History
According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC), the professions ofTechnical Writers and UX Design
Historically, technical writers, or technical and professional communicators, have been concerned with writing and communication. However, recently user experience (UX) design has become more prominent in technical and professional communications as companies look to develop content for a wide range of audiences and experiences. The User Experience Professionals Association defines UX as “Every aspect of the user’s interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user’s perception of the whole.” Therefore, “user experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction." It is now an expectation that technical communication skills should be coupled with UX design. As Verhulsdonck, Howard, and Tham state “...it is not enough to write good content. According to industry expectations, next to writing good content, it is now also crucial to design good experiences around that content." Technical communicators must now consider different platforms such as social media and apps, as well as different channels like web and mobile. As Redish explains, a technical communications professional no longer writes content but “writes around the interface” itself as user experience surrounding content is developed. This includes usable content customized to specific user needs, that addresses user emotions, feelings, and thoughts across different channels in a UX ecology. Lauer and Brumberger further assert, “…UX is a natural extension of the work that technical communicators already do, especially in the modern technological context of responsive design, in which content is deployed across a wide range of interfaces and environments." UX design is a product of both technical communication and the user identity. Effective UX design is configured to maximize usability according to unique user backgrounds, in a process called design ethnography. Design ethnography closely analyzes user culture through interviews and usability tests, in which the technical writer directly immerses themself in the user environment and gathers UX information from local users.Skill set
In addition to solid research, language, writing, and revision skills, a technical writer may have skills in: * Business analysis * Computer scripting * Content management * Content design * Illustration/Characteristics
Proficient technical writers have the ability to create, assimilate, and convey technical material in a concise and effective manner. They may specialize in a particular area but must have a good understanding of the products they describe. For example, API writers primarily work on API documents, while other technical writers specialize inRoles and functions
To create effective technical documentation, the writer must analyze three elements that comprise the rhetorical situation of a particular project: audience, purpose, and context. These are followed by document design, which determines what the reader sees.Audience analysis
Technical writers strive to simplify complex concepts or processes to maximize reader comprehension. The final goal of a particular document is to help readers find what they need, understand what they find, and use what they understand appropriately. To reach this goal, technical writers must understand how their audiences use and read documentation. An audience analysis at the outset of a document project helps define what an audience for a particular document requires. When analyzing an audience the technical writer typically asks: * Who is the intended audience? * What are their demographic characteristics? * What is the audience's role? * How does the reader feel about the subject? * How does the reader feel about the sender? * What form does the reader expect? * What is the audience's task? *Why does the audience need to perform that task? * What is the audience's knowledge level? * What factors influence the situation? Accurate audience analysis provides a set of guidelines that shape document content, design and presentation (online help system, interactive website, manual, etc.), and tone and knowledge level.Purpose
A technical writer analyzes the purpose (or function) of a communication to understand what a document must accomplish. Determining if a communication aims to persuade readers to “think or act a certain way, enable them to perform a task, help them understand something, change their attitude,” etc., guides the technical writer on how to format their communication, and the kind of communication they choose (online help system, white paper, proposal, etc.).Context
Context is the physical and temporal circumstances in which readers use communication—for example: at their office desks, in a manufacturing plant, during the slow summer months, or in the middle of a company crisis. Understanding the context of a situation tells the technical writer how readers use communication. This knowledge significantly influences how the writer formats communication. For example, if the document is a quick troubleshooting guide to the controls on a small watercraft, the writer may have the pages laminated to increase usable life.Document design
Once the above information has been gathered, the document is designed for optimal readability and usability. According to one expert, technical writers use six design strategies to plan and create technical communication: arrangement, emphasis, clarity, conciseness, tone, and ethos. ; Arrangement : The order and organization of visual elements so that readers can see their structure—how they cohere in groups, how they differ from one another, how they create layers and hierarchies. When considering arrangement technical writers look at how to use headings, lists, charts, and images to increase usability. ; Emphasis: How a document displays important sections through prominence or intensity. When considering emphasis technical writers look at how they can show readers important sections, warning, useful tips, etc. through the use of placement, bolding, color, and type size. ; Clarity: Strategies that “help the receiver decode the message, to understand it quickly and completely, and, when necessary, to react without ambivalence.” When considering clarity the technical writer strives to reduce visual noise, such as low contrast ratios, overly complex charts or graphs, and illegible font, all of which can hinder reader comprehension. ; Conciseness: The "visual bulk and intricacy" of the design—for example, the number of headings and lists, lines and boxes, detail of drawings and data displays, size variations, ornateness, and text spacing. Technical writers must consider all these design strategies to ensure the audience can easily use the documents. ; Tone: The sound or feel of a document. Document type and audience dictate whether the communication should be formal and professional, or lighthearted and humorous. In addition to language choice, technical writers set the tone of technical communication through the use of spacing, images, typefaces, etc. ; Ethos: The degree of credibility that visual language achieves in a document. Technical writers strive to create professional and error-free documentation to establish credibility with the audience.Qualifications
