Technical Writing

Technical Writing is cool!

I started technical writing more than 20 years ago. I certainly would not have been a good novel writer, I lack imagination when writing. But I’m good at asking, understanding, explaining and describing. These are the skills required to be a good technical author: do not imaginate but say what is, and what one should do to perform a task. Think as a developer and as a user at the same time. Present the software (or API, or SDK) in its best light. Increase user satisfaction and company satisfaction through you writing work. Yes, technical writing is pretty cool!

Technical Writing involves much

What’s pretty cool with technical writing is diversity and complexity.

  • You have to be a writer with technical knowledge.
  • You have to think like a user and know the software as well or almost as its developer.
  • You have to express simply complex things.
  • You have to think clearly.
  • You have to deal with many tools, from word processing to HATs to image editing and more.
  • You have to master 2 languages at least.

Technical Writing is the twin of Programming

Programming always has a target: a special use to meet (or create) a need, evolutions, and a users. The user might be a non-technical or another developer. In all cases, your application (or API) needs to be highlighted and explained, that is to say documented, at the risk of missing its target. That’s why technical writing is the twin of programming.

If your development team produces one of the following, you need documentation:

  1. A mobile application or a web service
  2. A connected device or robot with an application layer
  3. An API / SDK
  4. Any B-to-C or B-to-B software with many screens

A consequence of a bad documentation is that the end-user (or developer in the case of an API) might turn away and use another app/API, and/or call the support. Therefore, a good documentation helps!

Coffee Cup Services in Technical Writing

Coffee Cup focuses on REST API documentation, API & SDK documentation, but also provides services for GUI documentation, either printed or online.

languages The documentation can be written either in English, in French or in German.

In addition to this, Coffee Cup services include Technical Translation and Technical Communication.

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