“Technical writing? Do you mean all that boring stuff that you get with computers and equipment that no-one ever understands?”

“Technical writing? No-one ever reads the manuals, so why bother?”

“No, we don’t need to hire a technical writer. All our developers know how to use Microsoft Word.”

Despite all these negative reactions, I am very happy to be a technical writer. I see myself as an intermediary between, on the one hand, your company’s products or software, and on the other hand, the people using those tools or software to get their jobs done.

My work as a technical communication and information design specialist includes all the technical writing tasks you might expect, such as producing a User’s Guide (either as a printed book or as PDF file) or creating an online help system, or developing interactive training resources. But I try to take a wider view, and work hard to understand more about the people using the products I am writing about, what information these people need, and what are the best ways of delivering that information.

When it’s done well, technical writing can be a really effective bridge between your company and the people who use your products. If there’s anything you’d like to know about technical writing, or if you’d like to talk to me about the technical communication needs of your business, please get in touch.