A knowledge base can contain the right answer and still fail the customer.
I think organization and searchablity is one of the most common reasons why.
Companies naturally think about their products from an internal point of view:
Models
Versions
Components
Systems
Features
Departments
Separating knowlegebase content by product model or category is one common approach.
Customers usually think differently. They’re thinking:
“How do I get this connected?”
“Why isn’t this calibrating properly?”
“How do I replace this part?”
“What does this error mean?”
“How do I get back to what I was trying to do?”
That creates an interesting documentation problem for us.
The company may organize information according to how the product is structured. It’s very natural to categorize documentation the way you would categorize the individual products. It feels more organized that way.
However, the customer searches documentation according to the task they’re trying to complete or the problem they’re having. Structuring the knowledgebase in this way may help to guide the customer to the information they need more quickly.
Imagine the customer is having issues getting through product setup and is frustrated. They go to the knowledgebase for assistance with the process, and they first have to select the product model they have.
They may not know the exact model they purchased. They may think to themselves “where do I even find the model number for this stupid thing?!” and their frustration grows. Now they have a new problem to solve before they can get back to solving their initial problem.
Structuring documentation by what the customer is trying to do or the question they have can be a more streamlined approach.
Both approaches make sense. But only one reflects the customer’s immediate problem - finding the information they need quickly.
That’s why when reviewing documentation, I look beyond “Is there an article about this?” and ask “Would a customer know where to find the article about this?”
Good documentation isn’t only accurate. It also needs to be discoverable when someone needs it.
Sometimes the problem isn’t missing content. It’s that the customer simply can’t navigate the company’s internal logic, and is expecting something totally different.
Want to make it easier for customers to successfully set up, understand, and use your product?
The Product Success Sprint helps uncover the friction getting in their way and where to focus your improvements first.
