How to Create Technical Documentation with Examples

Have you ever felt frustrated while using software? Or have you looked for a guide while using it? It is important to have a basic knowledge of any tool or application you are using. No doubt, people are more tech-savvy nowadays. They know how to use any tool or application. Yet, there is always a need for technical documentation of your product, API, or SDK. Remember, this also depends on your target audience. If your audience is advanced, technical documentation can help you generate significant revenue.

Let's gain a thorough understanding of technical documentation, including what it is and how you can create it. We will also include some examples for clearer understanding. Let’s get this started!

What Is Technical Documentation?

In its raw form, technical documentation is all about explaining the features and functions of any given product. This means that technical documentation is related to guiding how that product works at its core.

Know that this documentation can be explained in multiple ways. It is directed to explain either to the developer or to the user how it functions and is used. Previously, technical documentation was done by writers in collaboration with developers or engineers who have written the code.

Currently, subject matter experts write it themselves. This ensures the detailed explanation of a product’s working and functionality.

Importance of Technical Documentation

Remember, developers, users, and stakeholders alike need technical documentation for clarity and understanding. It helps streamline workflow and productivity of end users and developers.

1. Clarity

This is the most important function of technical documentation. It helps both creator and user understand the basic functioning of the product or software. It is so comprehensive that it leaves no room for confusion or ambiguity.

2. Up To Date Information

Technical documentation provides updated information about the product. Because it is written post-product creation, technical documentation intends to provide the latest usage information about the product or software.

3. Knowledge Retention

Organizations make sure a product is technically documented to protect the knowledge base. It includes configurations, troubleshooting steps etc. This effort helps preserve critical knowledge for future use

It is noteworthy that current documentation also includes images, videos, and infographics for better understanding.

What Are the Essential Components of Effective Technical Documentation?

A well-written documentation has certain components. These components make it easy to understand and clear in purpose. After all, what’s the purpose of technical documentation? Ensuring the seamless user experience, right? So, let’s take a look at some uncompromised components of technical documentation.

1. Clear Structure

Every writing is followed by a clear structure. Technical documentation should also follow the same rule. Following are the components of well-written technical documentation:

• Introduction
• Setup or installation guidelines
• How to use’ instructions
• Frequently asked questions and
• Troubleshooting

2. Concise Language and Formatting

Simple and understandable language is part and parcel of technical documentation. Our user is a layperson. They need clear and simple language to understand the product or software details. So, what’s the catch? All you need to do is to:

• Use concise language
• Avoid technical jargons that may confuse the user
• Use direct sentences

We will further explain this section in the guide to write technical documentation in the latter section.

3. Visual aids for clarity

Modern documentation includes images, videos and infographics for clarity. For example, you can use screenshots, code snippets etc. for deeper understanding. This helps the user understand abstract concepts more quickly.

How To Create and Structure Your Technical Documentation?

Just as we outline an essay before writing, documentation also needs thorough planning. This ensures clarity, comprehensiveness and seamless user experience. Well-planned technical documentation allows users to get the information they need on a priority basis.

Let’s take a look at the planning phase of technical documentation.

1. Targeted Audience

Understanding the audience is a must. A well-written document prioritizes the audience’s caliber of understanding the information. So, the more comprehensive the audience research, the greater will be the ease in writing content.

Remember, your content must align with the audience’s level of expertise. Primarily, there are two types of audience:

• Technical Audience: They include developers and programmers and need in-depth explanation including API references etc.
• Non-Technical Audience: They include users who have bare minimum understanding of technical jargons. To make them understand, you need to simplify the content in layman terms.

It is important to note that audience understanding varies from person to person. You can't write for a technical and a non-technical user in the same way.. Approach must be different. Content delivery should be accordingly.

2. Document Formatting

The next big thing is document formatting. Users access documents from different mediums. So, your formatting should follow the most commonly used mediums. For example:

• Markdown-based Documentation: It is popular among developers. Most commonly it is used for open source projects. Because it has syntax and overall formatting is different from traditional formattings, mark down helps developers understand the documentation in-depth. Examples include Github and Readme etc.
   
• PDF Manuals: Used for offline use and official documentation. These are used because their formatting remains the same on all the devices. It helps users better understand the details of a product or software.
   
• Online Wikis and Help Centers: These are easy to search and allow greater collaboration. It is used for FAQs and live documentation. Examples include Confluence, Notion, Zendesk, and custom knowledge bases.

Ensuring proper documentation helps both users and developers understand it.

3. Organization of Content

Content organization is important. This helps users to find the information they need seamlessly. A well-written documentation follows a logical flow, allowing readers to get their queries resolved.

