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92-717: Technical communication is used to convey scientific, engineering, or other technical information. Individuals in a variety of contexts and with varied professional credentials engage in technical communication. Some individuals are designated as technical communicators or technical writers as their primary role; for some others, the role is inherently part of their technical position (e.g., engineers). In either case, these individuals utilize appropriate skills to research, document, and present technical information as needed. Technical communicators may use modalities including paper documents, digital files, audio and video media, and live delivery. The Society for Technical Communication defines

184-405: A "specialized body of knowledge" for the profession, imposing ethical standards on technical communicators, initiating a conversation about certifying practitioners in the field, and working to accredit education programs in the field. The profession has continued to grow—according to O'Hara, the writing/editing profession, including technical writers, experienced a 22% increase in positions between

276-455: A brief manifesto titled " Teach Writing as a Process Not Product ", in which he argued that English teachers' conventional training in literary criticism caused them to hold students' work to unhelpful standards of highly polished "finished writing". Teachers, he explained, ought to focus less on correcting students' written products and focus more on involving students in "discovery through language", which Murray believed for "most writers most of

368-413: A communication to understand what a document must accomplish. Determining if a communication aims to persuade readers to “think or act a certain way, enable them to perform a task, help them understand something, change their attitude,” etc., guides the technical writer on how to format their communication, and the kind of communication they choose (online help system, white paper, proposal, etc.). Context

460-531: A means delivering information to their audiences. According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC), the professions of technical communication and technical writing were first referenced around World War I , when technical documents became a necessity for military purposes. The job title emerged in the US during World War II, Although it was not until 1951 that the first "Help Wanted: Technical Writer" ad

552-420: A mixture of technical and writing abilities. They typically have a degree or certification in a technical field, but may have one in journalism, business, or other fields. Many technical writers switch from another field, such as journalism—or a technical field such as engineering or science, often after learning important additional skills through technical communications classes. To create a technical document,

644-579: A new light when allowed to express their personal experiences. According to Richard Fulkerson's article "Four Philosophies of Composition", the focus of expressivism is for writers to have "... an interesting, credible, honest, and personal voice". Moreover, proponents of the expressivist process view this theory as a way for students to become fulfilled and healthy both emotionally and mentally. Those who teach this process often focus on journaling and other classroom activities to focus on student self-discovery and at times, low-stakes writing. Prominent figures in

736-483: A particular audience's needs. Technical communicators may need to translate, globalize, or localize their documents to meet the needs of audiences in different linguistic and cultural markets. Globalization involves producing technical content that meets the needs of "as many audiences as possible," ideally an international audience. Localization adapts existing technical content to fit the "cultural, rhetorical, educational, ethical, [and] legal" expectations of users in

828-633: A particular audience, a technical communicator must consider what qualities make a text useful (capable of supporting a meaningful task) and usable (capable of being used in service of that task). A non-technical audience might misunderstand or not even read a document that is heavy with jargon—while a technical audience might crave detail critical to their work such as vector notation . Busy audiences often don't have time to read entire documents, so content must be organized for ease of searching—for example by frequent headings , white space , and other cues that guide attention . Other requirements vary according to

920-483: A particular document. For example, writers routinely discover that editorial changes trigger brainstorming and a change of purpose; that drafting is temporarily interrupted to correct a misspelling; or that the boundary between pre-writing and drafting is less than obvious. The writing process has been described by composition scholars in a variety of ways with attention to "developmental, expressive, and social" elements. Linda Flower (a composition theorist known in

1012-516: A particular purpose—typically to communicate ideas and concepts to an audience, or instruct an audience in a particular task. Technical communication professionals use various techniques to understand the audience and, when possible, test content on the target audience. For example, if bank workers don't properly post deposits, a technical communicator would review existing instructional material (or lack thereof), interview bank workers to identify conceptual errors, interview subject matter experts to learn

