Technical documents are essential for communicating complex information to a specific audience, such as users, developers, or customers. They can range from user manuals and software documentation to proposals and reports. But what makes a good technical document? Here are some key elements to consider.
Before you start writing, you need to define the purpose and audience of your document. What is the main goal or message you want to convey? Who are you writing for and what are their needs, expectations, and background? How will they use your document and what format do they prefer? Answering these questions will help you tailor your content, tone, and style to suit your purpose and audience.
Before writing, ask: is this document to be printed as hardcopy? Is it intended to be an online document displayed a web page? Will this online web page be printable? Also, find out if your organization has specific requirements your document must meet with respect to content, references, and format, in addition to a style guide for appearance.
Key elements of a good technical document include clarity, conciseness, and accuracy. It should have a clear structure with headings and subheadings, use simple language, and include visual aids like diagrams or charts. Additionally, ensure technical terms are well-defined and explanations are thorough.
Your technical document should have a clear and logical structure with headings, subheadings, and sections that guide the reader through the information. Use appropriate transitions, connectors, and signposts to link the ideas and show the relationships between them. Provide an overview, summary, and table of contents to help the reader navigate and understand the document.
Remember that the structure of your document depends on its purpose. For example, if you create a user guide for a smartphone, the structure will be most likely task-oriented. Also, the content will include a lot of schemes and screenshots, and explanations of technical terms that the target audience may not be familiar with. If you bear in mind these aspects, you can understand more precisely how much time you will spend on this document. Besides, you can create layouts for the documents with typical structure and save time when you work on a similar document.
Cover the essential information that the reader needs to know, without adding unnecessary details. Use clear, concise, and precise language that avoids ambiguity, jargon, and slang. Follow the conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and terminology that are appropriate for the genre and the audience. Use visual aids, such as tables, graphs, diagrams, and screenshots, to support and illustrate the text.
I would add a reference to 'consistent'. In story writing you would try and use a variety of language but for technical writing it should be consistent, with the same language and terminology.
The importance of making technical documents visually appealing to engage readers in an era where people often scroll through content rather than reading it in detail.
Consider including an abbreviation key and an appending glossary for a printed document. Use bubble-help and/or hyperlinks for text and abbreviations on web pages.
A good technical document has a consistent tone that reflects the purpose and audience of the document, as well as the voice of the author. Choose whether to use formal or informal tone, depending on the context and the relationship with the reader. Maintain a respectful, polite, and professional tone throughout the document.
To simplify and streamline the writing process, you can develop and maintain the Style guide and Tone-of-Voice manuals. These documents are helpful for working in teams, as well as for solo writers.
Undergo multiple rounds of editing, proofreading, and testing to ensure your technical document meets the quality standards and the expectations of the audience. Incorporate the feedback and suggestions of the peers, experts, or users who review the document. Use tools such as spell checkers, grammar checkers, readability tests, and style guides to help improve the document.
Be sure to have both humans and word processing software checkers review your document at each round (do not rely on just one). Be sure to save your drafts and revisions frequently.
Review your document in as many word processing programs as possible. Check for inconsistencies between versions of the same word processor. When writing web pages, test them by viewing them using different browsers and different versions of those browsers. When editing, verify your global replacement(s) did not change any existing text unnecessarily.