WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNICAL WRITING?

WHAT IS TECHNICAL WRITING?

The traditional definition of technical writing states that it is the practice of documenting processes. The definition limited the scope of technical writing to software manuals and instruction manuals. Now, the technical writing definition has changed. It takes the documentation of complex technical processes under its umbrella. This further classifies it into different types of content writing.

 

TECHNICAL WRITER DEFINITION

Any piece of technical writing simplifies complex topics and gives the readers a better way to understand them. Technical writers are the documentation specialists here, acting as middlemen between the developers and the customers. The demand for technical writers is expected to catapult in the coming decade. 

 

5 BASIC TYPES OF TECHNICAL WRITING

As consumers, we consume technical documents on an everyday basis. Technical writing in itself is an expansive field that can be further categorized into specific niches. The most common types of technical writing we come across are:


1. USER MANUALS AND ASSISTANCE GUIDES

User manuals are something that every normal person comes across on an everyday basis. This type of technical writing aims at answering common queries of the consumer and improving the end-user experience for everyone. To become a skilled technical writer in this field, one needs to develop the following skills:

  • Thorough knowledge of the product and how to organize the process.
  • Should be able to create solution-oriented content that answers a consumer’s query right away.
  • A direct mode of communication, with no fillers when it comes to explaining about the product. 

 

2. MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

Technical writing for medical and science is used when experiments or findings have to be simplified, organized, and condensed into content that is engaging. Most of the technical content written for the medical and science fields is used to publish in journals, newsletters, and other online platforms. The skillset of a medical and science-related technical writer would be:

  • Exceptional eye to detail needed to break down experiments and findings.
  • Accuracy in stating facts in the content.
  • Organizational skills are needed to break down raw material and classify it into groups which make the content user-friendly. 

 

3. ASSEMBLY MANUALS

One of the most common and most required types of technical writing. There is added skill that goes into understanding the assembling, breaking down and reassembling items or equipment which pique a customer’s interest. Most companies, approximately all, require this type of technical writing for which the needed skills are:

  • A theoretical and practical understanding of how the object works.
  • Experience in working with a similar type of machinery. 
  • Ability to research and find more efficient ways of disassembling and re-assembling.
  • Tips on how to keep the equipment working for a longer period of time and to its optimal capacity. 

 

4. TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS, REPORTS, AND REVIEWS

This style of technical writing is more prevalent in the corporate world. This corporate content requires reviews and reports of business meetings, business pitches, stakeholder meetings, business proposals, etc. Most of the content produced here mixes academic writing with technical writing where one needs to anticipate the results of a business pitch, prepare press releases, proved the outcomes of a prospective business proposal and so much more. A technical writer here has to put in the maximum hard work by:

  • Understanding the process at hand and how it will evolve in the future. 
  • Complete knowledge of the product and its operations in the past, present, and future. 
  • The right communication style is business-savvy in nature but also maintains a technical know-how tone. 
  • Excellent skills in the English language so that the business message is conveyed in the right manner. 

 

5. BOOKS AND GUIDES

This type of technical writing works mostly for software products. These books and guides are more lengthy, contextual in nature, and highly detailed. A technical writing definition is who writes books and guides is required to:

  • Transform complex jargon into layman terms. 
  • Know the formatting, structure, pacing, and length which is required for such technical content. 
  • Know when and where to use graphics, images, and other visual aid. 
  • Prior experience in writing similar content. 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE TYPES OF TECHNICAL WRITING

There are many more types of technical writing and we can expect to see more types in the future as content and its requirements keep evolving. However, these 5 types are as basic as they can get. An aspiring technical writer may start off by writing content in these styles. Technical writing is without a doubt one of the highest-paying jobs in the world.

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