Characteristics of Technical Writing

Every type of writing has a purpose. Some are for expressing opinions, some for telling a story, and others, like technical writing, are for presenting directions, instructions, or explanations in a way that is easy for readers to follow, understand and apply.

Just like other forms of writing, technical writing has features that distinguish it from the rest.

If you have ever come across instructions on how to do something or looked up specifications of any product or service, you have a rough idea of what technical writing entails. Some of the documents that use it include user manuals, lab reports, and driving instructions.

Relevant reading:

The Ultimate Guide on How to Write Technical Content

How Technical Writing Affects Your Bottomline- The 3 Little-Known secrets

What distinguishes these 6 of the Best Techincal Writing Examples from the rest is:

1. Appropriateness for the Intended Audience

The first thing you should do before you start composing your technical piece is to ask yourself, “Who is going to read this?” In other words, you must have your target audience in mind. The target audience could be business people, engineers, parents, or just anyone in general.

Another important aspect that tech writers consider when creating technical content is both the primary audience and secondary audience, as the language and words you use depend on it. If it is a complex subject, breaking it down too much for your adult audience could be met with derision and criticism for being too simple and easy, and writing with too complex a vocabulary for your audience will render it useless as no one will understand it.

Your target audience also determines whether you will use illustrations and to what extent. For instance, tutorials targeting the general public may use illustrations to get the point through while legal disclaimers to business people can't.

2. Relevance

Once you understand your target audience, you should give them exactly what they are looking for. If they come to your page looking for how to complete a task, you only need to provide the step-by-step instructions with a pre- and a post-requisite. Don’t try to explain the concepts.

Conversely, if they are there for information that explains everything, give them a process flow instead of step-by-step instructions.

3. Correctness

This is one of the most important features of technical writing. Although it goes without saying, the information presented in a technical piece should be accurate. One small mistake and the document might have some unintended consequences. 

For instance, incorrect information that leads to the reader losing money as a result of following it could lead to lawsuits and a tarnished reputation. That is why you need to verify that everything you write is factually correct.

4. Clarity

An effective technical piece leaves no room for misunderstanding. The goal of a technical writer is to take information and present it in a way that is easier to digest. With ambiguity and technical jargon, the readers won't be able to understand what you are explaining.

To get your points through, you can accompany your detailed instructions with images and examples.

5. Logical and Sequential

The format and structure of your technical document should be easy to follow. Each step should flow into the next one and the next after that. Don’t assume that the reader knows something because it is “obvious”. Touch on every fact and information in a step-by-step manner.

At no point should the reader wonder, “where do I go from here and how did you get there?”

You are trying to solve a puzzle; not to present one to the reader so you should leave nothing to the imagination.

All the steps shouldn't be contradicting and need to make sense with respect to each other. For example, if operating a certain device/object requires you to open the lid then press a button, make sure you mention it in the correct order. Don’t tell the reader to press the button then open the lid. Such sequential mistakes could leave the reader confused.

6. Comprehensiveness

A good technical document covers every little detail. To be clear, this is not the same as the point above. It is possible for it to flow from one point/step to the next without covering everything.

If you are explaining the functions of the buttons of a remote control, the document should explain ALL the buttons. Not only the relevant or most used ones. You might find that the little detail you excluded is what the reader is looking for.

7. Conciseness

Don’t let the fact that you have to be clear be the reason for using excessive verbiage and fluff. If this were a technical piece, instead of “Don’t let the fact that you have to be clear be the reason for using extra words and fluff”, I would say “avoid unnecessary fluff”.

Technical writing is not the place to showcase your writing skills. Anthropomorphic metaphors and similes only make sense in creative writing. If there is a way you can use three words to say something, don’t use four or more.

Nonetheless, conciseness should not lead you to sacrifice information. If you feel some information is relevant, don’t leave it out.

8. Skimmable

In some cases, the readers already know some steps and are stuck or just want to confirm what they know (please don’t use this as an excuse to skip some parts. There is no way to know what they know and what they don’t). For your technical document to be useful even to these audiences, it should be skimmable.

You can achieve this by using descriptive subheadings, breaking the explanations with lists and bullet points, and including a thorough table of contents at the top. It is the only way they can scan through the entire document to find the information they need.

The information should be presented in an organized manner. A common fashion in technical documentation is the “tree view”. Under this format, the information is presented in layers, from the general aspects of the subject matter to the specific details later. If you are giving any technical specifications, you can do so in a tabular form.

Not only does presenting it in a well-organized manner make it skimmable and easier to read in full, but it is also more effective at arresting the attention of casual viewers.

9. Consistent

Organizations should maintain consistency in all their content, technical documentation included. Consistency here means ensuring that the wording, design, and perspective of your technical document relate to the way you want to express your brand.

Expressing yourself differently in your technical document from how you express yourself in other content makes your business seem disingenuous, lowering credibility and weakening your reputation.

10. Well-Illustrated

To properly get your message through, especially for instructions, you can use images, and videos alongside texts. Screenshots, gifs, and other images are very handy in appropriate technical documents. You can even include a link to a video that explains everything.

Technical Writing Isn’t for Everyone

Sad, but true. Even with the vital features of technical writing listed above, it can still be hard for some, especially if they have been writing creatively and never dabbed in technical content, to churn out perfect technical content. 

If you are unable to write technically by focusing on factual information and procedures, and translating complex information to easy-to-read content, don’t sweat it. It is much better to leave it to a technical writer with the right kind of experience. 

Hire a Technical Writer Today!

Our experts at Zoey Writers can handle it for you. We are a content writing agency that offers a wide range of services to help business owners and marketers attain their marketing objectives through powerful content. Technical writing is one of the services we offer. 

So, how do you get started? Well, start by explaining to us exactly what you want, how you want it done, your target audience, and your brand voice. With that information, our dedicated technical writers will work on your requirements using your brand style and voice, ensuring that your content ties seamlessly into your other website content.

Check out our technical wrting services to place an order or give us a call to discuss what you need and our creative writers will take care of the rest.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash: Thanks : )