How to organize content on Explore using Categories and Subcategories — and how Categories interact with Segmentation, Smart Segmentation, and content discovery.
Categories are how Continu organizes content on Explore. Learners browse Explore by Category; admins place content into Categories during content creation. Without Categories, all your content lands in one flat list — learners have to scroll or search to find anything.
Categories can be nested into Subcategories for finer organization. For org structure broader than content categorization (Departments, Locations, etc.), see the related Settings articles.
For the strategic frame on content discovery and structure, see Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale.
Categories
Categories let creators organize content for learners on Explore. Once a Category exists, any content can be assigned to it.
Categories can be further divided into Subcategories for niche or specific content groupings.
How to Add and Edit Categories
Adding a Category
Step One: Navigate to Connect > Categories from the left-hand navigation.
Step Two: Click the Add A Category text cell, enter the Category name, and click the + icon to finalize.
Adding a Subcategory (Topic)
Step One: Navigate to Connect > Categories.
Step Two: Click on the Category you're adding a Subcategory to. The Subcategory column highlights.
Step Three: Click the Add A Category text cell in the Subcategory column, enter the name, and click the + icon.
Editing Categories
To rename a Category: click the pencil icon next to it, edit the name, click the check icon.
How to Delete Categories
To delete a Category: click the pencil icon next to it, then the red trash can icon. Content previously in the deleted Category becomes uncategorized.
Adding Content To Categories
Content is added to Categories during content creation or editing. In the content's Settings step, select the appropriate Category. Content can belong to multiple Categories if it fits in more than one.
Considerations
Build top-level Categories around how learners think. Not how the company is structured. If learners search for "leadership training," create a Leadership Category — don't make them navigate to "Training > Management > Soft Skills > Leadership."
Use Subcategories sparingly. Two levels of nesting is usually enough. More than that and learners lose track of where they are.
Keep top-level Category count manageable. 5-10 top-level Categories on Explore is browseable. 30 is overwhelming. If you have 30 reasons to have a top-level Category, the underlying organization is the problem.
Avoid one-content-piece Categories. A Category that contains a single content piece is rarely worth creating. Either put the content in a broader Category or skip the Category.
Configuration Pitfalls
Org-Chart Categories. Building Categories around the org chart ("Sales," "Engineering," "HR") instead of around learner needs ("Onboarding," "Leadership," "Compliance") works against how most learners browse. Reorg-ing the company forces a reorg of Categories.
Too-Many-Subcategory Nesting. Three or four levels of Subcategory nesting hides content. Learners give up before they find it.
Deleting Categories That Hold Active Content. When you delete a Category, content in it becomes uncategorized. Move content to another Category before deleting the original.
Letting Categories Drift From Reality. Categories created two years ago may not reflect current content. Audit Categories periodically to retire empty or near-empty ones.
One Category Per Content Piece. Content can belong to multiple Categories. A Sales onboarding video can live in both "Onboarding" and "Sales." Don't force a single-Category-per-content rule.
Where This Fits
You're here because you're organizing content on Explore. For broader org-structure attributes (Departments, Locations, Levels, Skills), see the related Settings articles. For how Categories interact with content creation, see Add an Article to Continu.
See Also
- Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale — the strategic anchor.
- Departments In Continu — org attribute setup.
- Locations in Continu — location attribute setup.
- Levels in Continu — level attribute setup.
- Skills in Continu — skills attribute setup.
- Segmentation For Content — content access controls.
Categories organize how learners browse. Build around learner needs, not the org chart. Two levels of nesting is the sweet spot. Content can belong to multiple Categories.