We don't need any help! This product is super intuitive!

How many times have you heard someone say this at your software company? Every time I hear it, I have to chuckle a bit............. inside, of course! Either that, or I'd have to cry!"Our product is so intuitive for users, why do we need any online h...

Information Archeology, A Journey Through Historic Data Content

Instead of just looking at the code/algorithm side of legacy systems effect on current or future development, I dig into historic data retrieval methods persisting into this century.

Between Bits and Brains – Decoding Human-Chatbot Relationships

Examples of Good Introductions in Product Documentation

There’s some awesome User Assistance content on the SAP Help Portal…By Dwight Anglehart, Doug Savage, and Jon Nowland

The ABAP Detective Sets The Thermostat

When skewed metrics appeared, I dug into the bad data source and altered the Python driver to cleanse the errors. 

13 Lucky Tips for Global Teamwork

How can you produce the best content while working in a distributed team? Try our "lucky 13" tips and tricks! By Laura Cherry and Kieran Turley 

What's a Great Information Experience for Users?

User Assistance developers play an important role in the collaboration between design and development teams that aim to provide users with an exceptional and intuitive information experience in the user interface.

From Babble to Brilliance: Can Language Models Influence Human Language?

 Considering the power, performance, and pervasiveness of language models, will they influence the way we write and speak and how will they do it?

What’s your technical communication focus?

The role of a technical communicator constantly evolves. Years ago, we simply had to write a few documents and our job was considered done. These days, especially in the software industry with its massive flux in terms of concepts and products, thing...

From a Novice To A Conference Nomad

I'm excited to share a piece of my journey with you—a journey that has been shaped by personal aspirations, a dash of perseverance, and a lot of learning. After all, isn't every success story, a collection of moments that started as humble dreams?

Microlearning : Learn More, Read Less

Microlearning is a new way of learning that focuses on reading the exact information you need, when you need it. It's about getting straight to the point and not wasting time.

Creating Trust When Onboarding Users

Software user interface text (any text that displays in the user interface) can help onboard users, build trust, and help users quickly complete their tasks.

Seeing is Believing: Using Graphics to Enhance User Experience

"I am tired of hearing that my documentation is hard to understand!” What if you could make professional looking graphics using no-sweat tools, to take the pain out of consuming software documentation? I used to be terrified whenever I needed to crea...

Our Secret Skills

Let’s talk about some of the hidden skills that technical communicators rarely discuss.

How can AI help with social media?

Since last November, everyone has been talking about ChatGPT and thinking about what tasks AI can do for us while we can still keep our jobs. When the same question comes to social media, how can AI help with social media?

Corporate Taxonomy Bestows Unified Vocabulary and Boosts Search Engine Optimization

We live in a world where people thirst for instant access to the information. This, combined with an overload of information and so many choices to make, if we fail to provide the right content at the right time, users will simply abandon the process...

What is Reference Topic Type in DITA XML?

If you are a technical writer or an information architect, trying to understand the topic types used in DITA XML, then this blog post is for you. 

Common mistakes in technical writing: #3 - Beating Stephen King Syndrome

There is a breed of writers who can write a whole book in one sitting. They write and write and in two days they produce a whole novel. According to Wikipedia, Stephen King is famous for doing just that.Great, isn’t it? But it’s not like that in tech...

Using Design Thinking When Creating User Assistance

Design Thinking is about problem-solving and collaboration between a team of people with different skillsets to come up with innovative solutions for users. This process is typically for creating software solutions, but I learned how to adapt it to c...

Modern World Magic? A Closer Look at Large Language Models and Their Impact on Technical Writing

It feels like the only thing that we're talking about in the tech world recently are Large Language Models or Generative AI. It’s created many conversations, both positive and negative. In this Blog, I’d like to look a bit deeper at how LLMs work and...

Common mistakes in technical writing: #2 - Taking the bricks out of structured writing!

Have you ever played the falling tower game, Jenga? In this game, you build short wooden blocks into a high and stable tower. Once ready, each player takes a turn to remove the blocks until the tower’s structure becomes unstable and it collapses with...

How to Create a Style Guide That Never Goes Out of Style!

Do you think user assistance and product documentation in particular have a fashion sense? Or technically speaking, do they have a style? Do you think they have the right style? Do you need a guide for styles? Who comes up with such a style guide? Wi...

Are there differences you should be aware of when writing content for help or learning?

Enablement comes in many forms. Trying to succeed and move forward in your career? You’ll probably take a course to earn a badge or certification to prove you’ve got the skills to work in a new role or with a new system. This is what we typically cal...

Content maintenance…keeping things fresh!

Have you ever searched for an answer on the web, finally found what seemed like useful data, then realized the date stamp was from 5 years ago?I have, many times, and this is an experience I'd like to avoid for any software user trying to find help e...

Start Building User-Focused Documentation Structures

Do your readers complain about not being able to find what they need to get their job done? Even though the content is right there in the manual? Here are a few ideas for helping your readers locate what they need within your documentation structures...

Become the Editor You’d Want to Work With!

Good technical writing is more difficult than most people think. You can’t simply slap a bunch of facts down on a page and say, “job done”. There’s a craft to writing, a skill you hone over years, and you need to keep practicing and taking in feedbac...

What Are Your Users Thinking?

 You can apply some simple psychology principles to your UI design to predict and explain customer behavior. Thinking, feeling, and visual perception are important to make sure your users have an enjoyable (or less frustrating) experience and return ...

It’s dangerous to write alone…take this!

How do you write your documentation? Do you work from drafts? Do you create content based on information sessions, functional specifications, or slide decks? Have you considered writing as a group activity between you as a technical writer and your t...

Common Mistakes in Technical Writing: #1 - Don’t write it like a song!

Are you curious about common mistakes a technical writer may make while writing software documentation? In this series of blog posts, Jordan Stanchev and Kieran Turley will introduce you to some commonly met mistakes in writing documentation so you c...

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…”

How often have you fought bitter battles over the names of buttons, actions, or processes? Do you remember capitulating to terrible names just because your seniors demanded it? As technical writers we are naturally sensitive to words, but others rare...

Welcome to the Information Architecture Group!

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest best practice for information architecture? Do you struggle to find like minds to discuss the topic within your own company? If yes, this is the forum for you!  Read more about it in the blog post!

What’s the Buzz About Gamification and How to Gamify Product Documentation?

Are you curious to know what gamification is all about? Ever thought about gamifying product documentation? Interested to know what aspects can be gamified and how gamification adds value to your end users? In one of my previous blog posts, I spoke a...