Service Catalog/Portal A-Z Glossary

Service Catalog/Portal A-Z Glossary with concise understanding of crucial Service Catalog and Portal terminologies, acronyms, and concepts. With a focus on UI/UX design principles, this resource demystifies complexities, making it accessible for both seasoned IT professionals and aspiring UX designers.

Gain confidence in navigating and optimizing these essential components as you explore the alphabetically arranged entries. Empower yourself with the knowledge to craft seamless, user-centric interfaces.

A

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): A branch of computer science focused on creating systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. Ref: Artificial Intelligence A-Z Glossary
• Approvals Workflow: A defined process for obtaining necessary authorizations or permissions before a request is fulfilled.

B

• Breadcrumb: A navigational element that shows the user’s current location within a website or application’s hierarchical structure.

C

• Catalog Item: A Catalog Item is a form used to submit information, a request, or to create a task. Catalog Items contain questions that gather information from users to create a record in a table. In ServiceNow you can use App Engine Studio (AES) to easily create customized Catalog Items that users can access in Service Portal and on mobile devices. Reference: Add an application experience
• Chatbot: A chatbot is an AI-powered messaging application that can simulate human conversation and interpret, process, and follow through creating tickets, getting status, or directing information on user requests. Reference; ServiceNow Virtual-Agent Chatbot
• CTA (Call to Action): An element (like a button or link) that encourages users to take a specific action, such as submitting a form or making a purchase.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A style sheet language used to control the presentation and layout of HTML documents.

D

• Dark Mode: A display setting that uses a dark background with light text, designed to reduce eye strain in low-light environments.
• Design Sprint: A design sprint is a five-day process of design, prototyping and testing ideas to solve specific business problems.
• Dropdown Menu: A list of options that appears when a user clicks or hovers over a specific element.

E

• Empathy Map: An empathy map is a tool that helps designers visualize what users say, think, do, and feel about their product or service experience. The tool helps designers build with end user empathy.
• Employee Journey: The employee journey describes the time duration that an employee spends with a specific company, encompassing all relevant events and touchpoints. Reference: Employee Journey Management ServiceNow
• Employee Onboarding: The process of integrating a new employee into the company, including providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and information to become productive members of the team.
• Eye Tracking: The process of measuring where a user’s gaze is focused on a screen, used in usability studies to understand user behavior.

F

• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions): A list of common questions and answers related to a particular topic, designed to provide quick information to users.
• Feedback: Information provided to a user in response to an action, helping them understand the result of their interaction.
• Fulfillment Process: The steps and actions taken to fulfill a request or provide a service to a user.

G

• Grid System: A layout design technique that organizes content into rows and columns, providing structure and alignment.

H

• Hamburger Menu: A type of hidden menu often represented by three horizontal lines, which, when clicked, reveals navigation options.
• HRSD: Stands for HR Service Delivery. ServiceNow HRSD can be used to solve our HR related queries including HR Case and Knowledge Management; Employee Service Center; Lifecycle Events; HR Integrations; HR Performance Analytics; Employee Document Management; Now Mobile Apps for HRSD; Mobile Onboarding application. Reference: HR Service Delivery – HR Management

I

• Inclusive Design: A process of creating products and services for people of diverse backgrounds and abilities designed to consider accessibility, age, language, location, race, and socioeconomic status.
• Information Architecture (IA): The organization and structure of content within a system, application, or website.
• Interaction Design (IxD): The design discipline focused on defining the behavior of interactive elements within a user interface.
• UI (User Interface): The visual elements and controls through which a user interacts with a digital product or system.
• UX (User Experience): The overall experience a user has with a product, including usability, accessibility, and emotional aspects.

K

• KPI (Key Performance Indicator): A measurable metric used to evaluate the effectiveness and success of a design or user experience.
• Knowledge Centered Service:
• Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) describes a way of interacting with knowledge which enables teams to answer questions quickly; deliver answers in search, and train new employees faster. Reference: Glossary of KCS Terms – Consortium for Service Innovation
• Knowledge Management: The process of capturing, organizing, and storing knowledge resources within an organization to make it easily accessible to employees. Reference: Knowledge Categorization “Find-ability”

L

• Landing Page: A landing page is a standalone page focused on one goal and disconnected from a website’s navigation
• Layout: The arrangement of visual elements on a page or screen, including the distribution of text, images, and interactive components.

