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Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation

Course From:
Udemy

Is the ability to provide relevant information about using your software essential for your customers? Do you find yourself spending hours and hours trying to explain how to use the software? Or are you getting feedback from your clients that your documentation is hard to follow, inconsistent, or maybe even... confusing? 

If you answered with "Yes!" to any of these questions and are willing to invest the time and energy needed to go through this practical course, then this course is for you! 

 

CNBC cited this course in the article "The 20 hottest job skills companies are looking for right now"

 

By the end of this course:

  1. You will be able to perform the needed steps and start writing documentation as a technical writer.

  2. You will be able to explain the process for preparing, organizing, and delivering software documentation for the users of software products.

  3. You will be able to create instructional images and graphics needed in your documentation using Canva.

  4. You learn and practice how to create software documentation in a GitHub wiki following the instructor's templates for writing in Markdown.

  5. You will know how to perform user research using 2 Cards Sorting techniques in Mural.

  6. You will be able to identify the different aspects that make documentation a high-quality deliverable.

Also:

  • You will find out also which are the core principles for writing software documentation that really helps.

  • You will have the chance to try out GitHub wiki editor for writing.

  • You will learn about the importance of graphics and which tools you can use to create instructional graphics with ease.

  • In the end, you will find out more about information architecture and its importance in software documentation.

  • Ultimately, you will have the chance to create your own documentation project even if you have never worked as a technical writer before and have no experience.

     

Over the course of the years, the core activities of technical writing professionals have constantly been evolving.

We started as technical writers and focused solely on technical writing. We transformed into information developers who also consider the graphical aspects and design of the content.  Today, we need to bundle together writing skills, design and graphics, video creation, multimedia, metadata, and software development to meet the expectations of our users.

All these assets put together can be described together as user assistance.

 

JPDocu School of Technical Writing is a training company passionate about technical writing, software documentation, APIs documentation, information architecture, and DITA XML, and helping our students get started and quickly advance in their Technical Writer career.

Our Technical Writing courses are taught as a part of the University courses on Technical Communications at several universities in Europe, as well as a part of the onboarding for new technical writers for many of the best software development companies.

We shape the next generation of technical writers and information developers, by providing them with simple-to-follow and practical, hands-on experiences with technical writing.

For several years now, JPDocu School of Technical Writing has been designing and delivering training for all who want to get started with technical writing. Our students soon get started working as:

  1. technical writers (information developers)

  2. information architects

  3. software developers 

and get ahead in their career!

Course
Intermediate
Careers

Careers Related to Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation

Certifications

Certifications related to Product Development or Product Lifecycle Management or Product Strategy

General Assembly’s Product Management course teaches the end-to-end product management (PM) process to a real-world scenario, from evaluating users and managing a roadmap to creating a minimum viable product (MVP) and developing metrics.

 

What you'll accomplish

This is a beginner-friendly program with no prerequisites, although students may have had exposure to product development concepts or be informally taking on PM responsibilities in their current role. Throughout this expert-designed program, you’ll:

  • Determine key risks and assumptions of a product in order to prioritize research and discovery work.
  • Validate hypotheses by gathering user feedback via MVPs, interviews, experiments, and testing.
  • Execute competitive research to highlight market gaps and trends.
  • Speak fluently with developers, user experience designers, and other business stakeholders about priorities, requirements, and workflow.
  • Apply metrics alongside objectives and key results (OKRs) to measure a product’s success and track its life cycle.
  • Apply what you’ve learned to create a portfolio project: a presentation detailing your product creation strategy.

 

Why General Assembly

Since 2011, General Assembly has graduated more than 40,000 students worldwide from the full time & part time courses. During the 2020 hiring shutdown, GA's students, instructors, and career coaches never lost focus, and the KPMG-validated numbers in their Outcomes report reflect it. *For students who graduated in 2020 — the peak of the pandemic — 74.4% of those who participated in GA's full-time Career Services program landed jobs within six months of graduation. General Assembly is proud of their grads + teams' relentless dedication and to see those numbers rising. Download the report here.

 

Your next step? Submit an application to talk to the General Assembly Admissions team


 

Note: reviews are referenced from Career Karma - https://careerkarma.com/schools/general-assembly

 

Udacity
Beginner
4 months
10 hours

General Assembly’s User Experience Design Immersive is a transformative course designed for you to get the necessary skills for a UX Design role in three months. 

The User Experience Design bootcamp is led by instructors who are expert practitioners in their field, supported by career coaches that work with you since day one and enhanced by a career services team that is constantly in talks with employers about their UX Design hiring needs.

 

What you'll accomplish

As a graduate, you’ll have a portfolio of projects that show your creative and technical ability to launch the next generation of successful apps, websites and digital experiences. Throughout this program, you will:

  • Identify and implement the most effective methods of user research to gain a deeper understanding of what users want and need.

  • Use interaction and visual design techniques to craft a dynamic digital product that brings delight and function to users.

  • Conduct usability testing to make product experiences more accessible for diverse user populations and environments.

  • Learn best practices for working within a product team, employing product management techniques and evaluating technical constraints to better collaborate with developers.

  • Produce polished design documentation, including wireframes and prototypes, to articulate design decisions to clients and stakeholders.

  • Prepare for the world of work, compiling a professional-grade portfolio of solo, group, and client projects.

 

Prerequisites

This is a beginner-friendly program with no prerequisites, although many students are familiar with common tools for graphic and web designers and some may have had exposure to UX concepts in the past. The General Assembly curriculum helps you gain fluency in end-to-end UX processes, tools, and documentation and put them to work on the path to a new career as a User Experience Designer.

 

Why General Assembly

Since 2011, General Assembly has graduated more than 40,000 students worldwide from the full time & part time courses. During the 2020 hiring shutdown, GA's students, instructors, and career coaches never lost focus, and the KPMG-validated numbers in their Outcomes report reflect it. *For students who graduated in 2020 — the peak of the pandemic — 74.4% of those who participated in GA's full-time Career Services program landed jobs within six months of graduation.  General Assembly is proud of their grads + teams' relentless dedication and to see those numbers rising. Download the report here.

 

Your next step? Submit an application to talk to the General Assembly Admissions team


 

Note: reviews are referenced from Career Karma - https://careerkarma.com/schools/general-assembly

Udacity
Beginner
4 months
10 hours

Product Managers are responsible for designing and delivering a profitable product or feature into the market. In this program, you will learn to define product strategy and KPIs based on market analysis, pitch a product vision to get stakeholder buy-in, and design a user-centered prototype that adheres to engineering constraints. Then, you will develop an execution timeline that handles competing priorities, communicate a product roadmap that builds consensus amongst internal stakeholders, and create a comprehensive go-to-market plan based on product KPIs. Finally, you will build tests to enhance product features based on market data.

Udacity
Beginner
4 months
10 hours
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Courses related to Product Development or Product Lifecycle Management or Product Strategy

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