Session: Verbs, Not Nouns: Writing Documentation Users Want to Read
Documentation should be thorough and useful, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull and boring. Engaging documentation focuses on what your users want to do, the tasks they’re trying to accomplish, the problems they want to solve. Writing documentation with the focus on your user, instead of the product, results in a better experience for the user and a better reputation for your product.
Finding the right balance isn’t always easy, though. In this session, you’ll identify the right verbs that fit the use cases for your product. You’ll turn those verbs into effective tutorials that cover the right amount of information. You’ll break down your tutorials into tasks, each with verbs of their own. You’ll apply the verb focus to your paragraphs and even your sentences to make your writing more dynamic and results-oriented. You’ll also learn when reference-style documentation is what you need for the job.
Attendees will learn:
- How to shift the focus from what the product is to what the reader wants to do.
- Discovering the verbs that relate to your product.
- Building tutorial documentation that focuses on the right use cases for your users.
- Incorporating verbs at the paragraph and sentence levels to make your docs more readable.
