The Cherryleaf Podcast -

The way users want to access information may be undergoing a seismic shift. Some have suggested technical communication is rapidly moving towards a question-and-answer (Q&A) paradigm. As user behaviour moves away from reading and towards asking, we discuss how chatbots, AI, and Q&A-driven interfaces are reshaping the expectations and responsibilities of technical communicators. Takeaway quote: "It's not about crafting a list of 20 questions. It's about building a robust knowledge system that can handle any question and deliver meaningful answers." Resources Michael Andrews and Ardis Ramey on Q&A communication paradigms UK Government Digital Service post: FAQs: why we don't have them Statistics on voice and search behaviour Cherryleaf Newsletter We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company.  Cherryleaf  

In this episode, we dive into responses to the evolving digital landscape shaped by AI in search engines and changes in social media. We explain how Cherryleaf took inspiration from the viral success of the Museum of English Rural Life (Merl) and used AI chatbots to analyse Merl's approach. We share the key lessons learned - such as embracing an authentic voice, leveraging unique content, blending education with entertainment, and encouraging engagement - and details how Cherryleaf adapted these for a technical writing services company. Discover the creative content pieces we've launched, including "Technical Writer Superpowers," "Technical Writing Bingo," and "Dungeons and Documents," and hear about the initial results in terms of engagement and reach. We also discuss future plans and how other organisations can adopt similar strategies. Technical Writer Superpowers Technical Writing Bingo Dungeons and Documents Technical writing jargon explained:

Summary: In this episode, Ellis Pratt explores the critical issue of data privacy for technical writers using AI tools and chatbots. He delves into the potential risks, from data leaks and copyright infringement to compliance violations and intellectual property concerns. The episode also provides practical solutions and strategies for mitigating these risks, empowering technical writers to leverage AI responsibly and ethically. Key Discussion Points: The Promise and Peril of AI: AI offers significant productivity gains for technical writers (content creation, first drafts, automation of tasks), but introduces critical privacy risks. Potential Risks of Using AI: Data Leaks: Inputted data becoming part of the AI model, accessible to others. Copyright Infringement: AI generating content based on competitor data. Data Breaches: Risk of AI providers being hacked. Data Sovereignty: Data stored in different countries potentially conflicting with regulations. Compliance Violations: Risks related to regulated industries (healthcare, finance). Intellectual Property Rights: Ambiguity over who owns AI-generated content. Practical Solutions and Mitigation Strategies: Sanitising Content: Replace sensitive data (API keys, product names) with placeholders. Generic Examples: Use generic rather than actual customer data. Limiting Data Input: Provide only the minimum amount of data required. Review and Redact: Carefully review content before inputting to AI. Check Public Domain Status: Determine if the content is already publicly available. AI Provider Privacy Policies: Review data retention policies and opt-out options. Choosing Secure Tools: Select tools with better data deletion options (e.g., Google GeminiAI Studio, Claude). Managing Data Controls: Understand how to control data collection settings (e.g., ChatGPT). Private/Managed LLMs: Consider private, self-hosted, or managed AI models for sensitive data. Develop Policies and Procedures: Create guidelines for team use of AI, tiered approaches based on document sensitivity. Content Filters: Implement filters to check for sensitive information. Audits and Assessments: Engage IT security for impact assessments and security audits. Actionable Takeaways: Prioritise Data Sanitisation: Make it a core practice before using any AI tool. Review Privacy Policies: Understand the data handling practices of your AI providers. Implement Security Measures: Protect proprietary and confidential information through policies, technology, and human oversight. Collaborate with Security and Legal: Engage relevant internal teams to ensure compliance and minimize risk. Start Small and Stay Informed: Gradually introduce AI with low-risk documentation and keep up to date on the latest privacy risks and solutions. Quotes: "AI and chatbots offer in technical writing…a huge promise of a way to be more efficient and more effective in what we do. But…we do need to be aware that there is a privacy risk, and we need to address that." "AI…is both a powerful productivity tool and a potential risk. So we need to think about those two aspects and manage it." "So we're going to be on a tightrope, a privacy tightrope." Want Help Improving Your Documentation? Cherryleaf specializes in fixing developer portals and technical documentation. If you're struggling with user feedback, contact us at info@cherryleaf.com for expert guidance.   CC Flickr image: Stock Catalog

