You can subdivide your Help Center content into tightly focused sections, using any information pattern that suits your purpose. Thoughtful organization of the articles in your Help Center can make it easier for people to educate themselves and solve their own problems, proactively.
And even before you release a new product or service, you can probably anticipate at a high level the types of concerns that your end-users or would-be end-users may raise. For example, suppose that your product is a video game. You might then anticipate sections such as these:
- ACCESS — account activation and cancellation, login credentials, advancing between game levels, unfreezing a locked account, saving games, reloading saved games
- HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE — supported GPUs, supported platforms, minimum requirements, peripheral devices, network connection speed
- MONEY — pricing, payments, payment methods, billing cycles, renewals, credits, refunds, in-game currency
- IN-WORLD GAMEPLAY — concepts, rules, cheat codes, characters, beasts, settings, alliances, conflicts, attributes, power, wealth, prestige, influence, reputations, in-game physics, legends, spells and charms, tools, weapons, rewards, punishments
Each product or service is unique to some degree, but its distinctiveness shouldn’t prevent you from sorting your Help Center content into high-level sections.
Sections are an organizational convenience and a navigational aid, nudging your players toward whatever information may be most meaningful to them in the moment. Common sections include the following:
- Account
- Announcements
- Billing
- Community
- General
- Getting Started
- How-to
- Known Issues
- Privacy
- Release Notes
- Safety
- Security
- Settings
- Subscriptions
- Terms of Service
- Tips and Tricks
- Troubleshooting