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1104-480: A set of containers into which we pour meaning". Bizzell contends that this process "remains the emptiest box" in the cognitive process model, since it de-contextualizes the original context of the written text, negating the original. She argues, "Writing does not so much contribute to thinking as provide an occasion for thinking." "The aim of collaborative learning helps students to find more control in their learning situation. The social model of writing relies on

1196-579: A set of mental and physical steps that someone takes to create any type of text. Almost always, these activities require inscription equipment, either digital or physical: chisels, pencils, brushes, chalk, dyes, keyboards, touchscreens, etc.; each of these tools has unique affordances that influence writers' workflows. Writing processes are very individualized and task-specific; they frequently incorporate activities such as talking, drawing, reading, browsing, and other activities that are not typically associated with writing. In 1972, Donald M. Murray published

1288-459: A small team of writers and editors. In larger groups, a documentation manager might handle multiple projects and teams. Technical writers may also gain expertise in a particular technical domain and branch into related forms, such as software quality analysis or business analysis. A technical writer who becomes a subject matter expert in a field may transition from technical writing to work in that field. Technical writers commonly produce training for

1380-831: A specific local context. Technical communication, in the government, is particular and detailed. Depending on the segment of government (and country), the government component must follow distinct specifications. Information changes continuously and technical communications (technical manuals, interactive electronic technical manuals, technical bulletins, etc.) must be updated. Technical communicators must collect all information that each document requires. They may collect information through primary (first-hand) research—or secondary research, using information from existing work by other authors. Technical communicators must acknowledge all sources they use to produce their work. To this end, technical communicators typically distinguish quotations, paraphrases, and summaries when taking notes. Before writing

1472-706: A standard style guide . In the US, technical writers typically use The Associated Press Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). Many companies have internal corporate style guides that cover specific corporate issues such as logo use, branding, and other aspects of corporate style. The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications is typical of these. Engineering projects, particularly defense or aerospace-related projects, often follow national and international documentation standards—such as ATA100 for civil aircraft or S1000D for civil and defense platforms. Technical writers often work as part of

1564-519: A technical editor or technical writer), who edits, formats, and sometimes elaborates the document in order to make the marketing professional's expert assessment usable to the sales manager. The process is not one of knowledge transfer, but the accommodation of knowledge across fields of expertise and contexts of use. This is the basic definition of technical communication. Audience type affects many aspects of communication, from word selection and graphics use to style and organization. Most often, to address

1656-551: A technical writer must understand the subject, purpose, and audience. They gather information by studying existing material, interviewing SMEs, and often actually using the product. They study the audience to learn their needs and technical understanding level. A technical publication's development life cycle typically consists of five phases, coordinated with the overall product development plan: The document development life cycle typically consists of six phases (This changes organization to organization, how they are following). This

1748-427: A thing is right or wrong. There is a difference of degrees attributed to social forces. According to the expressivist theory, the process of writing is centered on the writer's transformation. This involves the writer changing in the sense that voice and identity are established and the writer has a sense of his or her self. In expressivist pedagogy, writing is a process used to create meaning. An author’s sense of self

1840-473: A topic sentence that states the paragraph's topic, followed by the topic, and finally, a concluding sentence. Once the initial draft is laid out, editing and revising can be done to fine-tune the draft into a final copy. Usability testing can be helpful to evaluate how well the writing and/or design meets the needs of end-users and to suggest improvements [] Four tasks transform the early draft into its final form, suggested by Pfeiffer and Boogard: In this step,

1932-522: A unique image of the problem they want to solve." A historical response to process is concerned primarily with the manner in which writing has been shaped and governed by historical and social forces. These forces are dynamic and contextual, and therefore render any static iteration of process unlikely. Notable scholars that have conducted this type of inquiry include media theorists such as Marshall McLuhan , Walter Ong , Gregory Ulmer , and Cynthia Selfe. Much of McLuhan's work, for example, centered around

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2024-454: A wide range of audiences and experiences. The User Experience Professionals Association defines user experience , or UX, as "Every aspect of the user's interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user's perception of the whole." Therefore, "user experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction." It

