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Services

Here you'll find information about my key services: Software documentation, UX writing, and technical communication training.

Software documentation​

I specialise in software documentation and everything that goes with it, including:

  • User manuals
  • API reference docs
  • Knowledgebases
  • Release notes and patch notes
  • Internal documentation portals

I've worked with some incredibly complex technology, and I'm used to diving into unfamiliar tools and figuring out how they actually work. I have a knack for building strong conceptual models quickly, even from limited documentation or a developer's half-explained shorthand. If you're worried your software is too complicated for a non-developer to get their head around -- try me!

Content strategy​

Content strategy is the big-picture view of the content; how easy it is for users to find the information they need. I use established information design frameworks like Diataxis and DITA to figure out what content you actually need, how it should be organised, and how people will realistically find it.

I also pay close attention to cognitive accessibility: writing and structuring content so that it's easy to find and follow. If your docs feel sprawling, duplicated, or like nobody quite knows where anything lives, this is usually where I start.

Content quality​

Content quality is about how clear, consistent, and comprehensive the content is. Quality defines how much your user trusts your docs.

I help teams build quality into their documentation process, rather than bolting it into an optional proofreading phase at the end. I have a particular nerdy passion for style guides, and I’m good at creating guides and templates that people actually use!

I can also help your team set up review and authoring workflows that catch problems early, and define what "good" looks like so that everyone knows what to aim for. The bigger goal is usually cultural: getting a team to care about documentation as much as they care about code.

Tooling​

I'm familiar with all major forms of documentation tooling, including static-site generators (MkDocs, Docusaurus, Hugo, Jekyll), MadCap Flare, and GitBook. I'm also used to source control tools like Git and Mercurial, so I'm happy working direcly in the repo, or your in-house tools.

If your team doesn't have a docs pipeline yet, I can help you pick one. Docs work succeeds when your developers aren’t afraid to jump in and get involved, so I always focus on tools and processes that complement your existing workflow.

UX writing​

User experiences and user journeys are the foundation of both docs and UX. Good technical communication relies on cognitive accessibility: how easy it is for someone to understand a concept or workflow, and how we remove the overheads that get in the way.

I've trained in UX writing with Andy Welfle and Michael J. Metts, authors of Writing Is Designing, and I bring that background together with my documentation expertise to help with:

  • User journeys
  • Tooltips
  • UI labels
  • Error messages

Most importantly, I act as a first tester for user journeys and workflows. If something is difficult to document, it's difficult to use. I can spot the sticking points, and help you work out whether it's a docs issue or a design issue.

Training and mentoring​

I've spent years teaching technical communication, both to junior writers finding their feet, and to developers who want support communicating with users and each other. That's included one-to-one mentoring, cheatsheets and bespoke style guidance, and talks at international conferences on technical communication.

Whether you need someone to build a training programme from scratch, or just want to level up a team that's inherited documentation duties, I can help.

Bonus skills​

Like most technical writers, I've ended up working across nearly every corner of tech communications, so if you don't see what you need on this page, there's a good chance I've still got relevant experience.

In a previous life, I was an agency copywriter working on web copy, ad copy, whitepapers, social media content, and SEO campaigns. Before that, I spent my teens and early twenties in customer-facing roles: retail, hospitality, call centres, and customer support.

I don't do that work day-to-day now (aside from the odd volunteer bar shift for a good cause!), but my background allows me to work well with people in those roles, and understand what actually supports the people using your product: not just your end users, but your support agents, your salespeople, and your newest hires.