My approach to documentation is simple:
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Documentation is an important part of your organisation or your product's user interface. The quality of your documentation has a major impact on user satisfaction and the effectiveness of your products and policies. Good documentation adds value to your product by making it easier to understand and use. Internal documentation such as policies and procedures is likewise important in that it has a major impact on how smoothly your organisation functions. Good documentation can increase sales and reduce costsGood product documentation helps your customers feel secure about buying another product from your company. It can also reduce costs by minimising calls to customer service and technical support staff. Good procedural documentation increases the effectiveness of your employees and your organisation. My documentation philosophyNon-technical writing - The term "technical writing" has evolved because it involves documenting a technical product or procedure. However, as documentation is often intended to be used by a non-technical consumer audience, writing in a technical manner is not effective. The overriding principle behind my documentation process therefore is to write with the user in mind, or in other words - non-technical writing. Understand the audience - In addition to understanding your software or procedures inside and out, it is equally important to understand the audience - who the end-user is and how much can we assume they already know. User surveys often indicate that users are far less comfortable with technology than we assume they are. Make it easy for the user - Let's face it, most people don't enjoy reading manuals. So good documentation must get the information across to the reader as quickly, easily and as enjoyably as possible. It should make it easy for users to quickly find the information they need by incorporating effective design, organisation, indexing and extensive cross-referencing. Communicate with your staff - Too often, users cannot find the answers they want in the documentation. I work with your technical support staff and programmers to ensure that your documentation includes the information and answers that users need. Technical support staff know what questions the users ask and what level the users are at. Developers know the areas of the program that users require additional critical details for. In the case of procedural documentation, staff at both upper and lower levels each have a unique perspective and knowledge set that ensures that documentation meets everyone's needs. Accordingly, establishing good relations with your staff helps me meet the needs of your users. What you should look for in a technical writerOne of the biggest problems in hiring a technical writer is the subjectivity of the term. "Technical Writer" means different things to different companies. Too many unqualified or under-qualified people apply to term Technical Writer when in fact they are unskilled at both communication and in the use of documentation software. You need to determine what you need in a technical writer and how to ensure that the writer meets those needs. This article offers some excellent tips for determining your business needs and ensuring the technical writer can meet those needs. Strategies for hiring a Technical Writer |
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