M

• Machine Learning: A subset of AI that allows systems to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
• Metatag: A tag or keyword added to a resource (such as a web page or document) to describe its content and facilitate categorization and search.
• Mockup: A static visual representation or design of a user interface, often used for presentations or client reviews.

N

• Navigation: The system or elements that allow users to move within a website or application.
• New Hire Onboarding: The process of integrating a new employee into an organization, providing them with the necessary resources, information, and support for a successful start.

O

• Offboarding Process: The process of transitioning an employee out of an organization, including tasks like returning company property and revoking system access.
• Order Guide: A guided process that allows users to request multiple items or services in a structured manner. Reference: Request an order guide from Employee Center

P

• Persona: A fictional character representing a user type or audience segment, used to inform design decisions.
• Portal: ServiceNow self-service portals are for both customers and employees. A user-friendly interface that allows users to access and request services from the Service Catalog. These portals provide central access to service information, support, and knowledge on mobile devices, or desktops.

R

• Request Item: A specific item or service that a user can request through the Service Catalog.
• Request Management Process: The end-to-end process of receiving, evaluating, and fulfilling user requests.
• Responsive Design: Designing a website or application to adapt and provide an optimal user experience across various devices and screen sizes.

S

• Service Catalog: A centralized directory of services offered by an organization, providing users with a clear understanding of available options. Reference: Service Catalog Design – Customer Success
• Service Catalog Approvals Workflow: The defined process for obtaining approvals for requests made through the Service Catalog.
• Service Catalog Cart: A virtual cart where users can review and manage their selected items or services before submitting a request.
• Service Catalog Search: The functionality that allows users to search for specific services or items within the Service Catalog.
• Service Catalog Task: A specific task associated with the fulfillment of a service request.
• Service Category: A broad classification of services within the Service Catalog.
• Service Portal: A user-friendly interface that allows users to access and request services from the Service Catalog.
• Sitemap: A visual or hierarchical representation of the structure and organization of a website.
• Storyboards: Sequential visual representations of a user’s journey through a website or application.
• Subcategory: A more specific classification of services within a Service Category.

T

• Taxonomy: A hierarchical classification system used to organize and categorize information or resources.
• Top Topics: High-priority or frequently accessed topics within the Knowledge Management system.
• Typeahead Search: Type ahead search allows a user enters their search string the widget to see trigger transactions for displaying immediate and useful results to the user before they have even finished typing. The user can then click on one of these results (to execute a particular search or be taken directly to the corresponding page) or, once they have finished typing, can click the search button to load a full list of results.  Reference: Typeahead Search widget
• Typography: The selection, arrangement, and styling of fonts used in a design to enhance readability and visual appeal.

U

• UI/UX: User Interface User Experience UI vs. UX Design: What’s the Difference? | Coursera
• Usability Testing: The process of evaluating a product’s user interface to identify areas of improvement and validate design decisions.

V

• Visual Design: The aesthetic elements of a design, including color, imagery, layout, and typography.

W

• Widgets: Widgets are reusable components that make up the functionality of a portal page. Widgets define what a portal does and what information a user sees. ServiceNow provides a large number of baseline widgets Reference: A Beginner’s Guide to ServiceNow’s Service Portal Widgets | by Ricky Y. | Medium
• Wireframe: A basic, simplified visual representation of a user interface, focusing on structure and functionality.

Resources: Other Service Catalog/Portal A-Z Glossary References

• 31 Free UI/UX Tools For Designers to Make User Friendly Website | SPINX Digital
• A complete UX glossary: 101 UX terms all designers should know – UX Design Institute
• Predictive Intelligent Situational Awareness
• User Experience (UX) Terms: A to Z Glossary | Coursera