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Competences for Technical Documentation
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coverage competence
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The tech writer has to conceive the main proposition of a technical document
regardless of its kind. An installation manual is about the assembly and
setting-up of equipment – no details for operation or servicing shall
be found here. A user manual describes which operational steps have to be
made for the proper use of the device – explanations for assembly or
transport don't belong here, unless a single manual covers all topics.
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comprehension competence
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An author being unsure about the meaning of a technical description will
barely be able to inform the reader properly. It takes empathy for technical
circumstances which are sometimes difficult to judge for a tech writer. So a
tech writer benefits from good technical education and professional experience
in technical industries for the understanding needed for his or her
documentation work.
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evaluation competence
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Possibly a person’s know-how is very limited when reading a technical
document. But not all and every elementary knowledge can be described in
that document as the amount of pages would increase excessively. The tech
writer must evaluate the knowledge he or she can assume, and this may be
stated in the document where appropriate.
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conceptual competence
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A technical document serves to familiarize its reader with technical
procedures. The tech writer has to decide how he or she structures and
prepares the matter at best for the reader to comprehend and apply it
unerringly. In the on-screen help for a computer software, the content is
structured in separate text sections connected by hyperlinks. It depends
on the tech writer if the reader will get along with the structural concept.
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implementation competence
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For each job there is a suitable tool. If not used properly or if one is
unfamiliar with a tool, this will impair the result. The tech writer must
be familiar with his or her tools in order to obtain the optimal performance.
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presentation competence
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Instructions must be written descriptive. Even conceptional matter can be
presented understandable by suitable phrases and textual structures. When
read for the first time, the essential meaning of a sentence should be
revealed. A uniform language and unique nomenclature are prerequisites in
order to provide unambiguous information for the reader.
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visualization competence
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The selection of pictorial content is of importance as well. Image
presentations are to provide an overview or to illustrate minutiae. The
reader gets confused when images are overdone with unimportant data.
Contradictions between images and textual descriptions may result in fatal
consequences for the reader’s understanding.
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design competence
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The segmentation of the page, in a book or on screen, inherently can decide
if or if not the reader agrees with a technical description. The selected
typefaces, the size and placement of pictures, the relation in quantity
of text and pictures, the use of optical guidance such as symbols, lines
or boxes – all of these contribute to the reader’s ability to follow
the instructions effortlessly.
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back to competences main page.
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Good engineering deserves best documentation
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engage Heuss !
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