Portfolio

As a technical communicator, my goal is to make complex information easy to understand for a given audience. Crafting technical documentation requires research, document planning, and strong plain language skills. I work closely with the subject matter experts and know which questions to ask. Bad documentation is worse than no documentation!

Here are a few samples of the technical documentation I produce. They can give you an idea of my style and my documentation skills. You can also download a PDF version here! If you need more samples, such as Dita and XML files, let me know!

qBittorent User Guide

This is a user guide for qBittorent I created in FrameMaker following the Microsoft Style Guide. First, I did some research and used the application to figure out which functions the users would need. Then, I broke the information into clear chapters. Finally, I asked for feedback from other users to ensure the document served its purpose. If I were to do this again, I would be more methodical in my research, as I found out about some useful functions later on. You can also download a Dita Map of the project.

Skills

  • Software testing
  • FameMaker
  • Copy-editing

Challenges:

  • Test, write and edit all at once
  • Setting the scope of the project

Dream Kingdom Training Guide

Here is a training guide I created for Dream Kingdom, a fictional theme park. The document was created as part of a larger project with other technical writers. First, we had to agree on a content and marketing strategy. Then, we assigned documentation sections and departments.

After doing some initial research, I reached out to field experts, in order to be to model my documentation after real businesses. For my part, I documented two arcade zones. I created the document in InDesign; it is a great tool to create colourful documentation with multiple images. While I found that learning the application was a challenge, I was happy with the final result.

Skills

  • Teamwork
  • Interviews with subject matter experts
  • Graphic design (InDesign)

Challenges:

  • Agreeing on a common voice
  • Creating a content strategy
  • Learning InDesign

Banking Procedures

These are some examples of banking procedures I wrote for when I worked for one of the Big Five. I had to work closely with Subject Matter Experts, then I wrote a draft and took into account feedback from the department editor. Finally, I worked with the web publisher to ensure that the procedures would be released on schedule. However, I had to recreate them from scratch, as the originals are the property of their owners. These mock-up procedures were created in Structured FrameMaker. Note that this isn’t DITA.

Skills

  • Project management
  • Service Now (CMS)
  • Negotiation

Challenges

  • Tight deadlines
  • Working with people from different departments

Online Banking Procedure

Coins Release Procedure

Dreamweaver Procedure

Technical Description

This is a short technical description of a rice cooker. This project showcases my ability to understand a product at a component level. I’ve always been passionate about examining a component and seeing what makes it tick; I had lots of fun. This project involved research, component analysis as well as creating diagrams in Visio. If I were to do it again, I would use FrameMaker instead of World. Microsoft Word is fine for small projects, but it’s not as easy to organize the formation.

Skills:

  • Research
  • Component analysis
  • Microsoft Visio

Challenge:

  • Learn about the technology

Note:

If you need more samples or samples related to a specific field or project, please contact me.