We all have have an experience with technical documentation that filled a small binder and held the information that was needed on the last page. This kind of documentation is not only boring, but incredibly frustrating for a consumer who wants to use the product they have purchased not learn how to build the product. Over the last few years more manufacturers and designers have discovered that writing dynamic documentation for products is almost as important as building the products.
There are some easy ways to make documentation very simple for your audience to read and use. A huge key to getting return customers for your products is to have the kind of technical documentation that is consistently easy to use and navigate. The methods of writing this documentation has changed as people have become more embedded into the computer mediums and this must be taken into account when you are writing documentation.
People who spend a lot of time on the computer have developed a reading habit that must be transferred to the written word in order for technical writing to be effective. When people read from a computer, they skim/ignore huge chunks of information and stop at the middle of bullet points, bold text, text that is out of alignment, and graphics.
Writing effectively and dynamically has evolved an no longer falls withing the standard "writing styles" that a lot of documentation is still written in. In order to make a document dynamic it must be geared toward those people who have a short attention span and do not want a lot of fluff in their text.
One of the problems with manufacturers and designers writing their own technical documents is that they have a tendency to have a personal investment in each part of the product. The document can often run for pages and be incredibly interesting to the builder of the product. However, the consumer wants a simple document that tells them "put A in B and the machine will work." This is regularly seen in documentation for cars which are often several pages long and which are not read by owners.
Writing for the target market will require that you keep in mind the level of reading comprehension that you audience has. Writing a document for people in the US means that you are reaching out to people with an average reading level between the fourth and eighth grade. These individuals have a reading comprehension of between the fourth and sixth grade.
Writing documentation for a widget that is going to marketed and sold to a market in the US will not be dynamic or effective if it is written for the top 5-10% of Americans. Over 95% of the market will not be reached and a prime marketing tool will be lost.
Writing a technical document that contains simple instructions with the end product being a running product will motivate customers to return to the manufacturer for products in the future. It is extremely cost effective from a marketing standpoint to write a document for repair persons who may need more detailed technical information and one for consumers who are primarily interested in putting the product together quickly and using it with ease.
There are some easy ways to make documentation very simple for your audience to read and use. A huge key to getting return customers for your products is to have the kind of technical documentation that is consistently easy to use and navigate. The methods of writing this documentation has changed as people have become more embedded into the computer mediums and this must be taken into account when you are writing documentation.
People who spend a lot of time on the computer have developed a reading habit that must be transferred to the written word in order for technical writing to be effective. When people read from a computer, they skim/ignore huge chunks of information and stop at the middle of bullet points, bold text, text that is out of alignment, and graphics.
Writing effectively and dynamically has evolved an no longer falls withing the standard "writing styles" that a lot of documentation is still written in. In order to make a document dynamic it must be geared toward those people who have a short attention span and do not want a lot of fluff in their text.
One of the problems with manufacturers and designers writing their own technical documents is that they have a tendency to have a personal investment in each part of the product. The document can often run for pages and be incredibly interesting to the builder of the product. However, the consumer wants a simple document that tells them "put A in B and the machine will work." This is regularly seen in documentation for cars which are often several pages long and which are not read by owners.
Writing for the target market will require that you keep in mind the level of reading comprehension that you audience has. Writing a document for people in the US means that you are reaching out to people with an average reading level between the fourth and eighth grade. These individuals have a reading comprehension of between the fourth and sixth grade.
Writing documentation for a widget that is going to marketed and sold to a market in the US will not be dynamic or effective if it is written for the top 5-10% of Americans. Over 95% of the market will not be reached and a prime marketing tool will be lost.
Writing a technical document that contains simple instructions with the end product being a running product will motivate customers to return to the manufacturer for products in the future. It is extremely cost effective from a marketing standpoint to write a document for repair persons who may need more detailed technical information and one for consumers who are primarily interested in putting the product together quickly and using it with ease.
About the Author:
Learn more about technical documentation. Stop by Allen Wright's site where you can find out all about technical documentation writing and what it can do for you.
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