Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions

Where possible, technical communication should be customized to align with the knowledge and needs of its audience. Communication style and tone should be tailored to match the audience's level of expertise and should take into consideration such factors as the users' technical background, familiarity with the subject, and specific requirements. {{sfn|Viral Nation|2019}} The tone sets the overall mood for the piece.  

Documents' appropriateness requires that readers can quickly understand the message of the document. The document should be of appropriate style and length for the readers' needs.

With the rise of digital technology, technical writing has had to adapt to the needs of a digital era. The predominant impact of such a revolution was that it made technical communication more accessible by increasing the breadth of its viewers. The World Wide Web is public and, thus, can be accessed by anyone with access to the Internet. Such a phenomenon can be exploited to increase the audience of a virtual document.  

Technical writers can use various tools to author and present their documents.

A content management system (CMS) is a software application that allows users to create, manage, and modify digital content on a website. It provides a user-friendly interface and tools to easily organize, publish, and update content, including text, images, videos, and documents. Additionally, CMSs often offer features like user permissions, version control, and SEO optimization to enhance the overall website management experience. {{sfn|Barr|2006|p=129}}

Some popular examples of CMS include [https://wordpress.com/ WordPress], [https://www.wix.com/ Wix], and [https://www.blogger.com/about/?bpli=1 Blogger].

Image processing software plays a valuable role in technical and digital writing by facilitating the creation and enhancement of visuals. Documentation and tutorials help optimize images to convey processes or procedures effectively. Whether for screen captures illustrating software interfaces, data visualizations, or graphics for digital content, image processing tools contribute to creating clear and visually appealing materials.{{sfn|Robbins|2018|p=664}} These tools, such as [https://www.adobe.com/ Adobe] and [https://www.canva.com/ Canva], enhance the visual impact of technical and digital writing, ensuring that images are optimized, informative, and engaging for the audience.

Word processors are software applications designed for creating, editing, and formatting documents on a computer. They provide many features, such as spell-checking, grammar-checking, and inserting images and tables. These programs are typically used for writing essays, creating reports, or drafting professional documents. {{sfn|Carroll|2010|p=229}} Some popular software applications are [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word Microsoft Word], [https://www.google.com/docs/about/ Google Docs][https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/collaboration , SharePoint], and [https://www.apple.com/pages/ Apple Pages]. These programs allow documents to be readily disseminated. Comment capability enables audience members to interact about a document with one another and the author.  

Text editors are fundamental technical and digital writing tools, offering a platform for creating and manipulating plain text files. They are indispensable for programming tasks, providing syntax highlighting and code folding features. Text editors are commonly used to write code, markup languages (HTML, XML, Markdown), and edit configuration files.{{sfn|Godson|p=37-41}} Notable examples include [https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/windows-notepad/9MSMLRH6LZF3?hl=en-US&gl=US Notepad] (Windows), [https://support.apple.com/guide/textedit/welcome/mac TextEdit] (macOS), and [https://notepad-plus-plus.org/ Notepad++]. Whether for programmers, writers, or system administrators, text editors play a crucial role in content creation and technical work.

==Historical Context==

Joseph P. Chapline is considered to be one of the first technical writers, having written in 1949 the first ever user manual for the Binary Automatic Computer (BINAC), an early personal computer.{{sfn|Malone|2008}} In the 1950s, technical writing as a distinct profession began to take shape when technical writers founded formal organizations, academic programs, and conferences dedicated to the art. One of these key writing associations was the Association of Technical Writers and Editors, also formed in the 1950s. Several of these groups eventually merged, forming the Society of Technical Communication in 1960.{{sfn|Malone|2011|pp=285-306}}

SEO refers to the practice of optimizing online content to enhance its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), making it a crucial skill for digital writers.{{sfn|Lucas|2023b}} To optimize content for SEO means to have the goal of SEO in mind at the time of designing, creating, and writing a web page for publication. Using keywords and alt-text are two examples of optimizing content for SEO. {{sfn|Barr|2010|loc=chpt. 17}}

Keywords are the words that search engines crawl a website for and index as the page's most important words. Based on other pages using the same keywords, the website is added into the search engine results pages from best matches to worse matches. Depending on where the website falls in that scale based on the specific keywords being searched by a user, influences where the website pops up in the associated search results.{{sfn|Lucas|2023b}} To optimize a website's keywords, you should begin with researching keywords on your own website and ensure that you have an XML [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitemaps sitemap] so search engine's such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google Google] can crawl your web pages for updated information. In addition to using keywords, updating a page's metadata information can also help with showing up on SERPs. Using title and header tags as well as meta descriptions for content also helps optimize a website's ratings in SERPs.{{sfn|Lucas|2023b}}

Alt-Text (alternative text), or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_attribute Alt Attributes], is a practice that increases the usability and accessibility of a web page for users. Alt-Text is often used for visual elements that cannot be displayed in a different format but still provides description of the element for screen readers or users that may have a disability. Alt-Text also improves a website's SEO as a form of content optimization.{{sfn|Lucas|2023b}}

