What is a taxonomy in ServiceNow?
ServiceNow's unified taxonomy is a hierarchical structure of topics used to organize and connect employee-facing content-such as requests, knowledge articles, quick links, and communications-across departments.
It provides a consistent information structure that helps employees discover content through navigation, topic pages, search, and increasingly, AI-powered and conversational experiences.
While taxonomy is a core part of the Employee Center experience today, it should be thought of more broadly as the information architecture that supports the employee experience. A well-designed taxonomy creates a reusable foundation that can support Employee Center today while carrying forward into newer experiences such as EmployeeWorks Web App and Employee Slate for Now Assist.
The term "taxonomy" is sometimes used interchangeably with terms such as "information architecture," "navigation," or "menu."
While these concepts are closely related, they have distinct meanings:
- Taxonomy defines how information is categorized, grouped, and related.
- Information architecture considers the broader organization, structure, and findability of information across an experience.
- Navigation is one way that structure is presented to users.
In other words, taxonomy is not just a menu. It is part of the underlying organizational structure that helps both employees and technology understand where information belongs and how it relates.
Note: ServiceNow Advanced and Total Impact customers can take advantage of the UX: Taxonomy Design or Review Accelerator for additional guidance and support.
The role of taxonomy is evolving
As organizations adopt more AI-driven employee experiences, users are becoming less dependent on navigating deep hierarchies to find what they need. Instead, they may search, ask AI, follow recommendations, use shortcuts, or enter through task-focused experiences.
As a result, the goal of information architecture is no longer simply to create the "perfect" hierarchy. The focus is increasingly on findability, semantic relevance, and helping users complete tasks successfully.
That does not mean navigation is going away. Clear, intuitive navigation remains an important part of the employee experience-particularly as organizations transition from traditional portals and users adapt to new ways of finding information.
It also means organizations should not hesitate to invest in their information architecture today. A strong taxonomy remains valuable beyond a single portal experience and can provide a reusable foundation for Employee Center, EmployeeWorks Web App/ Employee Slate for Now Assist, and other evolving discovery experiences.
Drafting your initial portal navigation
If you are building an Employee Center taxonomy and are not sure where to begin, ServiceNow's out-of-the-box (OOTB) taxonomy models can provide a useful starting point.
Rather than designing an information architecture entirely from scratch, use the OOTB models as a framework and tailor them to reflect your organization's users, services, terminology, and content.
A practical approach
- Start with the OOTB taxonomy models. Use them as a baseline to avoid unnecessary over-engineering or analysis paralysis.
- Identify gaps and opportunities for refinement. Determine which topics should be renamed, removed, added, or reorganized based on your organization's services, content, and user needs.
- Validate the structure with real users. Traditional research methods such as tree testing remain valuable for understanding whether users can successfully navigate the proposed structure. Learn more about including users in your taxonomy development process.
Existing customers with live instances can also use the Usage Insights dashboard, formerly User Experience Analytics, to identify behavioral patterns and opportunities for improvement.
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Iterate based on what you learn. Taxonomy should evolve alongside your content, services, user behavior, and employee experience strategy.
Choose an approach for building your information architecture
Not sure where to start? Use the decision tree below to determine which approach best fits your organization when designing or refining your information architecture.
Example Information Architectures (Provided OOTB)
ServiceNow provides taxonomy models for core service areas (IT, HR, Workplace Services, Legal, Health&Safety, etc). These data will be loaded in net new instances and in store updates.