In this episode of the Cherryleaf Podcast, we explore the challenges of receiving and responding to criticism as a technical writer. Documentation plays a crucial role in user experience, and receiving feedback—whether constructive or harsh—can be an opportunity for growth. We discuss practical strategies for handling feedback, evaluating its validity, and implementing improvements to enhance documentation quality. Key Topics Covered: ✅ Why receiving feedback (even negative) is better than receiving none ✅ How to separate personal feelings from professional criticism ✅ The importance of acknowledging user feedback and addressing concerns ✅ Types of criticism: Constructive vs. Unconstructive ✅ Methods for evaluating the validity of feedback ✅ Tools and techniques to measure documentation quality (e.g., IBM Quality Matrix, analytics, usability testing) ✅ Addressing common documentation challenges: clarity, findability, audience mismatch, and linking ✅ Steps for implementing improvements and tracking their impact ✅ Preventative measures for reducing future criticism Key Takeaways: Criticism is not personal – It's about improving the documentation, not attacking the writer. Acknowledging feedback is crucial to building trust and ensuring continuous improvement. Evaluating feedback critically helps differentiate between valid concerns and personal preferences. Quality measurement techniques (analytics, support ticket trends, usability testing) can validate feedback. Structured improvements through linking, clearer writing, audience targeting, and prioritization can make a big impact. Continuous monitoring is necessary to ensure long-term effectiveness. Mentioned Resources & Tools:

In this episode, we reflect on 2024's trends and explore what may be coming in the world of technical writing and content development in 2025. From the impact of AI to evolving policy requirements and shifting market dynamics, we look into the key factors shaping the field. Reflections on 2024 Overview of the year's major trends in technical writing and client demands. Changes in government spending and its influence on projects. Increased demand for documentation in AI, e-commerce, and SaaS sectors. AI and Technical Writing How generative AI is reshaping technical documentation workflows. Specific use cases for AI in content creation. Challenges and potential pitfalls of AI-based solutions like chatbots. Policy and Procedure Writing Emerging legal requirements influencing documentation needs. Shifting from static policy documents to active communication projects. Training and Development Future Trends and Predictions The growing importance of API documentation and developer portals. Increasing focus on user-friendly, contextually aware documentation. The interplay of economic trends and cross-border trade on technical writing projects. Get Involved Have your own ideas about the future of technical writing? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out via email or connect with us on our social platforms. Email: info@cherryleaf.com for enquiries or to share your predictions for 2025. Thank you for tuning in! We wish all our listeners a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming episodes. Website: Cherryleaf.com

In this episode, Ellis discusses the importance of networking and meeting other technical communicators, especially for those who work solo or in small teams. He explores various avenues for connecting with industry peers, from conferences and meetups to virtual groups and informal gatherings. Key Topics Discussed: Challenges of Solo Technical Communicators Many technical writers in the UK work alone or in small teams, limiting opportunities for professional exchange. Conferences & Meetups Ellis mentions conferences like TCUK and Tekom and describes the more casual atmosphere of meetups, such as those organised by ISTC and Write The Docs London. London-based events like ISTC's monthly gatherings and Write The Docs London meetups, which feature speakers, presentations, and networking sessions. Benefits of Attending Events Navigating Networking for Introverts Tips on starting conversations, showing empathy, and practicing conversational balance to ease networking anxiety. Write The Docs London Event Recap Highlights from recent presentations by Neo4j's David Oliver on building a documentation team and Mark Woulfe on using dashboards to analyze documentation performance. Alternative Networking Ideas Tips for Speaking at Meetups Final Thoughts Connect with Ellis Pratt: Website: Cherryleaf.com Social Media: LinkedIn and other platforms (search "Ellis Pratt")

We explore an intriguing development in content creation: AI-generated audio from technical documentation. We've prepared two examples to showcase this technology, and we discuss its potential impact and applications. We used the user guide for Audacity, the popular audio editing application, to generate an AI-narrated overview: https://youtu.be/yPlfAPpqGuw?si=cCJeZ-hfvg_o--fg We also created an audio overview of Transport for London's API using only their OpenAPI (Swagger) file as the source: https://youtu.be/-j1yiFz8-Tc?si=WaRHpn0mgID8J4qX  We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

