Learn about our case studies
You might also be interested in the case studies from documentation projects.
Here are some examples of the different types of content we’ve produced.
We’ve also provided some information for you on how to assess the quality of these and your current documentation.
API documentation examples
Dispatch Shipments developer portal
This demonstration developer portal shows how API documentation can be organised to help developers discover, understand and integrate with a service more quickly.
The example is based on a fictional Shipments API for creating and managing letters, large letters and parcels. It includes getting-started guidance, task-based integration guides, API concepts, code examples and a complete API reference generated from an OpenAPI specification.
The demo highlights several features associated with strong developer portals, including:
- Clear onboarding and a guided first API call
- Task-focused documentation for common shipment workflows
- Consistent request and response examples
- Guidance on authentication, errors, rate limits and webhooks
- Searchable API reference documentation
- Information about versioning, support and service lifecycle
All organisations, endpoints, credentials, addresses and shipment data shown in the portal are fictional. The site is intended to demonstrate the structure, content and user experience of a modern developer portal rather than provide access to a live service.
Client sites
This is a developer portal for similarity as a service:
This is a developer portal for integrating an organisation’s business workflow with identity document-related services.
elearning module examples
Our elearning site
We have developed a number of online training courses that help people become better business or technical communicators. You can view a number of online training samples from these courses.
Policy and procedures examples
HR policies
Here is an example of a policy for employing new staff:
Financial procedures example
Here is an example of a VAT reporting procedure that includes reference to risks and controls:
User guide examples
Writing user guides files is also one of the key things that we do.
AD guide
This is a proof-of-concept example of a simple Help file for an AD system. We took a 21-page PDF based AD user guide, and improved it for clarity and information design. The Help file reformats automatically depending on whether the user is viewing the content on a mobile, tablet or laptop.
Assessing the quality of technical documentation using the IBM criteria
It can be difficult if somebody gives you a sample, and you’re looking at it for just a couple of minutes. Your eyes are naturally attracted to what you might call the shiny stuff, the visual impact. It may be harder to assess actually the quality of the writing, the information design, the flow of the information, that is the way in which has been written.
One of the most common standards or criteria that people use within technical communication is to use a quality criteria developed originally by IBM.
Accuracy
- Freedom from mistake or error; adherence to fact or truth.
- Are there any mistakes in the steps that have been described?
Concreteness
- The inclusion of appropriate examples, scenarios, similes, analogies, specific language, and graphics.
- Is there appropriate use of examples, for explaining terms that might not be familiar to somebody?
Retrievability or find-ability
- Users can find specific items quickly and easily.
- Can somebody quickly find the information they’re looking for?
Task orientation
- A focus on helping users do tasks that are associated with a product or tool in relation to their jobs.
- Is it focused on the audience’s goal – what they want to achieve?
Clarity
- Can people understand it the first time they read it?
Completeness
- The inclusion of all necessary parts, and only those parts.
- Is there the right amount of detail?
Organization
- A coherent arrangement of parts that makes sense to the user.
- Is it arranged in an order that makes sense for users?
Style
- Correctness and appropriateness of writing conventions and of words and phrases.
- This can relate to plain English or clear English.
Visual effectiveness
- Attractiveness and enhanced meaning of information through the use of layout, illustrations, colour, typography, icons, and other graphical devices.