Top Features to Include in Your Custom SharePoint Site Design

Microsoft SharePoint is one of the most popular sites for developing customized websites to assist businesses in organizing, managing, and sharing information. The difference between an excellent site and a good one can lie in the right features included. This article covers the top features you should include in your custom SharePoint site design to meet the needs of your organization. 

1. User-Friendly Navigation

Navigation is the single most important element on a SharePoint site. If users can’t find what they are looking for, there are problems. Easy navigation involves all of the steps below. 

• Clear Menus: Have a clean and logical menu structure. Group related items together and keep the number of menu items manageable.
• Breadcrumbs: Include breadcrumbs to help users track their location within the site.
• Quick Links: Add a section for frequently accessed links to improve efficiency.
• Search Bar: It should be visibly shown with the ability to provide keyword suggestions and filtering capabilities.

2. Responsive Design

Today, no SharePoint site can be complete without the ability to function on different devices. Responsive design ensures that the site automatically adjusts its layout and functionality based on the screen size. Here are some factors to consider in responsive design:

• Mobile Compatible: The site should be optimized for use on smartphones and tablet devices.
• Touch -Friendly Elements: Use larger buttons and touch-friendly interfaces for easy navigation on mobile devices.
• Highly Scaling Images and Fonts: The images and text should scale accordingly on different screen sizes.

3. Custom Branding

Professional branding integrates a SharePoint site into the company’s identity, giving it a cohesive and unified look. Here are some considerations:

• Logo and colors: Use logo and brand colors throughout the site.
• Custom themes: Create custom themes for the identity of your organization.
• Consistent Fonts: Use fonts matching your brand guidelines for a consistent look. 
• Home Page Design: Visually appealing home page for branding while highlighting key content.

4. Document Management System (DMS)

A strong SharePoint document management system is the spine of any SharePoint site. It would let the users save, organize as well as easily collaborate on documents. Here are some major features: 

• Version Control: Track document changes and restore previous versions when needed.
• Metadata Tagging: Classify and easily search documents using metadata.
• Permissions and Security: Control who can view, edit, or share specific files. 
• Integration with Office Applications: Seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Office tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for efficient editing and collaboration.

5. Collaboration

SharePoint facilitates collaboration, so it’s essential to include features that promote team-oriented productivity. Consider incorporating the following:

• Microsoft Teams Integration: Allow users to communicate via chat, calls, and meetings directly from the site. 

• Co-Authoring: Enable multiple users to work on documents simultaneously. 

• Shared Calendars: Include calendars for scheduling and tracking important events. 

• Discussion Boards: Provide forums for team discussions and idea sharing. 

6. Workflow Automation

Streamline processes by incorporating automation into your SharePoint site. Workflows can save time and reduce errors in routine tasks. Popular automation features include: 

•  Approval Workflows: Automate document approvals with predefined processes.
• Task Assignments: Assign tasks to team members and track their progress.
•  Alerts and Notifications: Notify users of updates, deadlines, or changes.
•  Integration with Power Automate: Use Power Automate to create custom workflows for complex processes.

7. Custom Lists and Libraries

Custom lists and libraries help you organize information specific to your business needs. Some examples are:  

• Task Lists: Track tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities. 
• Project Libraries: Store and manage project-related files in one place. 
• Asset Libraries: Record company assets like equipment or software licenses. 
• Issue Tracking: Create lists for tracking and resolving issues efficiently.

8. Advanced Search Capabilities

A good search function is necessary to find information quickly. SharePoint’s advanced search features can improve user experience:  

• Search Filters: Allow users to filter results by metadata, file type, or date. 
• Keyword Suggestions: Provide suggestions as users type their queries. 
• Saved Searches: Enable users to save frequently used search queries for easy access. 
• People Search: Include a feature to search for employees based on name, department, or expertise.

9. Analytics and Reporting

Analytics tools help in getting insightful views about the usage of your SharePoint site. Add some or all of these features to the toolset: 

• Usage Reports: These would provide insights on page views, unique visitors, and content that is being accessed most frequently.
• User Behavior Analytics: Identify where and how the user navigates to identify points for improvement.
• Document Insights: What’s being used about the document’s download and collaboration rates?
• Power BI Integration: Leverage Power BI to develop advanced reports and dashboards to dissect.

10. Permissions and Access Control

Access permissions must be managed in such a way as to ensure security as well as ensure the right people are accessing the right information. Major features include: 

• Role-Based Access: This includes assigning permissions based on roles like admin, editor, or viewer. 
• Granular Permissions: Access can be controlled at the document, library, or site level. 
• Audit Logs: Monitoring access and changes for accountability. 
• External Sharing: Enables secure sharing with external partners or clients.

11. Social Capabilities

Add social features to your SharePoint site to make it more interesting and interactive. These may include: 

• Newsfeeds: Create newsfeeds for company updates or team announcements.
• Employee Profiles: Permit users to build profiles with contact information, skills, and photos.
• Community Sites: Build dedicated spaces for interest groups or departments
• Like and Comment Features: Permit users to engage with content through likes and comments.

12. Mobile App Integration

 Make your SharePoint site accessible from a mobile app. Key features are: 

• Offline Access: Allow access to important files and information when users do not have an internet connection.
• Push Notifications: Deliver alerts and updates directly to the user’s mobile device.
• Mobile-Friendly Navigation: Ensure that menus and layouts adapt well to the smaller screens of mobile devices.
• Cross-Platform Support: The site must be supported across all platforms including iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

13. Custom Workspaces

Custom workspaces can make teams perform efficiently based on the nature of the project or department. Some features to include are:  

• Dedicated Pages: Ensure pages for teams and projects.
• Custom Widgets: Incorporate widgets for KPI tracking, tasks, or deadline tracking.
• Project Templates: Leverage templates to streamline workflows for projects.
• Connect to Third-Party Tools: Enable teams to use any third-party tools in the SharePoint environment.

14. Security and Compliance Tools

Security is the top concern of any business. SharePoint offers the following features to ensure data safety and compliance: 

• Data Encryption: Encrypt all data both at rest and in transit.
• Compliance Policies: Implement policies for industry-specific compliance, such as GDPR or HIPAA.
• Retention Labels: Apply retention policies for documents and emails to comply.
• Discovery Tools: Allow the search for and retrieval of information regarding legal and/or compliance needs with eDiscovery.

15. Training and Support Materials

In terms of getting everyone using your SharePoint site, giving training and support resources is pretty essential. Add these: 

• Help Centre: Add your FAQs, your tutorials, troubleshooting guides.
• Training Modules: For the first user, this module should provide detailed guidelines or video walkthroughs to ensure a smooth onboarding process.
• Contact Support: Add the ability for users to submit support requests or contact IT.
• Community Forums: Give users a place to ask questions and share tips.

Conclusion

If SharePoint is designed correctly, there is a strong potential to boost productivity, enhance collaboration, and improve information management. The right selection of features—whether simple navigation tools, effective collaboration tools, or robust security measures—can be achieved through a custom-built site tailored to the specific needs of your organization. Whether it’s streamlining workflows or ensuring secure document sharing, taking the time to thoughtfully plan and design the site will result in a tailored, efficient, and user-friendly platform that meets your organization’s goals and supports its success.

As an expert SharePoint development company, Code Creators can help you design a custom SharePoint site that aligns with your organization’s needs. You can hire SharePoint developers from our team to create a personalized, functional, and secure platform that enhances collaboration and information management within your company.