In this episode of the Cherryleaf podcast, we explore the latest trends in technical communication as revealed by an in-depth analysis of conference themes from 2024. By examining data from leading events such as Tekom, TC World, LavaCon, and the STC Summit, we identify eight major themes shaping the industry, with a surprising dominance of AI and generative technologies. Listen in to understand how these trends are influencing content strategy, user experience, compliance, and more, and learn how to position yourself at the forefront of these developments in technical communication. We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

Remember the excitement when ChatGPT burst onto the scene? Suddenly, it seemed like AI was going to revolutionise everything, including our field of technical communication. But now, 18 months and six Cherryleaf AI podcast episodes later, we're asking the big question: Was it all just hype? You've probably heard some folks saying AI isn't delivering the promised return on investment. And others swearing it's changing the game. So, what's the real story? In this episode, we'll examine these claims through the lens of technical writing. We'll: Examine recent claims about AI's lack of ROI Explore how these claims stack up in the world of technical writing Look at the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI for our work Discuss what factors might influence whether AI is worth the investment Whether you're an AI enthusiast or a sceptic, stick around. Let's figure out where AI really stands in the world of technical documentation. We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf   Goldman Sachs https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/gs-research/gen-ai-too-much-spend-too-little-benefit/report.pdf? Ed Zitron https://www.wheresyoured.at/pop-culture/ Ethan Mollick:  https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d35e72fcff15f0001b48fc2/t/668d08608a0d4574b039bdea/1720518756159/chatgpt-full.pdf https://x.com/emollick/status/1815563452640854093 MadCap Software https://www.madcapsoftware.com/blog/madcap-ixaccms-ai-positron/

We've created some YouTube Shorts on promoting the value of techcomm. We talk about the process of creating the videos and the content in the videos. See also: Cherryleaf's YouTube Shorts Uncovering and communicating the value of your tech comm teams' work, with Keren Brown    We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

In April 2023, we conducted a survey into the use of AI and ChatGPT in technical communications. We thought it would be interesting to carry out a similar survey again.  In this podcast, we talk about the results from the survey and describe what has changed over the last 12 months. We'll post a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

This month's podcast looks at the language of persuasion and how technical authors can use it. What do we mean by persuasive language? What is nudging and are we as technical authors able to use this type of language? As part of the research for this podcast I watched some public information films and read articles which are mentioned in the podcast. Many thanks to those organisations, authors and their expertise. Here are the links to the ones mentioned in the podcast: The British Film Institute (BFI) has a comprehensive catalogue of public information films as well as much other entertaining and informative material. You can watch the ones mentioned in the podcast by following the links below: Lonely water film Green Cross Code film AIDS awareness film Internet shopping film Marco Janicke's article "Who listens to safety instructions anyway" in TC World More info about Marco Nest leaf information We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

In this episode, we look at the current demand for contract Technical Authors in the UK, using statistics from ITJobsWatch.net. We look at the the number of vacancies and whether this has affected the rates offered. We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

This month's podcast looks at how large organisations create useful, informative content which is accessible to a wide, often global, audience. As part of the research for this podcast I looked at various websites which are mentioned in the podcast. Many thanks to those organisations and their expertise. Here are the links to the ones mentioned in the podcast: Panasonic Ikea Gov.uk Fast Company We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

This month's podcast looks at what is involved in a corporate re-brand and what is involved for technical authors if their organisation decides to rebrand. What is a corporate brand? And what is involved when an organisation decides to rebrand? As part of the research for this podcast we looked at various websites which are mentioned in the podcast. Many thanks to those organisations and their expertise. Here are the links to the ones mentioned in the podcast: indeed.com has lots of informative articles, their article on the importance of branding was very informative: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/rebranding Profile tree are a web design and digital marketing company with lots of great posts about digital marketing strategy: https://profiletree.com/why-rebrand/ Madcap Flare is help authoring tool widely used in the technical authoring community and beyond: https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare2023r2/Content/Flare/Branding/Branding.htm  We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