Technical writers normally possess a mixture of technical and writing abilities. They typically have a degree or certification in a technical field, but may have one in journalism, business, or other fields. Many technical writers switch from another field, such as journalism—or a technical field such as engineering or science, often after learning important additional skills through technical communications classes.Methodology (document development life cycle)
To create a technical document, a technical writer must understand the subject, purpose, and audience. They gather information by studying existing material, interviewing SMEs, and often actually using the product. They study the audience to learn their needs and technical understanding level. A technical publication's development life cycle typically consists of five phases, coordinated with the overall product development plan: * Phase 1: Information gathering and planning * Phase 2: Content specification * Phase 3: Content development and implementation * Phase 4: Production * Phase 5: Evaluation The document development life cycle typically consists of six phases (This changes organization to organization, how they are following). # Audience profiling (identify target audience) # User task analysis (analyze tasks and information based on the target audience) # Information architecture (design based on analysis, how to prepare document) # Content development (develop/prepare the document) # Technical and editorial reviews (review with higher level personnel—managers, etc.) # Formatting and publishing (publish the document). This is similar to the software development life cycle. Well-written technical documents usually follow formal standards or guidelines. Technical documentation comes in many styles and formats, depending on the medium and subject area. Printed and online documentation may differ in various ways, but still adhere to largely identical guidelines for prose, information structure, and layout. Usually, technical writers follow formatting conventions described in a standardEnvironment
Technical writers often work as part of a writing or project development team. Typically, the writer finishes a draft and passes it to one or more SMEs who conduct a ''technical review'' to verify accuracy and completeness. Another writer or editor may perform an ''editorial review'' that checks conformance to styles, grammar, and readability. This person may request for clarification or make suggestions. In some cases, the writer or others test the document on audience members to make ''usability'' improvements. A final production typically follows an inspection checklist to ensure the quality and uniformity of the published product. The physical working environment of most company-employed technical writers typically entails an open office with desktop computers and individual desks. A technical writer's workspace is largely dependent on their industry. A 2018 Intercom census of mostly American technical communicators showed that the majority of respondents worked in technology and IT. Prevalence of various industries in technical writing is correlated to geographic location, and the industries that are most common in certain regions of the world. A study of technical communication careers in Europe showed that the majority of technical communicators work in IT.Remote Work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
In the wake of the stay-at-home suggestions from the World Health Organization in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employees around the world experienced a shift in work environment from in-person to remote and/or virtual. As of 2023, after social distancing policies have been loosened, many organizations have decided to maintain the option for employees to work remotely. In the particular case of professional technical writers, this change forces an alternative approach to communication with subject matter experts, colleagues, and project managers who are directly involved in the technical communication process. Employees who work remotely typically rely on virtual, at times asynchronous, communication with collaborators, and spend working hours either at home or in an isolated office.Career growth
There is no single standard career path for technical writers, but they may move into project management over other writers. A writer may advance to a senior technical writer position, handling complex projects or a small team of writers and editors. In larger groups, a documentation manager might handle multiple projects and teams. Technical writers may also gain expertise in a particular technical domain and branch into related forms, such as software quality analysis or business analysis. A technical writer who becomes a subject matter expert in a field may transition from technical writing to work in that field. Technical writers commonly produce training for the technologies they document—including classroom guides and e-learning—and some transition to specialize as professional trainers and instructional designers. Technical writers with expertise in writing skills can join printed media or electronic media companies, potentially providing an opportunity to make more money or improved working conditions. In April 2021, the U.S Department of Labor expected technical writer employment to grow seven percent from 2019 to 2029, slightly faster than the average for all occupations. They expect job opportunities, especially for applicants with technical skills, to be good. The BLS also noted that the expansion of "scientific and technical products" and the need for technical writers to work in "Web-based product support" will drive increasing demand. As of May 2022, the average annual pay for a freelance technical writer in the United States is $70,191 according to ZipRecruiter.Notable technical writers
* Ted Chiang, American author of short stories including '' Story of Your Life'' (1998) and '' The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate'' (2007), was a technical writer in the software industry as late as July 2002. * William Gaddis, author of '' J R'' (1975) and '' A Frolic of His Own'' (1994), was employed as a technical writer for a decade and a half for such companies as Pfizer and Eastman Kodak after the poor reception of his first novel, '' The Recognitions'' (1955). * Gordon Graham, an expert onSimilar titles
Technical writers can have various job titles, including ''technical communicator,'' ''information developer'', ''technical content developer'' or ''technical documentation specialist''. In theSee also
* Collaborative editing * European Association for Technical Communication * Software documentationReferences
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