Technical Writing

What is Technical Writing?

At its core, technical writing is about making complex information accessible. It's a form of documentation that takes specialized or technical knowledge and presents it in a way that specific audiences can actually use. Unlike creative writing, where style and narrative take center stage, technical writing puts precision and usability first. The goal? Help readers understand something, complete a task, or make a decision without needing to become experts themselves.

Think of technical writers as translators. They take what subject matter experts know and turn it into practical documentation that end users can follow. This might be a user manual, API documentation, standard operating procedures, or training documentation. Good technical writing strips away unnecessary jargon and delivers information in a format that's immediately useful to whoever needs it.

There's a common framework in the field known as the 7 C's: Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete, and Courteous. These principles guide technical writers toward documentation that actually works, helping users accomplish what they need to without getting lost in complexity.

Key Characteristics of Technical Writing

• Audience-Centric: Everything starts with who you're writing for. A technical writer tailors content to the reader's knowledge level and goals, whether that's an engineer debugging code or a first-time user setting up software.
• Task-Oriented: The focus is on helping readers do something, not just learn something. Documentation should guide people toward completing specific tasks or reaching clear objectives.
• Precision and Clarity: There's no room for ambiguity here. Technical writing uses plain language so readers can only interpret instructions one way. If someone could misread it, they probably will.
• Structured Format: Good technical documentation is easy to scan. Headings, numbered steps, bullet points, and visuals help readers find what they need quickly and follow along without confusion.
• Accuracy and Completeness: The information has to be correct and current. Technical documentation that leaves gaps or contains errors can frustrate users or, worse, lead to safety issues. Comprehensive process documentation ensures nothing important gets missed.

Technical Writing Examples

Example 1: Software Documentation

Say a company launches a new project management platform. A technical writer would create a user manual covering installation, feature walkthroughs, troubleshooting, and API references. The documentation would include screenshots and step-by-step instructions, organized so both new users and power users can find what they need without wading through irrelevant content.

Example 2: Manufacturing Procedures

An industrial equipment manufacturer needs documentation for their machinery. This means maintenance manuals, safety procedures, engineering specs, repair guides, and parts diagrams. Service technicians depend on these documents to keep equipment running safely. Getting the details wrong isn't just inconvenient; it can be dangerous.

Example 3: Medical Documentation

Pharmaceutical companies produce a whole range of technical documentation: regulatory submissions, clinical trial protocols, prescribing information. Each document type serves a different audience, from healthcare professionals to regulatory agencies to patients, and the writing has to match what each group needs to understand.

Technical Writing vs Content Writing

These two disciplines both involve writing, but that's about where the similarities end. They have different goals, different audiences, and different measures of success.

How Glitter AI Helps with Technical Writing

Glitter AI makes creating technical documentation significantly faster. Instead of manually writing out every step, technical writers can record their screen while performing a process. Glitter then generates documentation automatically, complete with screenshots, annotations, and descriptions.

This cuts down on the time spent on repetitive documentation work. Technical writers can spend more time refining content and tailoring it to their audience rather than capturing screenshots one by one. The collaboration features also help when you need subject matter experts to review documentation, keeping the feedback loop tight and ensuring accuracy before anything goes live.