Drafting technical documents is almost always necessary in every domain of the professional and occupational field. Industries and companies like hardware, software, engineering, chemical, financial, aeronautics, biotechnology, medical, robotics, and other domain produce a considerable quantity of documentation for their products and services. In this chapter, you will know about the technical writers and their writing and types.
What is Technical Writing?
The traditional definition says technical writing can be defined as the practice of articulating any product or service in the form of the document where processes are defined, such as software manuals or instructional materials. In earlier days, it was limited to user manuals type only.
The modern definition says Technical Writing is an art and science of writing niche that specialized in giving details about how things work and preparing others through documentation to carry out precise tasks for accomplishing preferred objectives or tasks.
Here is a list of some essential concepts and branches related to technical writing:
- Explaining the system or design.
- Describe the tasks as well as performance goals.
- Provide specialized training and tutoring.
Types of Technical Writing
In general, there are five different types of writing which cover a full degree for various domains.
- Commercial Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing to sell things to people.
- Creative Writing: Focuses on a specific kind of writing for moving people emotionally.
- Business Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing to administer people efficiently.
- Technical Writing: Focuses on a specific kind of writing in explaining how things work and how people can carry out particular tasks.
- Scientific Writing: Focuses on a particular type of writing for recording and sharing scientific findings within academia.
Different Qualities That Are Associated with Technical Writing
Communication through documentation needs to have some qualities to make technical communication more effective and precise. These qualities are:
- Writing articles and documents using professional tools such as using MS Word, Adobe Frame Maker, Adobe Page Maker, Leap Office, etc.
- Technical writing needs knowledge of using technology like web pages and websites, SEO, social media sites, and promotions.
- Explaining or expressing any technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, bio-mechanical domains, medical compounds, procedures, or environmental regulations and contents related to specialized fields, need to be written precisely that can be understood by users or target audience.
- Understand the target audience so that your document or technical content may connect them quickly, and they can proceed with the understanding and fulfill their requirements.
- Provide any specific instructions or stepwise guidance about how to perform something or some process.
Growth of Technical Writing
Technical Writing has nowadays become one of the prominent and well-known departments in almost every industry and corporation. If you are looking to work as a technical writer, you have to be very much good in that particular language and its vocabulary as well as you have to have sound knowledge on handling and working with technical tools and concepts like search engine optimized articles and contents. Technical writing has elevated to a very coveted skill in the professional area because of the demand, which is hiking 10% from the year 2014 to 2024.
