HighLights (Tech Writer Group)

Conceptual thinking deals with conceptualization theory and helps in assessing or dealing with complex situations. This is very important especially while working with user documentation projects or while performing writing of content.

In a perfect world, API documentation would contain clear, complete instructions on everything that developers need to know to use your platform. In reality, organizations have limited time and budget to create API documentation, and so organizations need to prioritize to create documentation that is most useful to the people who will use it.

SDK Bridge set out to find out what is most important to the people who use APIs by sending out a survey and asking them. We found, not surprisingly, that many thought that documentation could be better. When asked to rate quantitatively, people rated overviews, sample code, and API references the highest, followed closely by tutorials. When asked for open-ended comments, a large percentage mentioned working sample code as helpful, and an equally high percentage mentioned how important it is that documentation be complete and accurate. Two other important factors that were mentioned by several respondants are (1) it is very helpful to explain why you would use something in addition to how you use it and (2) completeness and accuracy are critical.

Crowd-sourcing (that is, using Web-based technology to gather API documentation content from your users) has the potential to lower documentation costs and make your documentation more relevant. However, relying solely your developer community to provide documentation will result in uneven quality and coverage. I recommend a hybrid approach, where professional programmer/writers write parts of the documentation, as well as rewrite and polish content from the community. Several tools are available that enable communities to contribute documentation content. 

Technical writing is an in-demand field and rated one of the top five high-paying, low stress jobs by MSNBC.