Technology (IT) Services
Technology Services
├── Hardware
│ ├── Computers
│ ├── Printers
│ ├── Accessories
│ └── Phone and Mobility
│
├── Software
│ ├── Email Accounts
│ ├── Access Issues
│ ├── Software and Applications
│ └── Software Issues
│
├── Network
│ ├── VPN
│ └── Network Issues
│
├── Privacy and Security
│ └── Certificate Management
│
├── IT for IT
│ └── AI Assets
│
└── Quick Links (Example)
└── System Status
Human Resources (HR) Services
Human Resources
├── Pay and Time
│ ├── Compensation
│ └── Time Off
│
├── Benefits
│ ├── Health and Wellness
│ ├── Retirement
│ ├── Leave of Absence
│ ├── Donating and Volunteering
│ └── Education Reimbursement
│
├── Career Development
│ ├── Training and Certification
│ └── Performance
│
├── Onboarding
├── Employee Conduct
├── HR Systems
├── Return to Workplace
├── Employment Information
├── Travel and Relocation
├── Retirement and Separations
└── Policies and ProceduresWorkplace
Workplace Services
├── Furniture and Supplies
├── Food and Catering
├── Events
├── Transportation
├── Building Access
├── Site Safety
└── MaintenancePurchase and Expense
Purchases and Expenses
├── Invoices
├── Supplier Services
├── Corporate Cards
├── Purchase Requests
└── Travel and ExpensesLegal
Legal
├── Contracts
├── Privacy and Data
├── Ethics and Compliance
├── Immigration
├── Intellectual Property
├── Litigation
└── Legal Operations
Health and Safety
Health and Safety
├── Workplace Emergency
│ └── Report Emergency
│
├── Job Safety Analysis
├── Health and Safety Incidents
├── Health and Safety Observations
├── Policies and Procedures
├── Contractor Management
├── Permit to Work
│
└── Quick Links (Examples)
├── Ask a Health and Safety Question
├── Anonymously Report a Safety Concern
├── Create a JSA
├── View Safety Register Documents
├── View My JSAs
├── Report Health and Safety Incident - Basic
├── Report Health and Safety Incident - Advanced
├── Submit a Compensation Claim
├── Report Health and Safety Observation
├── Request a Permit to Work
└── Report an EmergencyCloud Services
Cloud Services
├── Service Category
│ ├── IaaS
│ ├── PaaS
│ ├── Linux
│ ├── Windows
│ └── DevOps
│
├── Service
│ ├── Database
│ ├── Object Storage
│ ├── Load Balancer
│ └── Integrations
│
├── Approval
│ └── Quick Start
│
├── Ansible
├── AWS
├── Azure
└── GoogleOR...
Broader Topic Categorization
Help Center
├── Human Resources
├── Technology Services
├── Workplace Services
├── Health and Safety
├── Legal
├── Purchases and Expenses
└── Finance
Your Team
├── Manager Hub
├── Team Members
├── Team Insights
├── Conversations
├── Hiring
└── Manager Library
Company
├── Org Chart
└── Employee Forums
News and events
Configure the Style of Your Navigation Bar Through Advanced Portal Navigation
Configuration Option 1: Standard Top Navigation
Configuration Option 2: Expanded Top Navigation
Configuration Option 3 (Dec '25 release): Simplified Left Navigation
Good news! Your Information Architecture Investment Carries Forward
Good news - if you're considering a future move from Employee Center to EmployeeWorks Web App or Employee Slate (Built for Now Assist), don't let that roadmap stop you from investing in your information architecture today.
A well-designed taxonomy is not throwaway work. EmployeeWorks Web App is designed to carry forward existing Employee Center taxonomy structures, content permissions, and Connected Content configurations into its Browse and Topic Page experience. Employee Slate (Built for Now Assist) also supports topic-based content discovery and category-based navigation.
While the employee experience is becoming increasingly conversational and AI-driven, employees will still need intuitive ways to browse and explore-and the underlying organization of your content remains important. Think of your taxonomy as a reusable foundation for your employee experience, rather than something tied exclusively to the current Employee Center portal.
The takeaway: continue investing in a clear, user-centered information architecture today. That work can support your current Employee Center experience while helping prepare your organization for the next generation of ServiceNow employee experiences.
Note: ServiceNow Advanced & Total Impact customers can take advantage of the UX: Taxonomy Design or Review Accelerator for additional support.
