How to get started with a Tech Writing Role/ Internship (what u need to know)

Technical writing is the art of providing detail-oriented instruction to help users understand a specific product or solution. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.

I joined WSO2 as a Business Analyst Intern, and after completing my BA internship projects, I’ve been a member of the Technical Writing team for the past three months. Being an Undergraduate student in Business Information Systems, initially, I had no clear idea about the role of a Technical Writer. At WSO2, the role of Technical Writing is a bit different from the typical role and yet challenging.

Always try it out!

When you are working on the technical documentation, if the feature is already developed and available to you, try it out! It is easier to understand and document a solution or a feature that you have already tried out. Always sync with the release manager to stay up to date with the changes/new features.

Knowing how to implement a feature doesn’t necessarily mean you can clearly communicate the process to others. This is where a Technical Writer be of service. In order to be a good Technical writer, you have to be empathetic, with the ability to describe terms in ways suitable for your intended audience.

Think like the user

User experience is just as important in a technical document as it is anywhere on the web.

Analyze and plan your document with your intended/expected audience in mind, as well as how the document itself will serve their needs.

As you write, continuously step back and view the document as an end-user.

Ask yourself: How will your readers or end-users be using it? When will they be using it? Is it easy to navigate?

And for a better user understanding of the content, always use active voice in your document as it’s easier to read and understand than passive voice, and choose words carefully to make sure you use the best word for the context. Also, avoid slang and vulgar language; remember you’re writing for a wider audience whose disposition and cultural inclinations could differ from yours.

Organize your content

Information architecture is the process of organizing and structuring a document so that its users can use it most effectively. The aim is to help users find information and understand the content and connections between each section. In other words, the Information architecture is a massive framework that incorporates how you structure and represent information, and how users look for what they need. If your Information architecture seems to be easy for your readers, they will use your documentation. In the event that it isn’t, they will find some other source of information or reach out to support.

To organize your content efficiently, you are to follow these simple steps:

• Analyze your content.
• What content is reusable?
• Categorize content.
• Create a strategy.

You do not need a degree in technical writing to start putting out technical content. Just practice by creating new documents for existing programs or projects. Always use plain language and write in a way that any reader can understand the text. Try to explain concepts and terms in the clearest way possible. Finally, do a careful review and double-check your spelling and grammar before hitting ‘publish’.

Good Luck with your technical writing!