This section is as much for my benefit as it is for yours because I’ve worked as both a Technical Writer and an Information Designer. When the conversation inevitably comes round to “so what do you do for a living?” most people react to being told I’m a Technical Writer/Information Designer with “never heard of that, what do you actually do?”
Ironically for someone who pays the bills by explaining complex tasks in an easy to read manner, I often struggle to explain my profession when put on the spot. Technical Writer is the easier of the two because I can usually just say, “I write instruction manuals,” and most people usually accept that by joking, “what a useless job, nobody reads the instructions!” or recalling the clichéd 1980s video recorder manual.
Hopefully you’re here because you have identified the need for a Technical Writer or Information Designer in your organisation and want me to help. Perhaps the descriptions below will sway you in my favour! If you just stumbled across my website, please read on. You might need someone like me but don’t know it yet.
Many aspects of technical writing involve information design and vice-versa. I believe that training in and exposure to information design principles makes a better Technical Writer but perhaps I am biased! I’ve provided my take on both:
Technical Writing is the process of writing to describe something, for example a task, in a way that is easily understandable and helps the audience.
Examples of where Technical Writers come in handy:
- The inventor of a product may struggle to explain how it works to the user.
- A company director might find it hard to explain to others how the organisation must be run in their absence.
In these two very basic examples, a Technical Writer can act as the translator, converting technical or business concepts into accurate yet understandable descriptions that are tailored for the intended audience.
- A manufacturer employs several people with good writing skills but none of them have enough time to create user documentation for the company’s products.
In this example, a professional Technical Writer can temporarily join the company and efficiently produce documentation for the company’s products. As part of the process, the Technical Writer may also produce a template enabling the company to easily document future products.
- A franchisor is expanding their operations into Europe and needs their company information translating into French, Italian, German and Spanish.
A lot of translation work is now automated, with a human translator reviewing the output. For this reason, it’s worth getting a Technical Writer who has experience in writing for translation to review and modify the content to make the translator’s job easier. Preparing documents for translation (and following guidelines when creating new documents that will one day be translated) saves a lot of time and money in the long run.
One final example: You just need someone to write an instruction manual!
Information Design includes technical writing but goes further by also using psychology, design and technology to ensure that information is presented in the most effective manner possible.
Examples of where Information Designers come in handy:
- A software company has a team of Technical Writers producing documentation for its products but receives a lot of support calls from customers who are asking questions that are already answered in the documentation.
An Information Designer looks at how the documentation is accessed, how it is organised and the layout, structure and format of the documentation itself to work out where improvements can be made to encourage customers to use it and whilst making it easier for them to find the information they are looking for.
- A museum has to employ extra staff to help visitors who cannot find their way to certain exhibits.
An Information Designer might look at the quality and location of signs and maps as well as the layout of the museum buildings to find ways of making it easier for visitors to find the exhibits.
- A utility company receives a lot of calls querying the bills they send to customers.
An Information Designer can identify the reasons for customer confusion and propose a redesigned utility bill that provides the information in a clear and concise manner, whilst respecting and even enhancing the communication of the company’s brand values to the customer.
- A website wants to increase sales but cannot invest more in advertising or afford to lower prices, both of which will only yield short-term benefit until competitors react.
An Information Designer is able to identify visual reasons why visitors to the website are not buying (for example, they cannot find the products or the checkout process is too complex) and address these issues to improve the rate of conversion from visitor to customer.
- A government department is experiencing an administrative burden due to the number of people who submit incorrect or irrelevant information on their registration forms.
An Information Designer can evaluate the form’s purpose and propose a redesigned document that captures the required information whilst being easier to use for people submitting the information and easier to read for the clerks who process the completed forms.