• Step by Step Guide: It depends on the nature of the product or software. It is usually written to provide a sequential flow to the user to navigate effortlessly. For instance, a document may be about troubleshooting problems. In such scenarios, a step by step guide works best.
   
• Modular Sections: Modular sections include the division of content into sub sections. FAQs are a good example of modular sections. This section allows the user to find what he needs immediately. They may ignore whatever is written in the document. You can use bullet points and hyperlinks for smooth navigation.
   
• Table of Content and Indexing: ToC and Indexing are the most important part of a technical manual. Believe it or not, users hardly pay attention to the entire document. They simply jump to the index. Search the words he needs information about and extract the relevant information.

Remember, you need to ensure that your document has organizational indexing. This helps users to navigate throughout the document.

4. Easy to Understand and Jargon Free Language

Well, this can’t be emphasised more. A document’s readability determines its authenticity. To save any inconvenience, your document should be free from any technical jargons.Chances are he may bounce back.

So, the key here is to write as simply as you can. Your language should be easy to understand. It should be jargon free. Remember, your user does not know what APIs are and how they work.

Thus, you must find a way to make your document easy to understand. Granted, some terms can’t be left out, so the writer should make it easier and more readable. You can also follow the following tips to make your document more smooth:

• Use an active voice in your content as it is engaging and captures the reader’s attention.
• Plain language is another imperative in technical documentation. Avoiding complex vocabulary can enhance the reader’s understanding.
• Write as short as you can. Longer descriptions reduce the crawl rate on your website and document.
• Use headings and subheadings to further polish the content structure
• Defining key terms can enhance the user experience. Consider using a glossary for better explanation of key technical terms.
• Incorporate visuals including screenshots. Snippets, and diagrams for enhanced clarity.

5. Avoiding Ambiguity and Making Assumptions

Know that your documentation can’t afford to be misinterpreted. So, it’s important to pull out every ambiguity that a user may encounter. Plus, the writer should not assume that the user has prior experience of things.

Rather, everything should be jotted down while considering the laymanship of the user. This will make the technical document more comprehensive and easy to understand.

Examples of Technical Documentation

Following examples will further help you understand how to create technical documentation.

1. API Documentation

API documentation is another example of technical documentation. It is for programmers. For instance, it tells them how to use the API. Usually written by developers who create the API. Remember, API documentation plays a vital role in programming. Technical writers should take due care before writing. They are expected to have a sound understanding of coding and programming.Only then we can produce well-documented API.

For example, a REST API guide explaining authentication methods, request formats, and response codes.

2. User Manual

User manual is the most common example of technical documentation. User manuals help the end-user about how to use a software or an application. We encounter these documents on a daily basis. Every time we forget our password or create a new account on a software, we deal with these documents. Below is the example of a software user manual:

Let’s say you want to reset the password of your Instagram account. Now the right user guide or technical document would be like this:

Step 1: Open Instagram and go to the login page.
Step 2: Click on "Forgot Password?" below the login fields.
Step 3: If you have linked the account with email, enter your registered email address and click "Send Reset Link."
Step 4: Enter your Phone Number and click “Send Reset Link.”
Step 5: Check your email or phone number for a password reset link. Click the link.
Step 6: Enter a new password, confirm it, and click "Reset Password."
Step 7: Log in with your new password.

3. Stripe

Stripe is also a good example of technical documentation. For example, when you open the home page, it describes the product details in layman terms. As the company is a service and SaaS provider, people from other backgrounds can easily understand the very meaning of the document.

3. Stripe

Stripe is also a good example of technical documentation. For example, when you open the home page, it describes the product details in layman terms. As the company is a service and SaaS provider, people from other backgrounds can easily understand the very meaning of the document.

4. Dropbox

Another notable example is Dropbox. It is a cloud storage service provider known for its ease of use. Dropbox provides a help center where all the details about billing and account are given. The information is user-centric and easy to read. Also, the documentation is further classified into blogs, articles etc. making it more easy to understand.

Regular Update of Technical Documentation

Writing a technical document is one thing. Keeping it up to date is another. Here are the reason why it is important to update your technical document:

• Software updates are usually frequent. So, a document written 2 months ago may not be relevant to the user's needs. 
• Conduct user surveys and feedback. Doing this can help the writer have a suitable idea of which information is confusing the reader.

Conclusion

Technical documentation is not about work. It is an art. That’s why creating an effective technical document is essential so that all stakeholders can access it, read it and understand it seamlessly. That is all about technical documentation and effective steps to write it and how to maintain it after writing.