Randall Munroe’s latest book Thing Explainer will be released tomorrow. In the book, Munroe uses line drawings and only the thousand most common words to provide simple explanations for complicated objects. It’s good practice to use words that are commonly understood. In some industries, Technical Authors have to write using only a limited list of approved words (a “controlled… Read more »
Category: Technical Communication
Mankind – overcomplicating products for 1.8 million years
In the radio series, A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, described the oldest man-made object in the museum – the Olduvai stone chopping tool. This was made approximately 1.8 million years ago in Tanzania, where the first humans originated. MacGregor explained the tool has more than six chippings that sharpened… Read more »
How technical documentation helps the customer journey
Here is a diagram that shows the different types of User Assistance that can help users as they progress through the customer journey: Supporting the user through the customer journey has become more important, partly because the subscription, “try before you buy”, sales model means users can stop being a paying customer at a moment’s notice. Today, all… Read more »
A technical communication user’s hierarchy of needs
At the TCUK 2015 conference, Rachel Johnston mentioned the idea of a content maturity model. We thought we’d take this idea and ask: Could we develop a model that illustrates a hierarchy of needs for users of technical communication (and in particular, User Assistance)? A model of what? We suggest calling this model a technical communication user’s hierarchy of needs…. Read more »
Software companies are not selling boxes anymore
Wistia’s Chris Savage has written an article on how the company focuses on articulating its company vision to differentiate itself in a competitive marketplace. In the article, he states: “To buy software back in the day, you’d go to the store, buy a box, and bring it home. Inside of the box would be a shiny CD,… Read more »