Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions

The need for paperwork ushered in by World War II served as the driving force for the technical writing profession in the United States.{{sfn|Rathbone|1958}} This was a time years before the computer and photocopier became common office equipment. During this period, the role of the technical writer revolved solely around words, and their primary work tools consisted of either a pencil or ink pen and paper. The technical writer would draft the document by hand and a typist or clerical worker would then use a typewriter to transfer the writer's words into a finished document.   

Accurate information that is delivered with precision and specificity is essential to providing communication that is unambiguous and free of discrepancies.{{sfn|Smirti|2022}} Technical communication should be free of errors and inconsistencies.

Technical communication should be logically organized, straightforward, and easily understood by the target audience. The language used should avoid needless jargon and be written in a manner that avoids redundant word usage and/or excessive explanations.{{sfn|Smirti|2022}}{{sfn|Proofed Editors|2020}}

Technical communication utilizes visuals strategically to facilitate understanding of textual content. Visuals such as diagrams, charts, graphs, or images can enhance understanding of a technical document. When presented properly, visuals can explain difficult concepts and make material accessible to a more diverse audience.{{sfn|AI and the LinkedIn Community|2023}}

Personas in the context of digital writing, which is writing composed, created and read in digital environments, refer to semi-fictional characters that encapsulate the characteristics, behaviors, and needs of target audience segments. They align closely with the principles of user-centered design (UCD).{{sfn|Lucas|2023a}} There are myriad ways to integrate user-centered thinking into the creative process of UX design, and personas are one of the most effective ways to empathize with and analyze users.{{sfn|Goltz|2014}}

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric Rhetoric] is a communication strategy whose primary goal is to persuade an audience. It is grounded in three foundational concepts first defined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. These concepts are ''logos'', which engages with the reader’s sense of logic or reason; ''pathos'', which appeals to the reader’s emotions; and ''ethos'', which addresses the audience’s values and the writer’s credibility. Within this framework, writers utilize specific techniques or devices to influence and engage readers. Examples include appealing to an audience’s sense of logic by using factual examples to support a point or evoking emotion through descriptive visual language.{{sfn|Gagich|Zickel|n.d.|pp=34-37}}

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 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to enhance the overall website management experience.{{sfn|Carroll|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].

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 worst matches. The position of a website in search results is influenced by where it ranks on a scale determined by the keywords that a user searches for.{{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}}

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}}

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 to allow cross-referencing with other seemingly unrelated departments.{{sfn|IBM}}

Website content should be designed in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to access the same information as those without disabilities.{{sfn|WAI|2022}} It is a legal requirement to include accessibility features in website design.{{sfn|WCAG|2023}} There are four different types of impairment that can affect how a user interacts and perceives digital documents: vision, mobility, auditory, and cognitive.{{sfn|Robbins|2018|p=42}} Digital documents will need to be optimized so that information can be accessed by hardware and software tools used by people with disabilities.{{sfn|Barr|2010|pp=103-104}}

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}} Ways to improve a document's scannability include implementing visual elements, white space, concise language, highlighting, and emphasis.

One form of collaborative technical writing is a wiki, which is a "website 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.