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Visualizing Information Architecture - A library analogy

The CXone Expert platform's information architecture is structured like a library. It uses Categories, Guides, and Articles to help users easily navigate and find relevant information. By structuring your own Expert site like a library, you can create an intuitive and easy-to-navigate IA that helps your customers find the information they need quickly and efficiently, improving their overall experience with your site.

Just as a library is organized to help you find the books you need, the CXone Expert platform is structured to help customers easily navigate through information. This article will use the analogy of a library to explain how CXone Expert pages (Category, Guide, Article) are used to build the information architecture (IA). 

A library comparison 

Imagine walking into a library. The first thing you notice is the division of books into different sections or Categories. These Categories could be Fiction, Non-fiction, History, Science, and others.

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Similarly, in CXone Expert we have Category pages. These pages are like the different sections in a library, helping to broadly classify information.

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Within each Category in a library, there are specific sub-categories that lead to more specific groups of books. For example, in the Fiction section, you might find sub-genres like sci-fi, romance, or fantasy. In Expert, these are also Category Pages that help to further narrow down the information and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. 

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Within each of these Categories, you find individual books, each providing specific information. In the library of CXone Expert, these are the Guide pages.

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In each Guide page you will find article pages that contain specific, detailed information on a particular topic. In Expert, this is where most of your content will live.

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Build your Information Architecture

Now that you understand the basics of CXone Expert Information Architecture (IA), you can create an IA based on your industry. The key to a successful IA is to keep the customer and the intent of the content in mind. Think about what information they need, how they might navigate and search for it, and how you can make that process as easy as possible for them.

  1. Identify Categories: Start by identifying the broad categories that your information can be divided into. This could be different products, personas, or services. These Categories should represent the major topics or areas that your customers are interested in. 
  2. Create sub-categories: Within each Category, identify sub-topics that deserve their own sub-category. These should provide a path to more specific information within each Category.  
  3. Create Guides: Within each sub-category, further narrow down your topic to more specific information.
    (You can add Guide pages on the homepage, or directly below your first Category page.)
  4. Write Articles for each Guide: Finally, for each Guide, write detailed articles on specific topics. These articles should provide the specific information that your customers are looking for. 

 

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