Rich Documentation Design
Rich Documentation Design[1] is a concept developed in 2022 by Marc Achtelig with the aim of maximizing the usefulness of technical documentation while minimizing its scope.
Rich Documentation Design does not replace time-tested documentation methods such as minimalism[2][3], information mapping, topic-based authoring, or DITA[4], but adapts and supplements these methods. In doing so, Rich Documentation Design takes particular account of the fact that users today are in many cases much more proficient in dealing with technology and software than they were at the time when most classic documentation methods originated.
Impulse Method
An essential element of Rich Documentation Design is the so-called Impulse Method. At its core, it consists of only describing completely what the users of the documentation actually need a complete description for. For everything else, small, flexibly used information fragments, so-called impulses, are sufficient.
An impulse provides only enough information to enable users to act on their own responsibility. The impulse therefore merely helps users over the expected threshold, and unlike classic documentation, does not compulsively take them by the hand from the first step to the last.
How strong and thus how detailed an impulse has to be depends on the level of the respective threshold (degree of difficulty) as well as on the previous knowledge and experience of the user.
Minimal Brainwork Principles
In addition to the Impulse Method, the second cornerstone of Rich Documentation Design is the Minimal Brainwork Principles. They are also based on minimalism. The basic idea is that the easier it is to find and understand the information provided, the better users can concentrate on understanding the content.
Therefore, the Minimal Brainwork Principles aim to present the necessary information as simply as possible.
Many of the Minimal Brainwork Principles are not new to technical writers. What is unusual, however, is the consistency of implementation down to the last detail demanded by Rich Documentation Design.
Suitability
Due to its approach, Rich Documentation Design is all the more suitable the more uniform the target group of the described product is and the more expertise the target group already brings with it. This is often the case, especially in the B2B sector.
Related Methods
Related methods that can be used in parallel with Rich Documentation Design are:
- Minimalism[2][3]
- Information Mapping
- Topic-based authoring
- Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)[4]
References
- ↑ Achtelig, Marc (May 2023). "Ein neues Konzept setzt Impulse". technische kommunikation (in Deutsch). Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e.V. (03/2023): 45–50. ISSN 1436-1809.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Carroll, John M. (1990). The Nurnberg Funnel - Designing Minimalist Instruction for Practical Computer Skill. MIT.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Carroll, John M. (1998). Minimalism Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel. MIT.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) TC | OASIS". www.oasis-open.org. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
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