Technical Writing: How To Write Instructions For Everyone (updated 10/2022)

Learn technical writing from a Google content strategist. Write instructions that are clear, concise & customer-centric

What you'll learn

What is required to start working on instructional content for digital and physical products

How to prepare, structure and develop instructions that help people use apps, software, electronics, machinery and consumer products

The basics of well-structured writing

How to write the most widely used types of instructions: FAQs, how-to articles and troubleshooters

Today's top technical writing trends: knowledge bases, internal knowledge, chatbots & more

Technical writing style essentials

Requirements

No writing experience needed. You will learn everything you need to know.

Description

Do you know the difference between a useful product and a frustrating one?Clear instructions.As hundreds of apps and software products launch every day, someone needs to explain how they work in simple language so that everyone can use them. That's where technical writers come in.Today's consumers come from all walks of life.  Companies are hiring technical writers to write instructional content that is easy to understand by people from all ages, backgrounds and abilities. If done right, it keeps customers happy, engaged and successful at using a product. Technical writing is in high demand right now and it's a great career in tech. In this course, I teach you how to write instructions for everyone. It's the most important skill you need to apply for exciting technical writing positions across a wide range of industries.Instructions are at the heart of technical writing. They come in these three most common forms:FAQsStep-by-stepTroubleshootingOnce you master these forms of instructional writing, you’ll be able to create all kinds of technical documentation including:Help articlesTroubleshooting guidesCustomer service scriptsSetup guidesRelease notesWorkflowsUser manualsInstruction manualsProcedure documentsAnd so much moreIn this course you'll learn how to write these types of instructions through short, digestible video lessons, fun quizzes and hands-on assignments, where you step into the shoes of a newly hired technical writer at a fictional fitness app company. You'll meet Lucy the product manager and Florian the member support manager. You'll learn how to collaborate with them to create high quality knowledge base articles and troubleshooters for your huge members' community. This course is taught by Leigh Hartzman, a content and localization strategist at Google. She's spent many years perfecting her ability to write clear and concise instructions for a wide range of products. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you.

Overview

Section 1: An overview of technical writing

Lecture 1 What is technical writing?

Lecture 2 Who is technical writing for?

Lecture 3 What do technical writers create?

Lecture 4 Who do technical writers work with?

Lecture 5 What skills do you need as a technical writer?

Lecture 6 5 myths about technical writing

Section 2: Different types of technical writing

Lecture 7 The rise of technical writing in a tech-driven world

Lecture 8 Product academies

Lecture 9 Knowledge bases

Lecture 10 Internal knowledge

Lecture 11 Chatbots

Section 3: Spotlight on internal knowledge

Lecture 12 Why internal knowledge is so hot right now

Lecture 13 What is internal knowledge?

Lecture 14 The benefits of internal knowledge

Lecture 15 Skills you need to write internal knowledge

Lecture 16 How to find jobs in internal knowledge

Section 4: Instructions: The heart of technical writing

Lecture 17 3 types of instructions every technical writer should master

Lecture 18 FAQs

Lecture 19 Step-by-step instructions

Lecture 20 Troubleshooting instructions

Section 5: How to write FAQs

Lecture 21 Recap: What are FAQs?

Lecture 22 Step 1: Research

Lecture 23 Step 2: Categorize your research

Lecture 24 Step 3: Write the title and the intro

Lecture 25 Step 3: Write the questions and answers

Section 6: How to write step-by-step instructions

Lecture 26 Recap: What are step-by-step instructions?

Lecture 27 Define your audience

Lecture 28 Break down your instructions into "tasks"

Lecture 29 Create an outline

Lecture 30 Write the step-by-step instructions

Section 7: How to write troubleshooting instructions

Lecture 31 Recap: What are troubleshooting instructions?

Lecture 32 Define your audience

Lecture 33 Define the problem

Lecture 34 Find all possible solutions

Lecture 35 Build a solution flow

Section 8: Technical writing style essentials

Lecture 36 Style guidelines for technical writers

Lecture 37 Write with clarity

Section 9: Tips for technical writers

Lecture 38 Project management, working in a team, communicating with your manager & more

Lecture 39 How to ace a technical writing test and get hired

Beginner writers who are curious about pursuing a career in technical writing.