Technical writing: How to write instructions for everyone

Do you know the difference between a useful product and a frustrating one?

Clear instructions.

As hundreds of apps and software products launch every day, someone needs to explain how they work in simple language so that everyone can use them. That’s where technical writers come in.

Today’s consumers come from all walks of life.  Companies are hiring technical writers to write instructional content that is easy to understand by people from all ages, backgrounds and abilities. If done right, it keeps customers happy, engaged and successful at using a product.

Technical writing is in high demand right now and it’s a great career in tech. In this course, I teach you how to write instructions for everyone. It’s the most important skill you need to apply for exciting technical writing positions across a wide range of industries.

Instructions are at the heart of technical writing. They come in these three most common forms:

• FAQs

• Step-by-step

• Troubleshooting

Once you master these forms of instructional writing, you’ll be able to create all kinds of technical documentation including:

• Help articles

• Troubleshooting guides

• Customer service scripts

• Setup guides

• Release notes

• Workflows

• User manuals

• Instruction manuals

• Procedure documents

• And so much more

In this course you’ll learn how to write these types of instructions through short, digestible video lessons, fun quizzes and hands-on assignments, where you step into the shoes of a newly hired technical writer at a fictional fitness app company.

You’ll meet Lucy the product manager and Florian the member support manager. You’ll learn how to collaborate with them to create high quality knowledge base articles and troubleshooters for your huge members’ community.

This course is taught by Leigh Hartzman, a content and localization strategist at Google. She’s spent many years perfecting her ability to write clear and concise instructions for a wide range of products. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you. In this course, she shares her technical writing style essentials and clarity hacks with you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!