“Write Less, Write More!" (A Review)

By: Gwyneth Evans

A passionate, colourful, and playful Joe Welinske of WritersUA both informed and inspired an intimate group of 15 technical communicators who gathered at the IT hub that is the University of Waterloo Davis Centre for an expertly crafted class on content selection and development. Drawing upon extensive corporate, academic and STC community experience, Welinske shared his accumulated knowledge of writing approaches and writing tools used in the marketplace. He also drew from his most recent work in the intricate and fast-paced mobile application development space that is the subject of his most recent book, "Developing User Assistance for Mobile Applications." The mobile world is one interactive space that he promises is still playing catchup in the domain of documentation assistance.

Using case studies, screen samples, effort allocation charts, and examples of writing challenges and well applied solutions, Welinske broadly addressed the use of video, image and text for delivering user assistance in application, newsgroup, web, and mobile environments. The benefits of increased demand for user-customized solutions and augmented interaction in user assistance are offset by the challenges presented by code complexity, smaller screens and varying storage options. For design success across these environments, Welinske firmly advocated the "less is more" approach of traditional technical writing and provided a back-to-basics primer on clear writing that seemed refreshingly new.

Welinske recommended beginning all technical communication work with solid requirements and context analysis, to be followed by implementation of a flexibly planned structure. Progressive or iterative content development activities that follow should result in work that just fits in the framework built. The "Write More, Write Less" philosophy, he contended is applicable to any overall production process. He spoke to how planning and costing activities can realize economies through early engagement, collaboration with programmers, and appropriate tool and process selection. The culprit of challenged technical writing projects, he claims, is that too often effort is not dedicated to the most important user experience or production priority at every stage and so gradual quality and rework costs accumulate. "Spend half as much time writing twice as much," is Welinske's key point, particularly for those hoping for big rewards. When he emphasized the need to take responsibility for identifying and actioning work priorities, our own classroom for the evening (a large pie-shaped piece of the round room affectionately called, "The Fishbowl"), was the perfect life-size metaphor to reinforce his slide about appropriate allocation of effort to what matters most!

Taking a tour of the technical communication world with Welinske is a priority you won't regret. The investment made by attending this one well crafted seminar will pay dividends when you seek a share of the timely mobile application UX opportunities. You will be poised and ready to practice your own craft with a fresh appreciation for writing with minimalist precision.

Related links:

To learn more about Joe Welinske and his work at WritersUA, see www.writersua.com where you can also learn more about Joe Welinske’s North American tour of STC chapters. The WritersUA website also provides access free resources on mobile application development at www.writersua.com/mobile.index.html.