Designing Technical Documents in a Web-Based Format by Adam Glick

What is Technical Documentation?

Technical documentation is all of the documents that are associated with a product.

For example, think about the last time you bought a television and something went wrong and you needed to try and figure out how to fix the problem.  What was the first thing you thought to yourself? If you are like most people, your first thought would have been,

Where is that pamphlet of papers I threw halfway across the room while trying to get the television out of the box as fast as humanly possible to watch the season finale of The Hills?

That pamphlet of papers not only explains in great detail every possible problem that could occur to your television, but also explains all of the functions of each component as well.

Q: So what happens when you cannot find that pamphlet of papers?

A: Why not check online?

Many companies have posted their technical documentations online using a web-based format.  However, the documents posted online are much more user friendly. Users no longer have to read through useless information until they stumble upon the answer they needed.  Now users can simply click their way through and find their answer efficiently. 

Advantages of Web-based formats:

• Documents are online
  
• User can search for specific data
  
• Much easier to update data
• All data is in one place
• More user-friendly

Keys to Remember When Designing Technical Document Online

• Keep it simple
• Make sure document is easily navigable
• Use laymen's terms when possible
• Allow room for updates

Sources:

http://helpcentral.componentone.com/CS/blogs/c1buzz/archive/2009/01/23/introducing-nethelp-how-doc-to-help-s-web-based-format-makes-your-content-more-accessible.aspx

http://www.usernomics.com/documentation.html

http://www.trans-com.de/transcom/en/technische-dokumentation.htm