Technical authors are faced with limited time and resources, so they often are faced with the dilemma as to what to include and what to leave out of their user documentation. You may ask, if 80% read only 20% of the content, is there any value in documenting the rest? Technical Authors are often great… Read more »
Category: Technical Writing
Documentation and when things go wrong
The latest edition of the IET’s “Engineering & Technology” magazine looks at engineering disasters and, in doing so, provides food for thought regarding the role of documentation. “Hard lessons” looks at ten disasters, such as the Challenger Space Shuttle, and the reasons why these disasters can occur. Looking at the disasters, I could see some common themes:… Read more »
In a downturn, is it better to use contractors, permanent staff or an outsourcing company?
In a downturn, priorities in a business often change, and these changes can affect technical authors as much as others. At the London Connections event earlier this week, where I was promoting Cherryleaf’s technical writing services, I was chatting to Mike Southon about business strategies in a downturn. Mike is Visiting Fellow in Innovation and… Read more »
The user manual in advertising
A photo of a mid-1980s ledger application for the IBM PC. The ad copy stated: “For the introduction of the IBM PC, we designed the packages and software manual, creating, instead of the industry’s usual cheap plastic binders, hard-bound linen covers and slipcovers in pastel colors to stress cultural elegance and personal values.” Spotted in… Read more »
Trends in Technical Communication – Peering into the crystal ball
I’m starting to think about a conference presentation I have been asked to make later this year. Sometimes, our talks are about “big picture” issues, such as “what makes a good technical author?” or “what’s the value of documentation?”, and I’m currently considering whether I should talk about the future trends in technical communication. The… Read more »