A digital file designed so that people with visual, physical, cognitive, or hearing impairments can read and navigate it easily using assistive technology like screen readers.

Ensuring that all electronic tools, documents, websites, and learning materials meet federal accessibility standards so individuals with disabilities can use them equally and independently.

A short written description embedded in the code of an image or graphic to explain what the visual shows and why it matters.

The measurement and tracking of how users and search engines interact with your help documentation.

A bridge that allows other software programs to automatically search, read, write, or sync articles and data without using the human website interface.

Tthe difference in luminance (brightness) between the text color and its background color. It is a fundamental element of web accessibility (specifically under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG), ensuring that documentation, articles, and guides are easily readable for all users, including those with visual impairments like color blindness or low vision.

A styling language used to control the visual presentation, layout, and branding of KB documents and websites.

A plain text file format used to store tabular data like tables or spreadsheets.

A set of defined processes that help your KB Group obtain, organize, store and deliver information crucial to its operation in the most effective manner possible. The stages of a document’s lifecycle include: creation, publication (site access), categorizing (topics and/or audiences), keywords, metadata tagging, delivery or sharing, repurposing, review and reporting, archiving and / or deletion.

An integrated media tool (such as a video or audio player) placed directly inside an article so users can view or listen to content without leaving the page.

Is a standard identifier attribute that uniquely identifies a person at a campus. At UW–Madison, an ePPN is always formatted as NetID@wisc.edu. It behaves the same as a campus NetID on local systems, but it is scoped so it can work globally. It is the preferred identifier for applications that interact with federated login systems (like SAML Federation, InCommon, or eduGAIN) because it guarantees uniqueness across different universities and worldwide institutions.

Focuses on known-item seeking. When a user has a specific problem and searches or clicks through menus, high findability means the user reaches the correct solution quickly.

An option that examines all words across every published document rather than just looking at titles or assigned keywords.

The visual layout that lets users and authors interact with the system using buttons, icons, and menus instead of text commands.

The standard coding language used to structure content and give it meaning inside a knowledge base articles. It uses special markers called tags (like <p> for paragraphs or <h1> for headings) to tell the system and browser how to organize text, insert images, build tables, and create clickable links.

A clickable element in an article that lets users jump to related content, specific sections within the same page, or external web resources.

A design and content strategy that ensures information can be found, read, and understood by people of all backgrounds, abilities, languages, and technical skill levels.

Backend management features in the KnowledgeBase System used by administrators and authors to create, organize, bulk-import, and control access to documentation.

A digital document that provides instructions, answers, or troubleshooting steps to help users solve a specific problem or learn how to use a specific campus service.

The practice of creating, organizing, sharing, maintaining, and improving institutional knowledge.

A centralized library of online help articles, guides, protocols, how-tos, minutes, documentation and more

The main entry or home page that welcomes visitors and helps them find the guides or answers they need.

The active, public-facing (or production) or internal (restricted viewing) of your KB groups space where end-users view published articles, FAQs, and guides in real time.

A dynamic system documentation that provides information that is current, accurate and easy to understand. Documents that are written in a natural language format serve as the core of living documentation. Your content experts can review the documentation to ensure that it describes the desired behavior of the system from a logical standpoint.

A security process that requires users to provide two or more different verification factors to prove their identity before gaining access to a knowledge base space.

A static document file that is stored, linked, converted, or embedded to supply information to users. KB Users can attach PDF files directly into digital articles so readers may view or download forms, manuals, and guides without leaving the page.

Clear, concise writing that lets users find information, understand it the first time, and use it to solve a problem.

UW-Madison KnowledgeBase, itself, is a web-based platform. It is a centralized, cloud-hosted software environment provided by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT).

An image format designed as an improved replacement for GIF. Like GIF, PNG uses lossless compression, meaning all image data is preserved when decompressed for viewing. PNG files typically use the .png extension.

The method your browser uses to load the page securely, typically https://.

A document that a user can find and read independently to solve a problem without talking to customer support

A document that is visible to its intended audience after approval and release.

A scheduled routine used to check, update, and verify that published articles remain accurate and useful.

A permissions model that grants access based on a user's role.

A calculated score that determines how well and in what order documents match a user's search query.

Allows internal users to view every single document published on a specific KB site.

This command functions strictly on internal, authenticated KB sites. It does not display restricted documents to the public. Instead of typing keywords to filter by a topic, entering showalldocs into the search bar triggers the system to bypass standard search parameters and return a complete catalog of all live, published documents belonging to that site's repository. 

An authentication method that lets users log into your KB site using their existing institution credentials.

The unique end part of the path that identifies the exact article, often automatically created from the article's title (e.g., /how-to-reset-password)

An XML-based file format used to describe two-dimensional vector images. It is typically used as a clean, sharp graphic format for UI icons, diagrams, logos, flowcharts, and technical illustrations. Unlike pixel-based formats (like PNG or JPEG), SVGs use mathematical formulas, points, and lines to render images.

A pre-built structural framework or document layout that guides authors on how to organize, format, and write support articles. Instead of starting with a blank page, document creators use templates so every article shares a uniform design, standard headings, and required metadata.

The specific web address used to locate and access an individual help article, category page, or document.

A system that tracks, records, and manages changes to documents and articles over time.

International technical standards used to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities.

Designing help articles, search bars, and navigation menus so users with disabilities can access them.

A technology that uses radio waves to let devices connect to the internet and each other without using physical cables.

The defined process an article follows from creation through review, approval, publication, revision, and retirement.

A single archive file that bundles and compresses multiple files and folders together to save space and make sharing easier.