by: Nathan D. Clark
Total views: 49
Word Count: 546

Tweet
Almost every has had a bad experience with technical documentation. It may have been something that came with a product that we were really looking forward to using, but after looking at the documentation, the product didn't seem that great. Over the past few years manufacturers and designers have begun to realize that this documentation is a great way to connect with customers and market products. They have also realized that the people who design and make wonderful products are not always the best people to write the technical documentation that other people will need to use.

One of the keys to creating a relationship with customers that will motivate them to return is to communicate effectively with your audience. The way that documentation is written has changed over the last few years as the norm for reading has been intricately tied to computers. Documentation has changed as more people have developed reading habits from their computers.

Writing dynamically means accepting that the majority of people only read from their computer and have become used to that format. These individuals skim texts and do not read huge chunks of information. They want facts and instructions in bulleted format, they will read the bold text on a page first and the text and has graphics and is out of alignment.

The style of writing that is effective has evolved significantly from "writing styles" considered the norm historically. Writing dynamic materials requires that the document be short, to the point, interesting, and incorporates bullet points, bold text and graphics.

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.

When writing documentation for a widget that is going to be marketed to every home in the US, writing technical documentation that only reaches the top five to ten percent will alienate 95% of your customer base.

In order for documentation to be effective and dynamic, it must be written in a way that motivates the reader to follow easy instructions and provides the promised working product when it is completed. Writing technical documentation for the service people and separate documentation for the user of the product will provide a line of communication when the product needs repair. It will also give the manufacturer or designer the kind of credibility that will create a wider market and increased loyalty from customers.

About the Author

Want to find out more about technical documentation, then visit Allen Wright's site on how to choose the best technical writers for your needs.

Bookmark this article:

---

Rating: Not yet rated

--Choose-- 0 1 2 3 4 5