Humanizing Your Documentation
summary
Argues for use-case driven documentation that starts from user goals not APIs and recommends designing docs alongside features so content maps to real tasks. Cites Slack and an Apple II manual for examples, urges explicit error explanations, avoidance of words like “simply,” and a Grade‑8 reading target. Recommends tooling such as Alex Jeaious to catch insensitive phrasing and Hemingway editor for plain language, and stresses honesty about limitations and transparent guidance so readers can actually finish the job.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Start
- 5:08Functional Requirement
- 11:36Alienating
- 12:45Disorienting
- 14:09Mindful structure
- 15:08Unexpected errors
- 15:33We have lost connection to our server and disabled editing features, please verify that you have internet access
- 16:03Address common errors
- 23:14Use plain language
- 27:46Accuracy and consistency
