Write the Docs Portland 2021
2021-04-25..2021-04-27
-- online --
[Write the Docs Portland 2018, Write the Docs Portland 2020, Write the Docs Portland 2021, Write the Docs Portland 2022, Write the Docs Portland 2023, Write the Docs Portland 2024, Write the Docs Portland 2025, Write the Docs Portland 2026]
who it's for
technical writers, documentation managers, docs engineers, open source contributors, ux writers, engineering managers, developer experience engineers
topics
docs-as-code workflows; Markdown + Hugo + GitHub Actions; OpenAPI YAML and Redoc Pro; Sphinx on ReadTheDocs; creating tutorial pipelines (Twitter API to Sheets); text-based maturity models for docs; style guides with Vale linter; onboarding processes for writers; git basics for non-technical audiences; documenting hardware and media workflows; writing for neurodivergent contributors; accessibility-driven product documentation
| title | author | length |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome to | Eric Holscher | 31m |
Welcome and logistics for Write the Docs Portland 2021 explain concrete features: live Q&A with moderated sessions, human captions (Vanessa), an expo with a… | ||
| Writing a perfect technical tutorial | Jessica Garson | 38m |
Shows the actual authoring workflow: starting from code notes and a Markdown baseline, followed by a review schedule and who to include. Gives concrete… | ||
| Always complete, never finished | Daniele Procida | 41m |
Argues that documentation should be always complete but never finished by growing in tiny iterative steps rather than big plans. Shows a concrete project: a… | ||
| Guide to getting started in open source | Abigail McCarthy | 38m |
Explains that documentation work is the most-requested contribution and lists concrete benefits: portfolio pieces, new skills, wider network, and measurable… | ||
| Beyond metrics: Using maturity models to develop a docs strategy | Sarah R. Rodlund | 39m |
Claims that a simple maturity model gives actionable direction when traditional metrics fail with volunteer-driven projects; builds a text-based maturity model… | ||
| Shuffle ball change: Sashay your way to clearer API documentation | Rachael Stavchansky | 34m |
Claims a practical path: she cleans scattered microservice references with a spreadsheet to model every endpoint, authors an OpenAPI spec in OpenAPI YAML with… | ||
| Putting the “tech” in technical writer | Swapnil Ogale | 43m |
Argues that the leap from WYSIWYG to docs-as-code is practical and concrete: demonstrates reading docx as a zipped XML file, editing SVGs as XML, and using… | ||
| The Secret History of Libraries | Paris Buttfield-Addison | 39m |
Argues that libraries are not just repositories but place-builders for community and that open data needs the same: cataloging plus communal activity; cites… | ||
| Documentation Communities: Sound Strategy or Documentarian's Gambit? | Laura Novich | 40m |
Migration moves docs out of one closed repo into each project repo so docs branch with code, add a public feedback button that files issues to ciladoc issues… | ||
| Building a style guide from the ground up: lessons learned from a lone writer | Deanna Thompson | 32m |
Builds a small, company-specific style guide that supplements the Google Developer Documentation Style Guide, uses a Good Docs Project template, stores content… | ||
| Almost None to Some: Driving DISQO's Doc Culture as a Solo Documentarian | Falon Darville | 41m |
Solo technical writing moves Disco from almost no docs to some by shipping an internal docs hub (Slate/Hexo/wiki style), running docs-as-code with markdown +… | ||
| Is Tech Writer a Tester, and Vice Versa, Is Tester a Tech Writer? | Ines Stefanovic | 37m |
Argues that technical writers and testers share concrete practices: both produce automated and manual tests and clear, stepwise regression scripts used across… | ||
| Writing Documentation with Neurodivergent Open Source Contributors In Mind | Rin Oliver | 35m |
The talk argues that specific documentation changes increase contributions from neurodivergent people: set a DRI ownership for each section, publish a… | ||
| Invisible influence: the documentation behind UX copy | Katherine Karaus | 39m |
Argues that solid documentation is the lever that wins product decisions and gives concrete techniques: run a content audit (used an intern to build a… | ||
| Level Up: Onboarding that enables writers to thrive | Nicola Yap | 41m |
A practical playbook for bringing writers up to speed with measurable steps and working artifacts rather than vague advice The program pilots in May 2019 with… | ||
| Closing | Eric Holscher | 08m |
Conference wrap-up lists concrete next steps: videos released next week and will be embeddable on YouTube, survey and feedback read by organizers to shape… | ||
| WTD Book Club | Amoreen Armetta | 05m |
A Slack book club launched in January 2020 grows from ≈230 members to 1,387 members by April 2021, running months‑long discussions (one lasts Jan 21–Apr 15)… | ||
| Git Basics for a Non-Technical Audience | Garrett Griffith | 04m |
An explanation maps the four file states (uncreated, staged area, edited, saved) to concrete Git commands and shows how to do everyday work from the terminal… | ||
| Turning cooperation into collaboration: A UX writing case history | Ingrid K Towey | 05m |
A technical docs writer converts a proofreading gig for Red Hat’s China portal into full UX changes: help files get rewritten, menus become action-based… | ||
| Bug Bashing Your Docs | Jatin Billimoria | 05m |
Gamified bug bashes claim to boost participation and visibility for docs by having people file bugs in Jira labels with a simple 4/2/1 point system, awarding… | ||
| A Lightning-Quick Intro to Cross-Functional Writing | Joe Lodin | 05m |
Cross-functional writing claims that working with support product marketing and engineering surfaces documentation gaps and reduces ticket time by having… | ||
| Content Experience Checklist | Kathryn Elliott | 06m |
A reproducible matrix called the Content Experience Checklist lists concrete content elements (concepts, images, tasks, features at a glance) so each article… | ||
| The Nuts and Bolts, Literally: Documenting Hardware | Lisa Gay | 05m |
Documents automated piece-picking systems and shows that users actually work in noisy warehouses with no Wi‑Fi or mobile allowed, so documentation is often… | ||
| Why Accessibility is a Tool to Build Better Products | Maribel Carrillo Padilla | 06m |
Argues that designing for disability improves products for everyone and backs it with concrete examples: texting and door handles start as accessibility… | ||
| Why Docs Folks Make Awesome ERG Advocates | Renée Carignan Schaaf | 04m |
Technical writers convert empathy and process into measurable ERG wins they build and run an ERG called Heat Pride at Heap and join the DEI committee they… | ||
| 5 things being a game designer taught me about tech writing | Ryan Macklin | 05m |
Five concrete takeaways: treat each help page as a marketing entry that must sell the product by teaching and inspiring; use layout tools like inset boxes… | ||
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