2116-455: A writer to create ideas. The writer's own goals are instrumental to how ideas are formed. The rhetorical situation is further split into the purpose of the writing, and who will be reading it. The writer's own goals are split into how the reader is affected, the persona the writer uses, the meaning the writer can create, and implementation of writing conventions. They came to three results from their study, which suggests that good writers envelop

2208-405: A writing or project development team. Typically, the writer finishes a draft and passes it to one or more SMEs who conduct a technical review to verify accuracy and completeness. Another writer or editor may perform an editorial review that checks conformance to styles, grammar, and readability. This person may request for clarification or make suggestions. In some cases, the writer or others test

2300-463: Is $ 70,191 according to ZipRecruiter . Technical writers can have various job titles, including technical communicator, information developer , technical content developer or technical documentation specialist . In the United Kingdom and some other countries, a technical writer is often called a technical author or knowledge author . Writing process A writing process is

2392-449: Is a professional communicator whose task is to convey complex information in simple terms to an audience of the general public or a very select group of readers. Technical writers research and create information through a variety of delivery media (electronic, printed, audio-visual, and even touch). Example types of information include online help , manuals, white papers , design specifications , project plans, and software test plans. With

2484-429: Is deployed across a wide range of interfaces and environments." UX design is a product of both technical communication and the user identity. Effective UX design is configured to maximize usability according to unique user backgrounds, in a process called design ethnography. Design ethnography closely analyzes user culture through interviews and usability tests, in which the technical writer directly immerses themself in

2576-515: Is deployed across a wide range of interfaces and environments." Technical communication is a task performed by specialized employees or consultants. For example, a professional writer may work with a company to produce a user manual. Some companies give considerable technical communication responsibility to other technical professionals—such as programmers, engineers, and scientists. Often, a professional technical writer edits such work to bring it up to modern technical communication standards. To begin

2668-407: Is emphasized for bringing social change. This theory became popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Several scholars have noted that the expressivist process is incredibly valuable when it comes to writer’s forming their own identities within writing, Michele Zugnoni and Anne Harrington in particular. Zugnoni discusses the ways in which including self-reflection and self-expression within writing

2760-533: Is incredibly helpful in allowing first-generation students to build a sense of individuality and purpose. Zugnoni had female, first-generation students use self-reflection in writing, allowing for this group of students to create a sense of individuality from writing freely. In the book “Writing With Elbow,” Herrington’s chapter, titled “Gone Fishin’: Rendering and the Uses of Personal Experience in Writing,” states that

2852-426: Is not enough to write good content. According to industry expectations, next to writing good content, it is now also crucial to design good experiences around that content." Technical communicators must now consider different platforms such as social media and apps, as well as different channels like web and mobile. As Redish explains, a technical communications professional no longer writes content but “writes around

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2944-527: Is now an expectation that technical communication skills should be coupled with UX design. As Verhulsdonck, Howard, and Tham state "...it is not enough to write good content. According to industry expectations, next to writing good content, it is now also crucial to design good experiences around that content." Technical communicators must now consider different platforms such as social media and apps, as well as different channels like web and mobile. As Redish explains, TPC no longer writes content but "writes around

3036-419: Is quite difficult for autistic students because of their challenges with interpersonal communication. The narratives of autistic students can sometimes be troubling to neurotypical peers with whom they share their work, as Rose notes in quoting autistic autobiographer Dawn Price-Hughes: "Sometimes reaching out and communicating isn't easy–it can bring sadness and regret. Some of my family and friends, after reading

3128-458: Is similar to the software development life cycle. Well-written technical documents usually follow formal standards or guidelines. Technical documentation comes in many styles and formats, depending on the medium and subject area. Printed and online documentation may differ in various ways, but still adhere to largely identical guidelines for prose, information structure, and layout. Usually, technical writers follow formatting conventions described in

