I usually start my technical content creation process with research, reading all there is to know about the product I’m writing on. I find it essential to research from the angle of the customer pain points and the step-by-step technical know-how involved, among other things.
The first audience I write for is myself:
I begin by reading the existing documentation, to give me insight into the overall document set. This helps me get into the user mindset of how I would approach understanding the product/tool as a new user.
Once I read the documentation and know how the tool is used and what questions the user could have while reading my content. I move on to the user testing phase. In this phase, I use the tool myself and document all the steps I take during the process.
I document all the things that I had to look up, all the mistakes I made, all the workarounds I found, and all the questions that popped up in my mind. These give me a complete picture of the tool and how it works.
And then I share this document with the engineers and product managers, to get their feedback and to make sure that I understood the process correctly.
Next, I do an audience analysis by building basic user personas, and writing questions that the user may have in using the tool – what tools does the user have available? Is this a new user or an experienced one? Why did they decide to come here? What’s the statement of the mind of the user/reader – angry, frustrated, excited? This helps me decide what the tone of the content should be. By imagining myself in the reader’s place, I can develop the best content for their scenario(s).
I also detail what I hope the reader achieves by reading my content. Do I want them to:
Solve a problem
Perform a task
Learn something new
Make a decision
This way, I can create content that would help the reader achieve the goal I’ve identified.
I also take the time to examine my unconscious bias, to ensure my content is inclusive and works well for all readers.
Next, I move to the actual writing phase, where I get the first draft of my content done, writing freely from all the information, audience analysis, research, and structure.
Then, I rewrite the content and edit it, making sure it is correct, well-rounded, clear and consistent.
