Technical Writing Characteristics

Study Notes

Technical Writing Characteristics

Technical writing is a communication form that simplifies complex information.
Its purpose is to provide information, instructions, explanations, or documentation to help readers understand and use technical concepts, products, processes, or systems.
Technical writing is also referred to as "simplifying the complex".

Importance of Technical Writing

Carefully crafted technical documentation is crucial for high-tech products and services to help businesses grow and develop.
Technical documentation outlines, instructions, and functionality inform users of a product or service.
This documentation is vital to support a business product or service.

Characteristics of Technical Writing

Addresses Specific Readers: Documents are written for a particular audience, who already know what they want to read and need the information.
Helps Readers Solve Problems: The writer aims at providing solutions to problems faced by the reader in order for them to have a satisfying experience.
Collaboration: Technical writing often requires the collaboration of subject matter experts and writers. Group collaboration facilitates knowledge sharing, thus leading to a complete and efficient document.
Readability through Design: Well-formatted documents are important to highlight crucial information, reducing eye fatigue and making the document more understandable for the reader. Different design elements such as headings, formatting, structure, images, tables etc. can improve readability.
Uses Words and/or Graphics: Images and graphics help present information more clearly, highlighting and emphasizing information. This helps readers understand concepts in a digestible manner.
Reflects Organization Goals and Culture: Technical writing should reflect the organization's goals and culture clearly for readers to easily understand and quickly identify the organization's key objectives.
Clarity: Technical documents need to present a single, readily understandable meaning to avoid misunderstandings or errors. Unclear writing can pose severe risks (e.g., operating machinery instructions).
Accuracy: Precise information is crucial to avoiding confusion or mistrust.
Comprehensiveness: The document must include all necessary background information, a clear process, and method descriptions. It should encompass, results, conclusions, and recommendations.
Accessibility: The ease with which readers can find the information should be considered. Tools such as a table of contents, lists, illustrations, glossary, and index enhance readability.
Conciseness: Documents should be concise enough to be easily usable. Balancing clarity and comprehensiveness is crucial.
Correctness: Grammatical accuracy demonstrates the quality and credibility of the document. It helps readers understand the message accurately. Poor grammar can damage the credibility of the report.

Types of Technical Writing

Medical and Scientific Papers
User Guides/User Manuals
E-books
Assembly Manuals
White Papers
Case Studies
Technical Proposals
API/SDK Documentation
Technical Manuals
Technical Reports
Project Plans
Business Plans
Corporate Reports
Policies and Procedures
Legal documents
Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

Technical Writing vs Creative Writing

Technical writing is factual, informative, and straightforward with specialized vocabulary.
Creative writing is fictional and imaginative, often entertaining and emotionally engaging with generalized vocabulary.

Why Technical Writing?

In professional settings, writing tasks account for a substantial portion of job duties.
Writing skills can significantly enhance career advancement.
Strong writing skills improve communication and knowledge.
Every professional role demands varied skills.

Getting Started

Define purpose: Determine the document's main goal and key information.
Define audience: Understand the audience's level of technical understanding.
Determine necessary details: Determine the amount of information needed to fulfill the document's purpose.
Organize data: Only include relevant information.

Ethical Principles for Technical Writers

Employ ethical principles: Avoid any language that attempts to evade responsibility, mislead readers, de-emphasize information, mislead/misrepresent information, and not treat others fairly/respectfully.
Give credit where due: Proper documentation of sources ensures proper attribution of work completed and avoids plagiarism.