Your Writing Dept Blog Creating quality user documentation and putting the “M” in RTFM.

Do you read user manuals?

An interesting question was posted on LinkedIn. My original post:

“I always look at the product manual to see how well it was written and how it was designed. When making a major purchase, I usually go to the company’s web site to see if the manual is available as a download before I make the purchase. My opinion is that a well-written manual equates to a well built and supported product. I save manuals in a file for future use for what to do and what not to do when writing a user manual. Learn from the good and avoid what does not work.”

But then I got to thinking about how product design plays an important role in the need, or lack of need, for documentation. A poorly designed product with difficult to understand functionality would require more detailed documentation before the user is competent with the product, while a well designed product would allow for the user to learn by using (or, at least we should be able to assume).

So, my answer would have to be based on the extent to which the product was designed with the user in mind.

More on this at the I’d Rather Be Writing Technical Communication Blog

Assign the internal support resources to the project

Writers from the outside your organization may be good writers, but they may not know your product the way you do, so set aside the time for your subject matter experts to participate in the documentation development process in an advisory role. Clearly define roles and responsibilities and get buy in from the subject matter experts.

From Your Writing Dept: How to Hire a Writer

Raise the red flag early

If you are going to miss a deadline, let a key project participate know far in advance. Never wait until the last minute to deliver this news. Waiting until the last minute is not going to make anything better for you.

From Ron’s “101 Things I’ve Learned from being a Tech Writer”

Technical documentation should be considered a part of product branding

Think of a user guide as a part of the product. If written well, a manual can help build brand loyalty by reassuring a customer that they have made the right choice in purchasing a product and will have the confidence to use it correctly.

From Ron’s “101 Things I’ve Learned from being a Tech Writer”

Learn how to self-edit your work and become a better editor

Practice your editing skills by analyzing everything you read. Try teaching English in another country to non-native English speakers. Volunteer in your child’s English class and try your hand at grading their writing projects. Take a creative writing workshop at your local community college. The peer reviewing will give you fresh perspective on how you write.

From Ron’s “101 Things I’ve Learned from being a Tech Writer”

Low word count is your friend

Good technical writing, as with most writing, unless paid for by the word, should be done with the fewest number of words as possible. If you are paid by the word and agree that brevity is preferable to wordiness, you should ask for more money per word before starting the project. Keep in mind that you will be judged not by the number of words you use, but by the clarity of your writing. So, you need to: edit, edit and edit some more.

From Ron’s “101 Things I’ve Learned from being a Tech Writer”