Embed The Docs!

on YouTube ↗13m

" summary

Argues that centralized manuals no longer keep up with rapid releases and short attention spans and proposes pushing help into the app itself, using specific patterns: contextual microcopy, tooltips, guided tours and in-app help centers. Describes two open-source tools actually built and released — a walkthrough recorder (walkabout.net) and an EmbedHelp widget — and recommends combining those with simple analytics and AI personalization to show the right snippet at the right time.

AI-written summary · about

" chapters (6)

1. 0:00Intro
2. 0:48Why Embed Docs
3. 8:00Walkabout
4. 9:01Clippy
5. 10:47Documentation AI
6. 12:38Outro

" related talks

• 39mBake a Little Documentation Love into Your ProductMatt Reiner · Write the Docs Prague 2020
• 05mEmbedding documentation contentEric Holscher · Write the Docs Australia & India 2020
• 29mHumanizing Your DocumentationCarolyn Stransky Vohr · JSConf Iceland 2018
• 39mDevelopers Documentation: your hidden strengthFrederic Harper · Nerdearla Chile 2026
• 37mHumanising Your DocumentationCarolyn Stransky Vohr · beyond tellerrand Düsseldorf 2019
• 08mHelpViz: Automatic Generation of Contextual Visual Mobile Tutorials from Text-Based InstructionsYang Li, Gang Li, Mingyuan Zhong, Peggy Chi · UIST 2021
• 51mTechnically speaking improve your code documentationAlexandra White · DevFest Lille 2022
• 14mDeveloper Experience: Your documentation deserves more love!Michiel Mulders · JSWorld Conference 2021