Sharing content from a website across different social media platforms is another way to create SEO optimization. This technique can help with being seen as legitimate and improves visibility of the website overall. Additionally it can drive traffic and enables back-linking to occur when other websites have the ability to also link to the website.{{sfn|Lucas|2023b}}

A user of search engines formulates queries by using keywords or posing questions. One of the most important elements of building an SEO strategy for a website is developing a thorough understanding of the psychology of your target audience, and how they use words and concepts to obtain information about the services and/or products you provide. Once you understand how the average search engine user—and, more specifically, your target audience—utilizes query-based search engines, you can more effectively reach and keep those users. {{sfn|Enge|Spencer|Stricchiola|2022|p=9}}

===Characteristics of Digital Documents===

Digital documents exist in electronic formats, which means they are stored and transmitted as binary data. This format allows for efficient storage, retrieval, and transmission of information via electronic devices.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}} Digital documentation is the only method to meet a critical challenge of the relatively new concept of "knowledge management" that applies to all organizations. A digital knowledge management system is crucial to an organization so everyone can access information created by employees who are no longer with the organization or cross-referencing with other seemingly unrelated departments.{{sfn|IBM}}

Unlike paper documents, digital documents lack physical presence. They are intangible and exist as electronic files, residing on devices or in the cloud.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

A document's scannability is determined by the ease in which it can be scanned to determine meaning. Readers often scan pages for words and phrases that align with their task or interests, as well as for trigger words that are deeply ingrained.{{sfn|Krug|2014|p=23}} The most effective web content is concise and simple to scan, making it easy for users to find the important information. Breaking up text into interesting, easy-to-read sections helps users quickly find information. {{sfn|Barr|2010|p=103}}

Digital documents are easily copied and distributed. They can be duplicated without any loss of quality, making it simple to share information widely and at minimal cost.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

Hyperlinking is a quick and efficient method for directing readers to relevant information in digital documents, facilitating seamless navigation between sections, references, and external resources.{{sfn|Carroll|2010|p=79}}

Version control is a characteristic of digital documents that allows for the tracking of edits and revisions to digital documents. In collaborative writing, version control helps maintain the document with accountability and transparency.{{sfn|Lucas|2023d}}

One form of collaborative technical writing is a wiki, which is a "Web site developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content.{{sfn|Lucas|2021}} One of the predominant elements of a wiki is that it is defined as being open source. As a result, anyone can modify it regardless of their geographic locations.

Digital documents can be protected with encryption, passwords, and access controls to safeguard sensitive information. These security measures enhance data protection and privacy.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

Digital documents have a smaller environmental footprint compared to paper documents, as they reduce the need for paper production, printing, and transportation.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

Online digital documents can be updated dynamically, ensuring that users always have access to the most current information. This is particularly valuable in fast-changing fields.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

Digital documents can be shared globally, transcending geographical boundaries and time zones. They support international collaboration and the dissemination of knowledge on a global scale.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

In business and research settings, digital documents can integrate with databases and data analysis tools. This integration streamlines data collection, analysis, and reporting processes.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

Digital documents can be subjected to data analytics techniques, allowing organizations to extract valuable insights from large volumes of textual data, which can inform decision-making and strategy.{{sfn|Lucas|2023c}}

In technical and professional writing, digital documentation takes various forms. These methods streamline the sharing of technical information, enhance collaboration, and ensure easy accessibility within professional settings, contributing to efficient communication and knowledge dissemination.

Infographics, shared as digital documents, typically combine text, graphics, and illustrations to convey complex concepts or data in a concise and visually appealing format. Infographics are often used to simplify information, making it more accessible to a broader audience, and are found in presentations, reports, websites, and educational materials. {{sfn|Lannon|Gurak|2020|pp=292-293}}

Presentations created with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PowerPoint PowerPoint] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Slides Google Slides] are vital for professional communication and knowledge sharing. They condense complex information into visually appealing slides for effective presentations by using photos, videos, graphics, charts, and graphs.{{sfn|Parkinson|2018|loc=chpt. 4}}

A blog, short for "weblog," is an informational website organized into short articles called posts, typically chronologically ordered series of website updates, written and organized similar to a traditional diary.{{sfn|Bair|2014|p=7}} They are regularly updated, providing readers with insights on a specific topic or subject. Blogs serve various purposes, including sharing opinions, providing news, offering educational content, and documenting personal experiences.{{sfn|Rose|Garret|2012|p=2}}

User experience (UX) is how a product works from the perspective of the user. Digital documents can be created with efficient user experiences by practicing several design methods, including user-centered design, information architecture, responsive design, and usability.  

The approach of user-centered design (UCD) in technical writing consists of the following methodology{{sfn|Lucas|2023e}}:

User research is the act of conducting thorough research through surveys, interviews, and usability testing to gain a better understanding of user needs and experiences when using a digital document.

