Summary

The web content outlines the process a technical writer undertakes to determine and evaluate their audience, emphasizing the importance of objective research and distinguishing between primary and secondary readers.

Abstract

The article "Technical Writing: How to Determine Your Audience" delves into the critical steps a technical writer must take before beginning to write. It stresses the necessity of identifying the primary readers and their specific needs, as well as considering how the documentation will serve secondary readers. The piece suggests that technical writers should remain impartial during their research, avoiding assumptions about the audience's knowledge and requirements. A series of questions are posed to guide the writer in assessing the audience's technical expertise, the nature of the documentation, and the reader's engagement level. The article further categorizes research into primary and secondary strategies, with primary research involving direct engagement with the audience through interviews and surveys, and secondary research encompassing the analysis of existing literature and data. The conclusion advises technical writers to utilize the strongest evidence from their research while being mindful of potential biases.

Opinions

Technical writers must not assume the audience's needs and perspectives but should conduct thorough research to understand them.
It is crucial to differentiate between technical and non-technical readers and to tailor the documentation accordingly.
Documentation should be evaluated in terms of its standalone value or its role within a larger series of documents.
The primary audience can be internal, such as company employees, or external, like customers, which significantly influences the writing approach.
Time investment by readers is an important factor in determining the depth and complexity of the documentation.
Primary research provides direct insights from the audience, while secondary research offers a broader context and supports the findings from primary sources.
Technical writers should be cautious of biases that may arise from sources such as interviews and surveys.

Technical Writing: How to Determine Your Audience

This blog post covers how a Technical writer determines and evaluates their readers and needs.

Before writing, there are two essential tasks to address:

Evaluate primary readers and their needs.
Address how the writing will guide other readers (secondary readers) through documentation.

How to examine your audience

It’s important to stay objective in your planning and research. Do not assume to know a reader’s needs and perspectives.

Here are a few questions a Technical writer should ask themselves:

Q. Are these readers technical experts in the same field?

Q. Will non-technical readers use this report? If so, consider their needs.

Q. Is this documentation standing alone on its own, or is it part of a more extensive documentation series?

Q. Is the primary reader internal (a company employee) or external (a customer using your company’s product)?

Q. How much time will a reader spend with this documentation on average?

How to conduct research and collect information

Organize research into two different categories: primary research and secondary research. Having primary and secondary research gives a complete picture when writing documentation. Below are a few examples of Primary research and Secondary research strategies.

Primary research strategies:

Interviews
Conversations
Expert opinions
Surveys
Records
Maps
Questionnaires

Secondary research strategies:

Published articles and reports
Government agency research data
Interviews by a second party
Additional information others have researched and evaluated

Conclusion

As a Technical writer, take research findings and use the most robust facts and support possible. Also, remember to keep in mind that conversations, surveys, etc., might reflect a pre-existing bias.

Source: Lynda.com

-Daphne