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What do You Really Think of Technical Writers? – Part II

23/12/2013

Now that I’m done with the not-so-pleasant task of recounting the not-so-complimentary comments about technical writers, I have a more pleasant task at hand. Here are the compliments we got, technical writers, so hold your head and chin up.

Product documentation is the face of any organization and there is no scope for error in terms of the quality of the documentation. (That is so true. In fact, just imagine a Log in screen or a Registration screen of a product that has typos or incorrect grammar – would you ever go back to it? A technical writer has a role to play from that first moment that a user interacts with a product. You will agree, it is a huge responsibility.)

If the developer has coded his bit and the QA engineer has tested his bit then the product should work like magic. No? Actually, no. (Thanks for bringing our role into focus with those thoughts. I do like to think of technical writers and user experience (Ux) folks as contributing to more than just the feel good factors of a product. I see our roles as key to making a product work, appeal to common sense, and meet standards of user experience – all in one go.)
Very few people understand the unique contribution that technical communicators make – they need to understand the product (by talking to the Product Manager, the Developer, and the QA Engineer), test the product, and then convey their understanding to the user in the best possible manner. (Thanks for saying that in as many words. May I add, we need to convey our understanding with as few words as possible too, especially when it comes to language on the user interface?)
Technical writers and usability folks are the invisible glue that keeps everything together. (Wow! Thanks for that image. I never did think of our role on those lines. You give me more than hope – you empower me.)
Quite a few technical writers are out of touch with technology and this is endearing, it makes us techies feel humane. (Have you ever felt so sheepish and so embarrassed that you wished the earth should swallow you up? I feel like that right now.)
Most technical writers are passionate about something – reading, travel, music, movies, theatre, rock climbing, sports, blogging, baking cakes. It’s nice to be in the company of passionate people. (Can’t stop grinning with pride.)
Technical communicators provide the much needed humane connection to product experience (I’m not sure what exactly that means, but it sounds like a compliment to me, and hence figures in this list.)
Usually you are an all-girls team. (Good God! I can’t believe that I’m actually putting that down here. I’m just being fair to all of you who responded, you know.)
Technical writers are thorough professionals and are the easiest group to work with. They are clear about what they can deliver and by when, they are equally clear about what they can’t deliver by a certain time and why. They don’t miss deadlines and don’t impose themselves on others. (You just made my day!)

There you go, technical writer, tell me this post made your day too!

Urmilla Chandran
The author is co-founder and Director, Content Development at Steta

1 Comment

What do You Really Think of Technical Writers? – Part I

17/12/2013

4 Comments

Over the past two weeks, I reached out to my friends and ex-colleagues (read: non-technical communicators) and asked them the question, “What do you really think of the technical writing tribe?” I prepared myself for a volley of complaints and mails filled with angst against my fellow practitioners in the fine art of technical communications. I admit, I also secretly hoped that at least some of them would have some nice things to say.

Yes, there was the expected outpouring of emotion against our tribe but there was also appreciation. Thanks to all of you who responded (and thanks also to those who did not respond – I will bother you next time around too, without doubt). Yes, we technical writers can be real shameless at times – we refuse to take a hint.

I’ll cover the responses to that question in two blog posts – this one is devoted to the brickbats and the next one will cover the bouquets.

A normal human being and a normal technical writer can never be the same person. (Gulp!)
There is very little justification to the term Technical in the title Technical Writer. Most of the times, it takes immense effort to help a technical writer understand the technical aspects of a product. (Sheepishly – True. But I have always thought that being non-technical is an advantage for us because that way, we can force all answers in black and white and present all facts in the same colors.)
We have an attitude that we throw around. (Oops! Sorry. Do we really?) We behave like we are a boon to mankind. (Grinning broadly. Are we not? Even if in a teeny-weeny way?)
Technical communicators are aliens because of these reasons. They don’t ‘speck’ the product, don’t code it, don’t test it, don’t sell it, don't use it, yet, they are instrumental in the success of the product. (Ahem - thanks but no thanks. It is true that we do not ‘speck’ and we do not code. But we do use the product and test it – we log bugs too. And, to my mind, after product managers, ours is the only group who can demo a product in its entirety – that is selling the product, right? To my mind, all these functions make us instrumental in the success of the product.)
As a technical writer, when you are tasked with writing a user manual for a product the least you can do is use the product. If that is not possible because of the complexity, at least observe someone using it and ask questions. (And here I am, thinking people always make excuses not to meet us because we ask way too many questions!)
Technical writers are not involved enough with the product – they don’t take enough ownership of the product. (I daresay, this statement has elements of truth. We are rectifying this anomaly by getting involved in the product development cycle right at the starting line - see earlier post.) The irony of taking ownership is that some people seem to think of us as one more reason for a delayed product release (which is empowering).
Technical writers tend to think that their job is done once their deliverables (such as online help or user guide) are done. But in fact, a technical communicator must be answerable for far more critical questions – how accessible is the information to a user and is the user getting the help where he needs it. (True. Which is the reason why our deliverables are no longer limited to online help and user guides. We review every word in the English language that is up there on the user interface (page titles, section headers, instruction text, labels, buttons, error messages, and confirmation messages). We consider ourselves to be the first users of the product and point out where help is needed and how we can provide that help (embedded help, in line help, pop-ups).
Most people do not have the same respect for technical communicators as they do for product engineering teams. This is largely because technical communicators do not understand the product inside-out. (True. But our challenge is not just understanding the product but understanding the developers as well.)
All teams (read: all product engineering teams) face technical challenges, but the organization expects them to overcome these challenges. But technical writers are given plenty of leeway on this front. (True. And with a reason. If we were that technically savvy, we’d be coding. As writers, we are decoding! Jokes apart. This statement is true and is significant. I guess, it would be an asset for a technical writer to have a decent amount of technical know-how – but it can never be the main skill. The main skill for a technical writer is still his or her ability to communicate well and write well.)

As I mull over writing the next part of this blog – one thing stands out – the list of compliments is shorter!

Urmilla Chandran
The author is co-founder and Director, Content Development at Steta

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What do You Really Think of Technical Writers? – Part II

What do You Really Think of Technical Writers? – Part I

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	Steta Publishers was a writing and brand language consultancy that ran from 2012 to 2016. We are no longer available for projects. Our founders now work here and here.