Technical Writer as a User

The name technical writer suggests about a person who writes the technical documents for the user, which helps them using the product. More often than not, when the user struggles to find out the answers of their problem in using the product, they seek the help from the support group. Obviously, users don’t find the answer of their problems in the documents, which were shipped to them along with the product.

The standard procedure followed to analyse the user’s problem and leading them to learn the product to use are not based on the realistic approach. Neither feedback system revamps the standard procedure in the next revision of the documents. The revision only includes the recent addition in the features and functionality. But most of the time even users also do not like to send their feedback on the documents. May be because of the perceived idea that their feedback will not be taken care or the life cycle of the product is so short that they understand that revamps are not possible.

In any case, it does not help documentation to improve. Therefore, sometimes technical writers, who are to be blamed for the sub-standard documentation, finds even user responsible for this cause. In a normal scenario, a technical writer assumes to be a user and interprets the knowledge transfer in a best suitable way they can. But, that may not be the simple way of translating the knowledge what user would have liked to be. I really bet, the understanding level and approach of different users differ immensely. That is how, even the understanding and use of an authoring tool widely differs among the technical writers too. Some are easily able to use the tool, whereas some takes time to learn and use.

I can understand that each one of us has different learning curves and that reflects while even using an authoring tool. Nevertheless, when a technical writer struggles to learn the tool using the Help or the User manual and finds it tough to get their answers, even then they would not like to send the feedback to the corresponding writers group. If they do so, hopefully, it might help improve adding those points in the next version of the product that could help another writer avoid rigors of tough learning.

Ideally, it could be better to list down the questions, which could be included in the User Manual or in the Help and send across to the product company as feedback. And I suppose during the next version as an update even these new answers could feature into the document. Therefore, as a user, it’s a best way to help our fellow writers and help improve even the documentation on the community level. Otherwise, we will continue writing the documents as we usually do and get overwhelmed thinking that we have produced the best. But, in reality, we will not be serving the user, for which we are paid for. Its time we don the role of a writer when we are writing the manual and take the role of a user when we use a product. At the end of the day we should not forget to send and receive feedback which would lead us to help and get help on our documents.

Redundancy in User Documentation

End user documentation in software industry, to me, sometimes looks redundant. I have had the opportunity to work in few of the software companies which develop software application. As a part of the end user documentation, following documents are prepared to ship with the application:

• Release Notes

• Installation

• User Guide

• Web-Help

• Admin Guide

• Tutorials

The release notes specify different features and version of the software in the particular release, whereas the installation guide describes about the system requirements and stepwise installation procedures of the Software. Sometimes, it discusses about the architecture of the software too, for the better understanding of its compatibility with hardware and other software for operational efficiency. These are the useful information contained in these documents.

Admin guide is another document which takes you through the functionality and features that helps in administering the software. Sometimes, you, as an end user can act as an admin too. In another cases, like in enterprises solution software, there are different individuals who would be responsible for acting as admin.

WebHelp is another documents prepared as one of the applications, to be integrated with the software which comes handy to understand the functionality of the software. The content created with this application contains various web pages linked with hyperlinks with each other and can be navigated through a table of contents. In this, the contents are created keeping in mind the task based approach. Even the particular windows of the software can be linked with particular web pages which are called context sensitive. This entire application is integrated with Help menu of the top menu bar of the home page of the software.

Ideally, the user guides are created to take a walk-through of the software with the minute details. The approach is to focus on every bits and pieces of information about the structure and functionality of the software. However, some of the information contained herein are already discussed in the WebHelp. The tutorial again has the mixed contents of WebHelp and user guide.

Therefore, user guide, WebHelp and tutorials contain approximately 50-60% of similar contents. Some of the software application has exactly the same content in user guide as well as in WebHelp. Only the format of display is different. In industry, it is called single sourcing. The idea is to write once and display in different formats.

Can we call it as effective documentation? In my opinion, certainly not! Because end user find almost redundant contents in these document. The time is come to realize this and give the user the documents which is useful for them. Otherwise, tradition will continue as it is said that a user never reads or consult the documents shipped to them along with the software.

Truly, if user does not find the answers he is looking into the document then definitely he would never consult them. This throws open a question on our credibility of being a technical writer asking whether we are doing our job keeping user in mind or not. This also shows that we are writing a document which is not useful for the users. Well, are we only fulfilling a regulatory requirement or ready to help users?

Remember, being a technical writer we are also a user of the documents that we refer in day today life while working with different software applications. Incidentally, how do you feel when some of your questions does not fetch you answer from the integrated help or user guide on that product? You feel even disappointed when the topic is there but if it is not well explain to guide you to complete a task. You definitely blame the technical writers for sloppy job done. This is a great feedback for you to be self motivated to treat your user valuable and think of the documents which will help them. But not load them with unnecessary documents, which will make them dump these without even looking at them.

So, be creative and use your wisdom.