Tech Writing

Do you document everything you develop?

Have you ever thought about how much work you would have if IKEA didn't send an instructions manual for you to assemble your furniture? Don't let that happen to your code. 😉

During the development of any application, it is usual to leave the documentation as the last step - or as no step whatsoever -, but this may cause noise in communication. Files don't usually cover important aspects of the code, which can be a problem for people working with it in the future, as well as putting our products at risk and causing an impact on customers.

The code will not explain itself and that is why documentation is so important, it is part of the product, and that is where technical writing comes in.

Basically, we can say that technical writing involves all kinds of registers that will make the information easy to read and will reach the audience you need, leading to more autonomy and fewer support calls. Do you want to know some of the usual kinds of documentation you can have in the development cycle? Check it out:

• basic documentation: README.md and others;
• code documentation: comments within the code;
• consultation documentation: detailing features, organization, resources, installation, and examples;
• landing page: webpage or website where we can find information about the components.

Keeping the documentation updated is an efficient way of informing readers and customers about changes going on in the code.