The ability to create user-friendly, easy to navigate, and helpful knowledgebase articles is a key “soft skill'” in IT. A knowledgebase with a significant number of such articles can significantly reduce the number of support tickets your team receives, saving time and resources for both you and your users, and contributing to end-user satisfaction. Here are a few tips for how to write a good knowledgebase article:
- Choose the Right Topic
The first step to creating a useful knowledgebase article is choosing a good topic. To do this, it’s essential to understand the common issues that end-users experience. This can be done by reviewing support tickets or analyzing user feedback. Think back to recent support interactions you’ve had: are there issues that the user could have resolved themselves with a link to a good article? What issues are you hearing from users that they would feel comfortable trying to address themselves? Once you have a list of potential topics, prioritize them based on their frequency and severity. Ask your manager or team lead for help with this, if necessary. This way, you can focus on creating articles that are most likely to help users.
- Use Clear and Concise Language
When writing knowledgebase articles, it’s essential to use clear and concise language. Avoid using technical jargon and acronyms that end-users may not understand. Instead, use plain language that is easy to understand.
- Use Steps and Add Visual Content
Break down complex concepts into simple steps or bullet points. Providing step-by-step instructions with screenshots or screen recordings of the entire process is an excellent way to make your knowledgebase articles more helpful and user-friendly. Users can follow along with the instructions while seeing exactly what they need to do on their own screen.
Tools such as Scribe can help simplify this process. Scribe is a screen recording and editing tool that makes it easy to capture your screen and create step-by-step instructions. With Scribe, you can record your screen, edit your video, add text overlays and annotations, and export your video to a variety of formats.
- Keep It Short and Sweet
End-users don’t have time to read lengthy articles. Keep your knowledgebase articles short and sweet. Focus on the most important information and provide step-by-step instructions. If necessary, provide links to additional resources for users who want to learn more.
- Organize Your Content With Headings and Subheadings
Organizing your content is critical to creating a useful knowledgebase. Use clear headings and subheadings to break up your content into manageable sections. Use a table of contents or search function to help users find the information they need quickly.
- Test Your Knowledgebase Article
Before publishing your knowledgebase article, test it thoroughly. Try following your own instructions to ensure that they are accurate and easy to understand. Ask a colleague or end-user to review your article and provide feedback. This will help you identify any areas that may need improvement before you publish your article.