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Making things simple, isn’t that the goal of all writers? When technical writing is needed, it’s not for the technical writer to necessarily use, but it’s designed for some sort of end user. The case for simplicity becomes clearer when you think about it in this way, but is it possible?
Simplified design is one thing, but simple words are another. The good news is that the two can work hand in hand. By focusing on a few common attributes of the audience, technical writers can engage their audience, even when they never meet them in person.
- The need for instruction – Users of technical documents need to be trained in the topic of the technical writing document. If they didn’t need the information, they wouldn’t be reading the document in the first place. Writers need to keep in mind that instruction is often the primary goal. With simple instructions, readers are better able to use the document to reach the greater goal(s).
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When you purchase an item, it often will come with a warranty. And in that warranty, you will learn what measures you can take if the product should be defective or harmful during its intended use.
If you follow the terms of the warranty, you are often afforded the opportunity for a replacement product or some other compensation, should the product fail during the time you have owned it. Technical writers create these documents, often, and how they phrase a warranty will help to create more customer power.
Here are a few of the different parts of a warranty that need to be clearly defined:
- Time period of the warranty
- What is covered by the warranty
- What is NOT covered by the warranty
- Who the customer needs to contact to receive compensation
- The contact information for the company
- Additional terms and conditions
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WAI will be participating in the DevLearn 2011 Conference and Expo in early November.
EVENT: DevLearn 2011 Conference and Expo
WHEN: November 2-4, 2011
WHERE: The Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Come Meet WAI at the Expo
WAI will be among the exhibitors at the DevLearn 2011 Expo. The DevLearn Expo will be packed with educational resources available to all full-conference attendees, as well as to Expo-Only registrants. We’ll be exhibiting from booth #422 and hope you’ll stop by and say hello.
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Editor’s Note: This was the feature article in this month’s TechCom Manager newsletter, reprinted here with permission. Click the previous link to subscribe to the newsletter.
Val Swisher
If your company is like most these days, you have been tasked with creating more (and more) content with fewer (and fewer) people. In the never-ending quest to cut expenses, many companies have laid-off content developers. At the same time, in the quest to drive revenue, companies are shipping more products, in more languages, and at a more rapid pace. That begs the question, “How do you get more out of the same resources when you create content?” Resources are both the people who create and edit the content, and the content itself. When it comes to increasing operational efficiency, companies can do several things to enhance their content output without adding more resources.
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Not all medical writers are created alike. Though they all deal with medical topics, their training and their focus are different, albeit complementary.
Whether you’re interested in hiring a medical writer or becoming a medical writer, you need to know how to diagnose the differences between the two main categories.
Scientific Medical Writers
The scientific medical writer will have extensive experience in the science field, and will generally hold an advanced science degree. These writers will handle projects like:
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Enron – just the sight of that word makes people cringe. But what does this have to do with technical writing? More than you might realize.
Because of fewer rules about documentation, Enron and other companies were able to pull off many financial tricks, allowing the higher ups to make money, while the investors were left with nothing.
That’s where the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and more specifically Section 404 become important to those who are writing documents.
Here’s what the act states:
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Technical writing and medical writing require information that’s thoughtful and precise, which is why many technical and medical writers are concerned that templates may restrict their writing.
If we stop to think about the way we live our lives, we’ll recognize that we tend to live 95% by habit. That is to say that most of what we do is something we do out of habit instead of out of a conscious decision. This is not a bad thing because it allows us to make the most of our time and it allows us to create the ideal circumstances in which we can do what we need to do, often without thinking about it. In some ways, templates allow us to produce without thinking.
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Navigation – it’s what takes a reader from their current learning experience to a completely new experience, one that hopefully results in their learning a new skill or task. With a user manual, a user can instantly know what they need to know, assuming they read it from start to finish. But what’s the best format for learning?
According to some, this learning format for a user manual works best:
- Cover
- Title page
- Copyright information
- Table of Contents
- Chapter 1
- Chapter summary
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It makes sense that when you’re writing a technical document that you need to get the facts right. If the user can’t use the handbook or manual, that can spell trouble and it can be dangerous. But does the writing matter at all? Other blogs have already talked about this topic and it seems that the discussion is one without a clear answer.
Just the Facts, Ma’am?
What’s interesting about the quote, ‘Just the facts,’ is that Joe actually didn’t ever utter it as Friday on Dragnet. But it’s been repeated enough in popular culture that everyone assumes that he said it. He didn’t.
What does this have to do with technical writing? When you’re creating a document, you need to focus on the facts first, to be certain. But when your writing isn’t accurate, that can mangle the facts and cause a reader to interpret what you’re writing in a different way than you meant.
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With all of the professional organizations out there, why would anyone want to join another? They cost money, they take up time, and, often, they present few rewards to technical writers. Until, now, that is. The American Medical Writers Association offers memberships to students and to medical writers, helping everyone stay connected and up to date on current medical writing practices.
Perhaps this is a membership with rewards.
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