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Add a knowledge base to your App

What is a knowledge base?​

A Knowledge base is what we call your public library and documentation. If users want to know anything about your app, they should be able to find it in the knowledge base and educate themselves.

Basics​

  • Always write knowledge base articles using the wordpress editor, and avoid copying & pasting from another program. If you prefer to write elsewhere, make sure to clear all text formatting before pasting it into the Wordpress editor - copying your text into windows notepad and then from there to Wordpress should work.

  • Keep your article short, clear and to the point to help your users find what they are looking for.

  • Pay attention to language and grammar rules - ask us for help in editing if you want to make sure!

Best practices​

  • First time users that just installed your app have never used it before and probably need guidance in making the most out of your app’s features. A well made FTUE (First Time User Experience) greatly increases the chances of retaining your users, read more about first time user experience here.

  • While each app has different information to share, all apps can benefit from a knowledgebase that includes a FAQ and troubleshooting articles. Try to include all the information the user might need.

  • Implementing screenshots & GIFs into articles is strongly recommended and improves user experience.

  • Keep things tight - visual materials you place in articles should only show exactly what you are referring to. Make sure images are clean and have either a black or white background to improve knowledge base look'n'feel.

  • If you mark anything in your screenshots, please do it in an aesthetic way - symmetric rectangles, circles, arrows often work.

  • Try to keep images in your articles consistent in size. Images shouldn't be too big to fit in the window but also not too small to read text comfortably.

  • Knowledge base articles are linked directly to your app's main screen via the ‘?’ icon.

  • You are welcome and encouraged to add more articles to your knowledge base. For example, an updated Changelog is great for users.

Writing guidelines​

  • Header – A short, engaging description of your app. Font size should be Heading 3.

  • Headlines - Organize your article using headlines breaking each page into different topics. Use font size 18 and format text as bold.

  • All texts should be written in normal font size and not be formatted either bold or italic, unless there is a need to emphasize a specific point.

Check out Outplayed's knowledge base to get an idea of how it should look like "here".

Mandatory articles​

Each app should have two mandatory articles:

What does it do?​

This article explains the functionality and usage of your app. For example, Legendary Builds does this by splitting the app to two separate segments, the first focused on out-of-game experience, detailing functionality with screen by screen visuals and explaining every feature showing on the screen.

The second part is focused on in-game experience and guides the user in making the most out of the app while playing.

For reference, check out this 'what does it do' article by Outplayed here.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)​

The second mandatory article is your app's Frequently Asked Questions section, or FAQ. This is where you keep answers to common questions asked by your users. Even if not asked directly, you can also use the FAQ to cover questions you think might come up.

Take a look at this good FAQ example made by Outplayed

Troubleshooting​

Another article we found useful for gamers in a technical one focused on issues the app has and how to fix them. Just like in the FAQ, you should figure out what issues matter most to your userbase. You might have encountered some issues reported repeatedly or otherwise spotted an issue that you would like to help your users solve.

A good example for this kind of article, the Legendary Builds – Troubleshooting article.

Submitting an article​

To release a new article:

  1. Create your article in a google sheet document.

  2. Fill in this form and make sure you put the PUBLIC link.

  3. We will review and edit the article and release it to the help center and share the link with you.