Ideation and prototyping refers to the process of creating digital designs and prototypes to assist with exploring possible solutions to meet user needs.

Usability testing refers to the act of having users interact with digital document designs and recording and adjusting the design based on user feedback.

Implementation is the stage in which the design is implemented after making adjustments from prior testing.

Evaluation refers to the stage in which the digital document is assessed to ensure that it is meeting user needs.  

Maintenance and updates are required in order to maintain a digital document based on user feedback and changing needs.

The architecture components of IA can be divided into four different categories:{{sfn| Rosenfeld |pp=90}}  

Responsive design is a strategy that appropriately updates the layout and content of a website or document in relation to the screen size, device, and/or orientation, allowing the site or document to be easily viewed and navigated regardless of device used. With the increased use of mobile devices, web content should be constructed with proper responsive web design (RWD) to ensure effective UX and usability on those devices.{{sfn| Robbins| pp=485}}   

There are several design strategies that can be implemented that will increase the success of RWD:{{sfn| Robbins| pp=487}}   

*Flexible and responsive images – Images and other embedded media can be instructed so that they fit their containers instead of remaining at a fixed size. Images with varying resolutions can also be swapped according to screen size to avoid high-resolution images on smaller devices.  

===Usability===  

Technical communicators have ethical standards to which they must abide. The standards are divided into three primary categories. They are the employer, the public, and the environment.{{sfn|Markel|2009}}

Obligations to one's employer include competence and diligence, honesty and candor, confidentiality, and loyalty.{{sfn|Markel|2009}} The technical communicator must adhere to these obligations so that he/she does not harm the reputation or operation of the employer.

Technical communicators may occasionally work for an organization with strict privacy policies that prohibit them from using the documents they create outside of the organization. It is important for ethical communicators to follow the privacy policy for their organization because unauthorized release of information could lead to consequences up to and including termination.{{sfn|Balzotti|2022|p=83}}

Organizations are obligated to treat customers fairly. Technical communicators must convey that the products or services an organization sells are safe and effective.{{sfn|Markel|2009}}

Technical communicators have an obligation to the environment. This obligation includes alerting their supervisors, managers, and executive leadership to products or processes that are detrimental to the environment. Protecting the environment can be costly, however, and organizations may consider ignoring legal guidelines to save money.{{sfn|Markel|2009}} Yet, failure to adhere to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations also has financial implications. For example, the penalty for mishandling hazardous waste is five years and/or up to $50,000 for each day of the violation.{{sfn|EPA|2023}}

One major ethical concern in all forms of writing, but especially in digital writing, is the creation and spread of disinformation. Disinformation, often referred to as "[[w:Fake news|fake news]]," is information that is purposefully spread as false or misleading and is a sub-type of misinformation.{{sfn|Lawrence|2022|loc=section 3.7}} Modern communication technologies allow for the spread of information to occur at a fast pace. Social media is one area where the spread of disinformation occurs regularly. Some social media sites, such as Facebook, have begun to flag certain articles posted on the site as being questionable in their representation of facts or occurrences. Despite the widespread understanding and use of disinformation available today, digital writers need to be aware of their intent and the audience's needs and wants from their digital communication.{{sfn|Lucas|2023f}} Ethical considerations regarding citing sources, cross-referencing information, and using primary sources are good practices for maintaining ethical standing and credibility as a digital writer.

==Future Trends and Challenges==

Between 2022 and 2032, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Labor_Statistics, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics] is projecting a 7% job growth for technical writers. {{sfn|United States Bureau of Labor Statistics|2023}} To be relevant as a technical writer in the digital age, one must possess the skills of conducting in-depth research, critical thinking, being detail oriented, design, and technical expertise. To succeed at communicating the complex to specific audiences, the technical writer must understand much of the subject in its complexity. This is accomplished through possessing the skills of communication, collaboration, and teamwork.{{sfn|Fechter|2023}}

Because of the ability of chatbots to imitate human-like language, some education administrators have taken precautions to minimize the occurrence of students passing off artificially generated texts as their own. In some instances, educators have taken the view that material drawn from artificial intelligence software must be handled in the same way as sources from human authors. {{sfn|Klein|2023}} In such cases, students who incorporate artificially generated text into their work have been made to denote credit for the artificial intelligence program utilized.

The advent of chatbots has complicated the issue of credit where creative work is concerned. Because chatbots can simulate human speech, their ability to create cinematic dialogues and other types of creative writing have threatened the credits and financial condition of professional writers. According to an article by Aaron Mok and Jacob Zinkula on ''[https://www.businessinsider.com/ Business Insider]'', writing jobs are among the top 10 roles that AI is most likely to replace. {{sfn|Mok|2023}}

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* {{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-can-you-create-effective-visual-aids-1c |title=How Can You Create Effective Visual Aids for Technical Writing? |last=AI and the LinkedIn Community |date=2023 |website=www.linkedin.com |publisher=LinkedIn |access-date=2023-11-05 }}

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