3220-402: Is the physical and temporal circumstances in which readers use communication—for example: at their office desks, in a manufacturing plant, during the slow summer months, or in the middle of a company crisis. Understanding the context of a situation tells the technical writer how readers use communication. This knowledge significantly influences how the writer formats communication. For example, if

3312-775: The European Association for Technical Communication published a competence framework for the professional field of technical communication. Much like technology and the world economy, technical communication as a profession has evolved over the last half-century. In a nutshell, technical communicators take the physiological research of a project and apply it to the communication process itself. Historically, Technical & Professional Communication (TPC) has been as an industry that practices writing and communication. However, recently User Experience (UX) Design has become more prominent in TPC as companies look to develop content for

3404-719: The five canons of rhetoric : pre-writing to invention and arrangement , writing to style , revising to delivery and sometimes memory . While contemporary research on writing processes still accepts that some kind of process is necessarily involved in producing any written text, it now collectively endorses "the fundamental idea that no codifiable or generalizable writing process exists or could exist". In this view, "writing processes are historically dynamic – not psychic states, cognitive routines, or neutral social relationships". In terms of "pre-writing" for instance, writing processes often begin long before any visible documentable work or easily categorizable steps are observable. From

3496-549: The passive voice ), second and third person as required Technical writing as a discipline usually requires that a technical writer use a style guide . These guides may relate to a specific project, product, company, or brand. They ensure that technical writing reflects formatting, punctuation, and general stylistic standards that the audience expects. In the United States, many consider the Chicago Manual of Style

3588-435: The writing process , has been a central focus of writing theory since the 1970s, and some contemporary textbook authors apply it to technical communication. Technical communication is important to most professions, as a way to contain and organize information and maintain accuracy. The technical writing process is based on Cicero's 5 canons of rhetoric , and can be divided into six steps: All technical communication serves

3680-413: The "pathologization (the treatment of a health or behaviour condition as if it were a medical condition) of difference" which can easily occur between autistic students. Also, neurotypical peers can be broken down by such autobiographies. As Rose directly says, "I argue here that awareness of the relationality of autistic life writing, and the recognition of its corollary status as testimonio and attention to

3772-465: The Boundary . Editing operates on several levels. The lowest level, often called line editing, is the stage in the writing process where the writer makes changes in the text to correct errors—such as spelling, subject/verb agreement, verb tense consistency, point of view consistency, mechanical errors, word choice, and word usage (there, their or they're) —and fine-tune his or her style. Having revised

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3864-547: The COVID-19 pandemic, employees around the world experienced a shift in work environment from in-person to remote and/or virtual. As of 2023, after social distancing policies have been loosened, many organizations have decided to maintain the option for employees to work remotely. In the particular case of professional technical writers, this change forces an alternative approach to communication with subject matter experts, colleagues, and project managers who are directly involved in

3956-425: The array of possibilities for technical writers will continue to expand. Many technical writers are responsible for creating technical documentation for mobile applications or help documentation built within mobile or web applications. They may be responsible for creating content that will only be viewed on a hand-held device; much of their work will never be published in a printed booklet like technical documentation of

4048-401: The average for all occupations. They expect job opportunities, especially for applicants with technical skills, to be good. The BLS also noted that the expansion of "scientific and technical products" and the need for technical writers to work in "Web-based product support" will drive increasing demand. As of May 2022, the average annual pay for a freelance technical writer in the United States

4140-495: The bible for general technical communication. Other style guides have their adherents, particularly for specific industries—such as the Microsoft Style Guide in some information technology settings. At this point, the writer performs a mechanical edit , checking the document for grammar, punctuation, common word confusions, passive voice, overly long sentences, etc. Technical writer A technical writer

4232-433: The body is drafted. The ABC ( a bstract, b ody, and c onclusion) format can be used when writing a first draft of some document types. The abstract describes the subject so that the reader knows what the document covers. The body is the majority of the document and covers topics in depth. Lastly, the conclusion section restates the document's main topics. The ABC format can also apply to individual paragraphs—beginning with

