2022 KnowledgeBase (KB) User Group Meeting

Welcome to the 2022 KB User Group Meeting

The KB team will provide a quick overview of the events for this week, how to join them, and methods for connecting with others in the KB user community. This will include some time for Q&A.

• Session 1 recording

Icebreak-outs and Networking

Join us for a fun breakout session to kick off the week! We'll set up rooms for you to meet others who work with the KB and get to know each other. This is intended to be an informal discussion and an opportunity to meet your fellow KB admins.

• Breakouts were not recorded to allow for open discussion

Sort Yourself Out: Using Card Sorting to Organize Your KB Site

Card sorting is a useful activity to help you understand how your users intuitively group content. We'll show you how we used card sorting to analyze the TinyMCE editor menus and discuss how you can put it to use for your own site.

• Session 3 recording

Grow Your KB Garden: Exploring and Validating Success

We’ll discuss how to gather and use data to identify if your content and resources are meeting users’ needs. Learn to avoid pitfalls, gain insight beyond Helpfulness votes, and update content for better engagement and successful user support.

• Session 4 recording

Fixing Common Errors Using the TinyMCE Accessibility Checker

Creating accessible content is one of the simplest ways to help make your KB inclusive. In this session, we'll review some of the most common errors reported by the Accessibility Checker and show you how to fix them (and avoid them in the future)!

• Session 5 recording
• Accessibility resources handout

Internal Support Toolkits for a Help Desk

Collaborating in help desk environments can have many support challenges. Creating toolkits turns those challenges into strengths. Team application/resource management and troubleshooting toolkits can provide relief for you and your team! Our help desk uses the knowledge base to support our customers, so we use the power of the knowledge base to support our team as well.

• Session 6 recording

Moving Toward Natural Language Search

Have you ever wished you could just type a question into the KB search? In this session, we'll show you the improvements we're working on and how they could allow natural language searching.

• Session 7 recording
• Additional reference: 2022 KnowledgeBase (KB) User Group Meeting - Moving Toward Natural Language Search

Digital Prototyping: How We Use Figma to Explore New KB Ideas

Learn how to think like a UX/UI designer and explore new ideas for your KB site (or just anything, really). In this session you'll learn the...

• benefits of digital prototyping
• basics of Figma, an online prototyping tool
• steps of the design thinking process
• process we used to prototype a new landing page for the UW-Madison KnowledgeBase using Figma

Let's start designing!

• Session 8 recording

The Right Content for the Right People: Content Restrictions in the KB

The KB offers a number of ways to restrict your content, and many groups have very different needs. In this session, we'll walk through use cases for the different types of access control, and we'll show you how to apply each of them in your site.

• Session 9 recording
• Additional reference: [Link for document 120094 is unavailable at this time]

Plain Language for Clear Communication

Whether you’re writing new text or updating exiting documentation, use plain language to help your users understand content the first time they read it. Learn and practice strategies on word choice, grammar, organization, formatting, and more to communicate more effectively with your audience. Plain language writing sounds simple, but it takes skill and practice. If you want to improve the overall readability of your KB documentation, this session is for you!

• Session 10 recording

Play "Buy a Feature" With the KB Team

In this interactive session, attendees will get a chance to flex some purchasing power in the KB! Using a virtual whiteboard (Mural), we'll supply a list of potential KB features, and you'll tell us which ones you'd put your money behind. This is a great opportunity to help us understand which features are the most important to you.

• Activity not recorded to allow for open discussion

KB Trivia

Test your knowledge of the KB in this fun trivia competition! We'll have a variety of questions related to the KB, our campus sites, and our external partners. The quickest answer gets the most points. Will you come out on top?

• Trivia not recorded

Two Worlds Collide: Searching the KnowledgeBase from Your Website

Within the WiscWeb service at UW-Madison, a plugin is available to integrate a site search and a search of a KB Group Space. This can create a relationship between your two sites and provide more in-depth information to site visitors. In this session, we'll show you how this plug-in works and how you can enable it for your own WiscWeb site.

• Session 13 recording

Live Demo of Google Analytics 4

This session will examine the new Google Analytics platform. Attendees will see an overview of the new system and have a chance to ask questions.

• Session 14 recording
• Session 14 handout

"Birds of a Feather" Breakouts

This breakout session provides an opportunity to discuss topics that are important to you and learn from your fellow KB admins and authors. You'll be able to choose from topics such as:

• Landing page design
• Managing topic trees
• Content structure and style
• Keeping content up-to-date
• Managing users and workflows
  
• Advertising your KB site

Come and chat with us!

• Breakouts not recorded to allow for open discussion

KB Team Q&A

This will be a panel-style session during which the KB Team will answer any service-related questions that have been submitted throughout the week.

• Q&A not recorded due to low attendance

In-Person Networking at Memorial Union Terrace

It's been a long time since many of us have been able to see each other in person! We invite those who are able to join us for a casual outdoor gathering at the Memorial Union Terrace. You are welcome to drop in at any time and stay as long as you'd like.