Welcome to the first episode of 2024! In this exciting instalment, we dive deep into the evolving world of e-ink writing devices. Will these gadgets gain momentum in the tech world? We explore their rising popularity and forecast their potential to become mainstream tools. We'll dissect the key issues these devices address, unveiling the unique solutions they offer to modern problems. Our discussion spans the capabilities and features of these e-ink devices, delving into the functionality and user experience. Additionally, we identify and analyze a range of potential use cases, illustrating how these devices can fit into various aspects of daily life and work. We also mention the market leaders driving innovation in this sector. Tune in to get an in-depth look at the future of e-ink writing devices and their role in shaping our digital writing landscape.   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

It's that time of year for us to gaze into our crystal ball and share your and our predictions for the future of technical communication for 2024 and beyond.   We've posted a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf   Microsoft's Akash Dubey has created a YouTube playlist that contains a series of interviews with people from Microsoft, Meta, Across Systems, and Cherryleaf, on lessons learnt with AI. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1Utia1tpDy4cceBHsMDZFbyzVMWfijjG Generative AI and Techcomm playlist on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyzNPwCV9rY&list=PLUsv4sNfwtYe3Crhz-ldp8JRoKLIh7k8l&pp=iAQB  

In this episode, we look at what Techcomm problems can generative AI solve. Technical writers today face numerous challenges that can hinder productivity and impact content quality. From managing high volumes of documentation to keeping pace with rapid product changes, it takes great effort to produce and maintain helpful, accurate, and engaging technical content. This is where AI comes in. In this episode, we provide an overview of the common pain points technical writers experience and demonstrate how generative AI can effectively address many of these issues. From automating repetitive tasks to enhancing writing quality, AI-powered tools offer new capabilities that will transform the field of technical communication. We discuss key applications like boilerplate text generation, text summarisation, grammar corrections, writing style adaptability, and more. With the right human-AI collaboration, technical writers can be more efficient, consistent, and creative. We will publish a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

We talk to Kristof Van Tomme, CEO of Pronovix, about the role of API and developer portals in Generative AI systems. We discuss how organisations can prepare for AI. We talk about what documentation infrastructure organisations should have in place to be able to use AI safely from an information perspective. We also discuss whether developer portals will become even more important. We will publish a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

We talk to Daniel Foster, Director of Strategy at TechSmith,  about the contentious relationship between technical writers and video content. A growing trend among technical writers is the integration of video content alongside traditional documentation and visuals, offering a dynamic and immersive medium to enhance user understanding and engagement. However, writers generally prefer words because they're easier to reuse and scale, as well as being more efficient for their overall business. This leads to a rather contentious relationship with video elements...especially with clients specifically requesting more of them. Daniel regularly works with technical writers on how to bridge this gap and effectively leverage video content to complement their writing.  We discuss how technical writers can effectively manage this contentious relationship. We will publish a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf   Techsmith's Research hub includes: - Value of Visuals - Ultimate Guide to Simplified User Interface Graphics (SUI) - The Ultimate Guide to Easily Make Instructional Videos Guide to adding captions to videos Simplify Tool in Snagit (tutorial) Audiate

We reflect on the lesson learnt so far as a result of developing our upcoming elearning course on using Generative AI in technical communication. We will publish a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

As part of our research into using generative AI in technical communications, we ran a survey to discover the questions that technical communicators are asking. In this episode, we review those questions and identify some common themes.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

When people talk about AI, chatbots, and tools like ChatGPT, all the new terminology can make it hard to understand how it all works. In this episode, we're going to look at the definitions of some of the words that you might hear.   Register for our webinar Using AI in techcomm: What you asked, and the answers   Thursday 29th June 2023 As a way of bridging the gap between the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the specific needs of Technical Communicators, we conducted a survey within the technical communications community. We wanted to uncover the most pressing questions, concerns, and areas of interest related to using AI and ChatGPT in technical communications. In this webinar, we'll present some of the questions you raised, and outline the answers to those questions. Additionally, we will present a framework for identifying opportunities and best practices for integrating ChatGPT and AI into their technical authoring processes. About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

In this episode, we talk about writing procedures that are needed for regulatory compliance. By this we mean organisations that might be investigated by a regulatory body. We describe the different approaches to creating the content.  We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf    

We wanted to talk about some ideas that we've taken from Google on how to present elearning video content. And to share them in case you are also involved in e-learning, and you wanted to copy these ideas as well.     We examine one of Google's videos from its UX Design course. These courses are on YouTube, so it's possible to view them without having to sign up to a course.     Link to the video: Intro to UX (User Experience)   We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