4324-535: The broader field of technical communication, technical writing involves communicating complex information to those who need it to accomplish some task or goal. In other words, technical writers take advanced technical concepts and communicate them as clearly, accurately, and comprehensively as possible to their intended audience, ensuring that the work is accessible to its users. Kurt Vonnegut described technical writers as: ...trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writing. This makes them freaks in

4416-410: The cognitive model in "The Cognition of Discovery" by observing writers in order to learn how they generate meaning. They outlined the rhetorical problem as a list of what a writer may address or consider. In doing so, they created a model for the rhetorical problem that can be split up into two main categories: The rhetorical situation and the writer's own goals. The rhetorical situation is what motivates

4508-446: The contemporary perspective of composition studies , it is thus inaccurate to assume that any authentic writing process (i.e., one not contrived as part of a school assignment or laboratory setting) necessarily involves a linear sequence of "stages". Rather different kinds of activities emerge as overlapping parts of a complex whole or parts of a repeating process that can be repeated multiple times throughout anyone's process of composing

4600-412: The correct procedures, author new material that instructs workers in the correct procedures, and test the new material on the bank workers. Similarly, a sales manager who wonders which of two sites is better for a new store might ask a marketing professional to study the sites and write a report with recommendations. The marketing professional hands the report off to a technical communicator (in this case,

4692-474: The document is a quick troubleshooting guide to the controls on a small watercraft, the writer may have the pages laminated to increase usable life. Once the above information has been gathered, the document is designed for optimal readability and usability. According to one expert, technical writers use six design strategies to plan and create technical communication: arrangement, emphasis, clarity, conciseness, tone, and ethos. Technical writers normally possess

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4784-496: The document on audience members to make usability improvements. A final production typically follows an inspection checklist to ensure the quality and uniformity of the published product. The physical working environment of most company-employed technical writers typically entails an open office with desktop computers and individual desks. A technical writer's workspace is largely dependent on their industry. A 2018 Intercom census of mostly American technical communicators showed that

4876-415: The documentation process, technical communicators identify the audience and their information needs. The technical communicator researches and structures the content into a framework that can guide detailed development. As the body of information comes together, the technical communicator ensures that the intended audience can understand the content and retrieve the information they need. This process, known as

4968-416: The draft for content, the writer's task is now to make changes that will improve the communication with the reader. Depending on the genre, the writer may choose to adhere to the conventions of Standard English . These conventions are still being developed and the rulings on controversial issues may vary depending on the source. For example, Strunk and White 's Elements of Style , first published in 1918,

5060-501: The early days of the profession, technical writers have worked in teams with a pool of other technical writers. To this day, most organizations still employ a team to produce and edit technical writing for an assigned product or service. As a member of a team, technical writers work independently to research their assignments. Regular one-on-one meetings with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and internal research references (e.g., mechanical drawings, specifications, BOMs, datasheets, etc.) provide

5152-564: The exclusion of personal experience in an academic writing assignment disregards the value of a writer’s experiences. Expressivist process theory and academic writing complement one another, that academic inquiry focuses on discovery wherein expressivism is the discovery and analysis of your personal experiences. It is discussed that the act of writing about one’s personal experience not only helps to make sense of those experiences but allows them to build their voice, Bruce Ballenger stating his own students had told him that writing had been put into

5244-582: The field as any form of communication that focuses on technical or specialized topics, communicates specifically by using technology, or provides instructions on how to do something. More succinctly, the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators defines technical communication as factual communication, usually about products and services. The European Association for Technical Communication briefly defines technical communication as "the process of defining, creating and delivering information products for

5336-403: The field include John Dixon, Ken Macrorie, Lou Kelly, Donald C. Stewart and Peter Elbow . As appealing as document sharing may be for students with autism in particular, being able to contextualize one's life story in the context of their disability may prove the most powerful expression of the overall writing process. Rose illustrates that creating narrative identity in a conventional sense

