Inclusive Technical Documentation
The technical sphere is changing very quickly: new tools, languages, and technologies appear every day. All that becomes an essential part of our everyday life. It means that technical documentation is highly demanded today. Not only tech-savvy people use it but also all other kinds of customers. That leads to the following: technical documentation should be inclusive.
Inclusive technical documentation is the technical documentation created for all kinds of readers; no matter what background, gender, education, or physical abilities they have. Technical documentation should be easy to understand for everyone. One can say that inclusive technical documentation “includes” all types of users who might be excluded; in other words, who might misunderstand the content or not understand it at all.
How to Make Technical Documentation Inclusive?
If you want to create inclusive technical documentation, here are the things you are to keep in mind:
- Neutral tone. The language of technical documentation cannot violate cultural norms. Words very often have additional meaning, which must be paid attention to. Technical language should be gender-neutral as well. Technical terms should be chosen carefully. Their choice depends on the audience. If you write for developers, for example, it is natural to use more technical and complicated language. But if you write for average users, it is preferable to avoid highly technical terms if possible and give more explanations. Slang should be avoided as well. Not everyone is able to understand it. For example, slang may be used in a particular location or by a particular age group. Definitely, it doesn’t contribute to the clearness of content.
2. Empathy. The best way to create inclusive technical documentation is to look at it from the point of view of a reader. Surely, a technical writer is experienced enough to figure out how to use this or that piece of software, but the most difficult thing here is to explain to readers how to use it and try to predict potential problems. User-centric documentation is a must today. Make sure your readers understand your logic and can follow your steps.
3. Health condition. Technical documentation should be available to all readers regardless of their health. For example, color blindness is a problem that makes it difficult for people to read technical documentation. To take care of these customers you need to follow special rules:
- Choose color combinations very carefully. The combination of red and green should be avoided. Not all people are able to see it. If you use diagrams, make sure you use not only colors but figures and captions.
- Use contrasting colors. The best choice is to combine the light ones with the dark ones. This color combination is noticeable.
- Create a special version of technical documentation for color blind people if your corporate guidelines are not supposed to meet the needs of people like that.
Creating inclusive documentation is a highly important skill. It helps a technical writer make content available to all readers and more helpful. But being inclusive doesn’t mean to follow certain rules. That’s a philosophy that is meant to serve people.