It's been about three months since ChatGPT was launched. And we thought it would be good to look at really the status of what ChatGPT might mean for the future of technical communication. And we did a blog and we did some experiments back in December, as have others, and people have reflected on the pros and cons of it. And we thought it would be good to take a look at it today. -- We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf -- More information: Wie gut ist Künstliche Intelligenz in der Technischen Dokumentation? https://www.parson-europe.com/de/blog/kuenstliche-intelligenz-chatgpt-technische-dokumentation   Cherryleaf: What will ChatGPT mean for the future of technical communication? https://www.cherryleaf.com/2022/12/what-will-chatgpt-mean-for-the-future-of-technical-communication/   ICMS GmbH: https://www.icms.de/kuenstliche-intellig enz-in-der-technischen-redaktion-fluch-oder-segen/   Pinecone: Generative Question-Answering with Long-Term Memory https://www.pinecone.io/learn/openai-gen-qa/ 

In January 2023, there's been quite a few layoffs in the tech sector. It's reported that Google has laid off 12,000 people, Microsoft 11,000, Amazon 18,000, Salesforce 8000. And there's also been layoffs at Meta, Cisco, Spotify, and other organisations. In this episode, we're going to look at dealing with being laid off or being made redundant. We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

We talk to Diana Logan, Manager, Technical Writing at GitLab, about Gitlab's approach to documentation and code. We discuss: Working in an “Docs as Code” environment The upcoming GitLab Docs hackathon Working for a fully remote, asynchronous organisation  We've posted a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.   More information: GitLab Docs Hackathon 23 - 27 January, 2023 Five fast facts about docs as code at GitLab How to update GitLab documentation About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

It's that time of year for us to gaze into our crystal ball and share your and our predictions for the future of technical communication for 2023 and beyond. Thread on LinkedIn Thread on Twitter We've posted a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

We asked on Social Media Someone joins as/becomes a manager of technical writing team. What would you advise they do in their first 90-100 days? In this episode, we go through the responses we received. We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf   The five pillars of content strategy: https://www.scroll.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Five-Pillars-Approach-toolkit.pdf

We look at optimising technical documentation for Search Engines. We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf Links: Podcast 62 Looking back on the presentations at The Evolution of TC 2019 conference 99 Percent Invisible: Search and ye might find

We look at playbooks. We ask: what are they, and why create them? We also discuss our approach for creating playbooks, and the different ways to publish them.  We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf Links: https://trainual.com/manual/what-is-a-business-playbook-and-how-to-use-it-to-scale https://sterlingwoods.com/blog/business-playbook/ https://www.tensorflow.org/community/sig_playbook?hl=en https://docs.apigee.com/api-platform/troubleshoot/troubleshooting-introduction?hl=en https://developers.google.com/business-communications/business-messages/files/bm-brand-playbook.pdf?hl=en

We look at the value of retrospectives at the end of a documentation project, and how you can run one.  We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf    

We look at the types of skills we, and others, are looking for, when taking on freelance and permanent technical communicators.  We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf  

We asked: Does anyone have any techcomm timesaver tips they'd like to share?   This is what you told us...   We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf  

We look at different ways to measure and check the quality of the content we produce. References: Developing Quality Technical Information (DQTI), Hargis, IBM, 1997 Peter Morville's User Experience Honeycomb Ilene Burnstein, Practical Software Testing Teste e Qualidade de Software Software Reviews and Other Static Software Analysis. Rodrigo Back Almada. https://slideplayer.com/slide/14604162/ We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf Our new training bundles: Cherryleaf Technical Communication Courses

We look at GitHub and how technical communicators are using GitHub for creating documentation.   Our new training bundles: Cherryleaf Technical Communication Courses Video: Creative writing with GitHub copilot Hands on - AI pair programming with GitHub Copilot

In this episode, we look at the skills needed for developing a developer portal. We also talk about our new e-learning course "Creating API documentation and developer portals", and Google's recommendations for the content needed on a developer portal.  We'll post a transcript to the Cherryleaf Blog.  About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

Happy New Year. We posted this question on social media:   What lessons have you learnt over the last 12 months? Working from home, wins, losses, mindset, managing the pandemic etc.   In this episode, we go through the responses, and reflect on what was said.    About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf   Pexels image: Julia M Cameron

It's that time of year for us to gaze into our crystal ball and share your and our predictions for the future of technical communication for 2022 and beyond.  Thread on LinkedIn Thread on Twitter   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf Image: Tuesday Temptation on Unsplash. 