5428-527: The field of cognitive rhetoric) and John R. Hayes extended Bitzer's rhetorical situation and developed a set of heuristics that framed the writing process as a series of rhetorical problems to be solved. The heuristics focus on the generation and the structuring of ideas. Writers should choose goals with built-in guidelines that lead their content into certain directions. While generating ideas, four viable techniques come to play. These are: to write ideas without editing or filtering, to play out scenarios discussing

5520-572: The impact of written language on oral cultures, degrees to which various media are accessible and interactive, and the ways in which electronic media determine communication patterns. His evaluation of technology as a shaper of human societies and psyches indicates a strong connection between historical forces and literacy practices. Patricia Bizzell (a professor with a Ph.D in English and former President of Rhetoric Society of America ) argues that even though educators may have an understanding of "how"

5612-417: The initial draft, the technical communicator organizes ideas in a way that makes the document flow well. Once each idea is organized, the writer organizes the document as a whole—accomplishing this task in various ways: After organizing the whole document, the writer typically creates a final outline that shows the document's structure. Outlines make the writing process easier and save the author time. After

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5704-444: The interface" itself as the user experience surrounding content is developed. This includes usable content customized to specific user needs, that addresses user emotions, feelings, and thoughts across different channels in a UX ecology. Lauer and Brumberger further assert, "…UX is a natural extension of the work that technical communicators already do, especially in the modern technological context of responsive design, in which content

5796-442: The interface” itself as user experience surrounding content is developed. This includes usable content customized to specific user needs, that addresses user emotions, feelings, and thoughts across different channels in a UX ecology. Lauer and Brumberger further assert, “…UX is a natural extension of the work that technical communicators already do, especially in the modern technological context of responsive design, in which content

5888-674: The majority of respondents worked in technology and IT. Prevalence of various industries in technical writing is correlated to geographic location, and the industries that are most common in certain regions of the world. A study of technical communication careers in Europe showed that the majority of technical communicators work in IT. In the wake of the stay-at-home suggestions from the World Health Organization in March 2020, due to

5980-453: The manuscript for this book, were deeply saddened to learn how I experienced my world." Rose points to the well-known work of Temple Grandin and Donna Williams as examples of autistic autobiographies and analogizes toward the usefulness of women's autobiographies championed by Susan Stanford Friedman to show women's inter-connectivity, suggesting the same can be learned through autistic autobiographies. She writes that such works can minimize

6072-545: The material relations of the production of these texts is particularly useful in assessing their social significance." From a rhetorical perspective the use for students with disabilities (not just autistic students) seems to be promising. It would appear to foster a sense of a community among students with disabilities and helping these voices be brought in from the margins similarly to the way Mike Rose refers to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and their needs in Lives on

6164-600: The most important characteristics for technical writers was their ability to follow stringent government specifications for documents. After the war, the rise of new technology, such as the computer, allowed technical writers to work in other areas, producing "user manuals, quick reference guides, hardware installation manuals, and cheat sheets." After the war (1953–1961), technical communicators (including technical writers) became interested in "professionalizing" their field. According to Malone, technical communicators/writers did so by creating professional organizations, cultivating

6256-404: The outline is complete, the writer begins the first draft, following the outline's structure. Setting aside blocks of an hour or more, in a place free of distractions, helps the writer maintain a flow. Most writers prefer to wait until the draft is complete before any revising so they don't break their flow. Typically, the writer should start with the easiest section, and write the summary only after

6348-422: The outset of a document project helps define what an audience for a particular document requires. When analyzing an audience the technical writer typically asks: Accurate audience analysis provides a set of guidelines that shape document content, design and presentation (online help system, interactive website, manual, etc.), and tone and knowledge level. A technical writer analyzes the purpose (or function) of

6440-422: The past. Historically, technical writers, or technical and professional communicators, have been concerned with writing and communication. However, recently user experience (UX) design has become more prominent in technical and professional communications as companies look to develop content for a wide range of audiences and experiences. The User Experience Professionals Association defines UX as “Every aspect of

