Beyond Software - Learning from Other Technical Writers¶
Description
Outside of my technical writing work for software projects I have been creating a board game. A board game also requires mechanics to function and players to clearly understand how these mechanics work to use and appreciate fully.
As part of my research for writing game manuals I looked at manuals for furniture, electronics, and cars to see how they explain to users how to setup and use their products.
In this presentation I will look at how the technical writing skills of different industries can learn from each other.
This will include:
- Game Manuals and tutorials
- Assembly instructions (e.g. those wonderful Ikea inserts)
- Service Manuals for electronics
And as part of looking at these case studies, the presentation will cover:
- Iconography vs Text
- The limitations of updating print manuals
- Reducing language and cultural colloquialisms
- Identifying what needs to be said and what doesn't
And by the end of the presentation I hope that everyone will have learnt a lot from each other and realize that we're all trying to achieve the same thing(s).
- Conference: Write the Docs EU
- Year: 2016
About the speaker
