, text-to-video content, agent-based navigation, and voice search are already arriving. But most organisations aren’t yet ready to take advantage — not because the technology isn’t there, but because the foundations and capabilities aren’t.
Great internal communication and EX aren’t built on tech alone.
They rely on:
- Governance
- Clarity
- Design thinking
- Listening
- Change capability
- Skills, confidence, and leadership
This case study shows what becomes possible when those elements are in place.
How People Lab Can Help
If your organisation is navigating similar challenges — fragmented tools, low channel adoption, inconsistent governance, or the need to build a more coherent digital ecosystem — we can help.
People Lab specialises in:
- Listening and insight
- Employee experience strategy
- Internal comms and EX capability building
- Human-centred digital workplace design
- Culture and behavioural alignment
- Turning complex insights into meaningful action
We’d love to talk about your context, challenges, and ambitions.
Get in touch to explore how we can support your digital or EX transformation. And for practical tools and learning, you can also explore our sister platform, The EX Space — home to courses, toolkits, and community support.
Watch the webinar > https://www.theexspace.com/course/exfile-leedsuniversity