6532-564: The relationship between the writers and readers for the purpose of creating meaning. "Writers seldom write exactly what they mean and readers seldom interpret a writer's words exactly as the writer intended." Even grammar has a social turn in writing: "It may be that to fully account for the contempt that some errors of usage arouse, we will have to understand better than we do the relationship between language, order, and those deep psychic forces that perceived linguistic violations seem to arouse in otherwise amiable people". So one cannot simply say

6624-1171: The research necessary to write and compile technically accurate content. Technical writers complete both primary and secondary research to fully understand the topic. Proficient technical writers have the ability to create, assimilate, and convey technical material in a concise and effective manner. They may specialize in a particular area but must have a good understanding of the products they describe. For example, API writers primarily work on API documents, while other technical writers specialize in electronic commerce , manufacturing, scientific, or medical material. Technical writers gather information from many sources. Their information sources are usually scattered throughout an organization, which can range from developers to marketing departments. According to Markel, useful technical documents are measured by eight characteristics: "honesty, clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional appearance, and correctness." Technical writers are focused on using their careful research to create effective documents that meet these eight characteristics. To create effective technical documentation,

6716-438: The rise of e-learning , technical writers are increasingly hired to develop online training material. According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC): Technical writing is sometimes defined as simplifying the complex. Inherent in such a concise and deceptively simple definition is a whole range of skills and characteristics that address nearly every field of human endeavor at some level. A significant subset of

6808-741: The safe, efficient and effective use of products (technical systems, software, services)". Whatever the definition of technical communication, the overarching goal of the practice is to create easily accessible information for a specific audience. Technical communicators generally tailor information to a specific audience, which may be subject matter experts, consumers, end-users, etc. Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create deliverables that include online help , user manuals , classroom training guides, computer-based training, white papers , government documents, industrial videos , reference cards , data sheets , journal articles , and patents. Technical domains can be of any kind, including

6900-671: The soft and hard sciences, high technology including computers and software, and consumer electronics . Technical communicators often work with a range of subject-matter experts (SMEs) on these projects. Technical communication jobs include the following: API writer , e-learning author , information architect , technical content developer , technical editor , technical illustrator , technical trainer , technical translator , technical writer , usability expert , user experience designer , and user interface designer . Other jobs available to technical communicators include digital strategist, marketing specialist, and content manager. In 2015,

6992-430: The technical communication process. Employees who work remotely typically rely on virtual, at times asynchronous, communication with collaborators, and spend working hours either at home or in an isolated office. There is no single standard career path for technical writers, but they may move into project management over other writers. A writer may advance to a senior technical writer position, handling complex projects or

7084-468: The technical writer with the necessary checks to ensure a document's accuracy. Once the accuracy of a document has been reviewed and approved by the assigned SME, technical writers rely on their writing team to provide peer reviews. The peer review focuses exclusively on content format, style, and grammar standardization. The goal of the team's peer reviews are to ensure an organization's technical writing "speaks with one voice". During World War II, one of

7176-499: The technologies they document—including classroom guides and e-learning—and some transition to specialize as professional trainers and instructional designers. Technical writers with expertise in writing skills can join printed media or electronic media companies, potentially providing an opportunity to make more money or improved working conditions. In April 2021, the U.S Department of Labor expected technical writer employment to grow seven percent from 2019 to 2029, slightly faster than

7268-416: The three following characteristics when solving their rhetorical problems: Flower and Hayes suggest that composition instructors need to consider showing students how "to explore and define their own problems, even within the constraints of an assignment". They believe that "writers discover what they want to do by insistently, energetically exploring the entire problem before them and building for themselves

7360-417: The time" involved a process: i.e., stages of "pre-writing, writing and rewriting". Though Murray was not alone in advocating process-based instruction, this manifesto is regarded as a landmark vocalization of the differences between process and product orientations in the teaching of writing. Donald Murray mentioned that writing is to be considered as a process, not a product. In other words, he viewed getting

