Streamlining Technical Documentation with DIÁTAXIS Framework

Guiding Beginners:

Learning Tutorials

• Tutorials are lessons that guide the reader through a series of steps to complete a project.
• A good tutorial should show learners that they can be successful with the product through meaningful and achievable actions.
• Tutorials are crucial for turning new learners into users of a product.
• To write a good tutorial, it’s essential to allow the user to learn by doing. The goal is to help the learner get started, not turn them into experts.
• The tutorial should be repeatable and work for users with different skill levels and resources. It should focus on concrete steps rather than abstract concepts.
• Explanation should be kept to a minimum, providing only what is necessary to complete the tutorial and avoiding unnecessary distractions.
• Options and alternatives should be omitted to maintain focus on the tutorial’s primary objective.
• The language in the tutorial should be clear, direct, and free of ambiguity.

Step-by-Step Solutions:

Crafting Effective How-To Guides

• How-to guides are step-by-step directions that help readers solve real-world problems, and they are (Goals and Task)-oriented.
• A good how-to guide should describe a sequence of actions in a logical order, starting from a known starting point and leading to a specific, helpful conclusion.
• A how-to guide’s primary focus is solving a problem or accomplishing a task. Extraneous explanations or concepts should be avoided; if necessary, they can be linked separately.
• Choosing clear and precise titles for how-to guides is crucial, as it helps users quickly understand what the guide covers.

The Ultimate Resource:

Designing Comprehensive References

• Reference guides are technical descriptions of machinery and how to operate it. They are information-oriented and serve as authoritative sources of truth and certainty for users.
• The primary purpose of a reference guide is to describe the product and its components, such as APIs, classes, functions, and how to use them effectively.
• Reference material should be concise, to the point, and devoid of ambiguity. Users consult it for accurate information rather than reading it like a narrative.
• Reference guides act as maps, providing essential information about the product’s internals without requiring users to explore the product themselves.
• The language of reference guides is factual, listing commands, options, warnings, and limitations to help users operate the machinery effectively.

Deep Dive:

Encourage Understanding with Detailed Explanations

• Explanation is focused on providing a deeper and broader understanding of a topic. It approaches subjects from various angles and perspectives.
• Unlike tutorials and how-to guides, the explanation does not concern specific user actions, and it differs from reference material, which offers detailed technical descriptions.
• Understanding is a fundamental aspect of any craft, and explanation plays a vital role in weaving together the practitioner’s knowledge and expertise.
• While explanation may not be as urgent as other forms of documentation, it is equally important. It helps practitioners grasp and retain knowledge, making it integral to mastering a craft.