Cherryleaf's Ginny Critcher and Ellis Pratt discuss using the Redocly platform to create a developer portal and API documentation.  More information: Redocly What is your developer portal's KPI score? Cherryleaf

With the Dev Portal Awards 2021 under way, we look at the characteristics of an award-winning developer portal.  Dev Portal Awards 2021 What is your developer portal's KPI score? About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf

If a startup came to you asking for a checklist of actions they should take/consider when it comes to writing their first docs, what would you tell them?   We asked that question on Social Media. In this episode, we reveal what people said.    Get the ultimate user onboarding content checklist for start-ups   About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf  

Unexpected bonus August episode. We spoke to Jennifer Morse, Vice President of Customer Success at MadCap Software, about the new Learning and Development features that have been included in latest release of MadCap Flare.  More information: New Release: MadCap Flare 2021 r2 Bridging the Gap Between Technical Authoring and Learning & Development Webinar recording: Major New Learning & Development Updates in MadCap Flare 2021 r2 New free elearning course from Cherryleaf: Trends in Technical Communication About Cherryleaf: Cherryleaf  

Ellis looks at nine common onboarding mistakes that software companies make: Not thinking about jobs to be done, but features Overloading users with information Writing for a single audience Not providing or not co-ordinating the five pillars of onboarding content Getting the timing wrong Unclear goals Leaving "seams" in the onboarding experience  Poor quality content No testing or metrics Take our quiz:   What type of technical writer are you? Planning and creating content for customer onboarding – training course Cherryleaf To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com   Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

We talk to Karissa Van Baulen, Customer Education Lead and Knowledge Base Owner at Hotjar. We discuss how she has used heatmaps and playback recordings to improve Hotjar's knowledge base. What does Hotjar do? Why are heatmaps important? How have you used heatmaps and recordings to improve Hotjar's knowledge base? How easy is this to do? How much time should you schedule? What have been the benefits? What have been the downsides? If people want more information, where should they go? More information: The Importance of Using Analytics and Feedback for your Documentation - conference presentation recording Take our quiz:   What type of technical writer are you?   Cherryleaf newsletter To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com      

Ellis talks to Toby Chapman Dawe of Strand UK about why he claims nobody ever wants to buy software. Toby is Managing Director of Strand. Toby specialises in communicating the business benefits of enterprise technology. Formerly a journalist in the UK writing for trade and national press, Toby transferred to the world of advertising in the Netherlands. Later, he moved back to magazine publishing and conference management in the UK. Toby now runs Strand, the global writing and design agency that serves the enterprise technology sector. And he keeps bees, though not at Strand. (We did not talk about the bees.) More information: Strand Toby Chapman Dawe's profile on LinkedIn   Take our quiz:   What type of technical writer are you?   Cherryleaf newsletter To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com  

For a while now, we've been looking at ways to import API reference content into MadCap Flare, so that we can use Flare to create a developer portal. Here's the latest update on what we've learnt.  Videos: Importing OpenAPI/Swagger API reference content into MadCap Flare 2021 to create a developer portal Importing API reference documentation into a MadCap Flare project Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company based in the United Kingdom. Part of that work involves updating and improving developer portals.   Cherryleaf also offers a Writing API Documentation elearning course that teaches Technical Writers the keys skills of writing and managing documentation for REST APIs. Cherryleaf newsletter To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

In addition to the basic skills in technical communication, what other skills does a technical communicator need?  In this episode, we look at the areas where technical communicators deepen and widen their skill set. We consider what should be the topic for our (Cherryleaf's) next elearning course. Twitter thread: Does anyone have opinions as to what should go into a course on creating content for (SaaS) customer onboarding? Cherryleaf's Intermediate/Advanced Technical Communication training course Vacancies page  

In March 2021, Google published the “Google UX Design Certificate Program", as part of its Grow with Google scheme.    In this episode, we look at: What is promised How it's delivered What's in the course Career prospects Related information: https://grow.google/uxdesign/ https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-ux-design Intermediate/Advanced Technical Communication elearning training course Cherryleaf newsletter To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com