7452-444: The topic, to generate analogies, and to rest on ideas. When a writer is looking to push their ideas they should try to find cue words to the complex ideas together, to teach the ideas to another person, to tree ideas into classifications of organization, and to read their own writing as if they'd never seen it before. The last tool is to write for a specific audience by finding common ground with them. Flower and Hayes further developed

7544-422: The user environment and gathers UX information from local users. In addition to solid research, language, writing, and revision skills, a technical writer may have skills in: A technical writer may apply their skills in the production of non-technical content, for example, writing high-level consumer information. Usually, a technical writer is not a subject-matter expert (SME), but interviews SMEs and conducts

7636-449: The user’s interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user’s perception of the whole.” Therefore, “user experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction." It is now an expectation that technical communication skills should be coupled with UX design. As Verhulsdonck, Howard, and Tham state “...it

7728-415: The world of writers, since almost all of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to the reader. Engineers, scientists, and other professionals may also be involved in technical writing ( developmental editing , proofreading , etc.), but are more likely to employ professional technical writers to develop, edit and format material, and follow established review procedures as

7820-594: The writer must analyze three elements that comprise the rhetorical situation of a particular project: audience, purpose, and context. These are followed by document design, which determines what the reader sees. Technical writers strive to simplify complex concepts or processes to maximize reader comprehension. The final goal of a particular document is to help readers find what they need, understand what they find, and use what they understand appropriately. To reach this goal, technical writers must understand how their audiences use and read documentation. An audience analysis at

7912-559: The writer revises the draft to elaborate on topics that need more attention, shorten other sections—and relocate certain paragraphs, sentences, or entire topics. Good style makes writing more interesting, appealing, and readable. In general, the personal writing style of the writer is not evident in technical writing. Modern technical writing style relies on attributes that contribute to clarity: headings, lists, graphics; generous white space, short sentences, present tense, simple nouns, active voice (though some scientific applications still use

8004-472: The writers to work their way in order to discover new things rather than reach an end. He viewed writing as a journey of revision and development by which one discovers insights and develops thinking. Within a decade, Maxine Hairston was to observe that the teaching of writing had undergone a transformation in moving from a focus on written products to writing processes. These categories were theorized more fully in subsequent scholarship. For example, pre-writing

8096-475: The writing process occurs, educators should not assume that this knowledge can answer the question "about 'why' the writer makes certain choices in certain situations", since writing is always situated within a discourse community. She discusses how the Flower and Hayes model relies on what is called the process of "translating ideas into visible language". This process occurs when students "treat written English as

8188-594: The years 1994 and 2005. Modern day technical writers work in a variety of contexts. Many technical writers work remotely using VPN or communicate with their team via videotelephony platforms such as Skype or Zoom . Other technical writers work in an office, but share content with their team through complex content management systems that store documents online. Technical writers may work on government reports, internal documentation, instructions for technical equipment, embedded help within software or systems, or other technical documents. As technology continues to advance,

8280-493: Was defined by Project English experimental researcher D. Gordon Rohman as the "sort of 'thinking' [that] precedes writing" and the "activity of mind which brings forth and develops ideas, plans, designs". According to Rohman, writing begins "at the point where the 'writing idea' is ready for the words and the page". Even today, much "process-based" teaching has continued to broadly conceptualize writing processes along these three phases. Some have linked this three-stage process to

8372-553: Was published. In fact, the title "Technical Writer" was not added to the US Bureau of Labor Statistic's Occupational Employment Handbook until 2010. During the 1940s and 50s, technical communicators and writers were hired to produce documentation for the military, often including detailed instructions on new weaponry. Other technical communicators and writers were involved in developing documentation for new technologies that were developed around this time. According to O'Hara: War

8464-652: Was the most important driver of scientific and technological advance. The U.S. Army Medical Corps battled malaria in the jungles of Panama, the Chemical Corps pushed chemical advances in explosives and poisonous gases (and defenses against them), the Manhattan District of the Corps of Engineers literally made quantum leaps in the understanding of physics, and the Air Corps pioneered aviation design. Since

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