Recent Trends in Technical Communications

Not all of us like change. Some of us embrace it. Some of us wince at the very mention of it. However, most of us would agree that many aspects of life are in a continuous process of change.

One of the most noticeable shifts in the last decade is our ever-changing relationship with technology. And, from the perspective of technical communications, how such changes alter how we design and produce user assistance.

For the last 20 years, I’ve championed, adhered to, and adopted many aspects of technical communications best practice. It has served me in good stead. However, in a quest to continually improve “user assistance” I’ve also embraced change, adopting both past and recent innovations. Technical communicators should deliver equally innovative and compelling user assistance: Blend the old ways with the new.