Resources

Docs Like Code

Anne Gentle (2018)

A short introduction and overview from experienced technical writers on creating and implementing a Docs-as-Code framework for continuous documentation.

Don't Make Me Think

Steve Krug (3rd Edition, 2013)

One of the most highly recommended books on Web design and usability. It introduces basic principles for intuitive navigation and information design. 

Content Design

Sarah Winters (formerly, Sarah Richards) (2017)

Disambiguates copywriting from content design, and introduces practical user-centred approaches to creating digital content.

How to Makes Sense of Any Mess

Abbey Covert (2014)

Useful for learning about Information Architecture (IA), with practical exercises designed to help you make sense of any informational "mess" and to design content that is structured in a way that will make sense to your target audience. 

The Product is Docs

Christopher Gales and the Splunk Documentation Team (2020)

A collection of short essays that provide advice and guidance relevant to writing technical documentation as part of product development.

Microcopy: The Complete Guide

Kinneret Yifrah (2019)

Covers basic UX writing principles, voice and tone, and accessibility. It provides practical examples and writing tips for user interfaces, including a range of digital elements, such as 404 pages, error messages, forms, buttons, sign up pages, tooltips, empty states, calls to action, and so on.

Modern Technical Writing

Andrew Etter (2016)

An entertaining and straightforward read that makes a great introduction to software documentation. It provides a foundation of guidelines and recommendations for getting started with documentation processes.

Nudge

Richard H. Thaler (2009)

Draws on behavioral economics to explain how we make decisions. Choices can be framed to help people make decisions –– "nudging" people towards better decision making using a sensible "choice architecture".

Writing is Designing

Michael J. Metts and Andy Welfle (2020)

Aimed at writing for tech, tackling the relationship between copy and design. This book provides guidance on writing for clarity, testing your writing, and collaborating with others to design the best product.

16 Rules of Effective UX Writing

Nick Babich (2018)

A list of practical tips for effective UX writing from a product designer interested in UI design and UX best practices.

Docs as Code

Eric Holscher and the Write the Docs Community

An overview written by a community of people interested in documentation. It introduces visitors to the documentation as code philosophy.

My biggest ‘aha’ moments

Rachael Mullins (2018)

​Key take-aways from the book "Content Design" by Sarah Winters (formerly, Sarah Richards) –– a book that provides guidance on creating digital content.

Quick Start with Docs as Code

Anne Gentle (2022)

A short "how-to" guide to accompany the book "Docs Like Code" by Anne Gentle. The aim is to get you started with technical documentation tools and techniques, like version control (GitHub) and automation (CICD) with static site generators (SSG).

What Does a UX Writer Actually Do?

 Yuval Keshtcher (2021)

A summary of what a UX writer is, why you might want to become one, and how to get started.

What is Continuous Integration?

Chris Ward (2018)

Relevant to Docs-as-Code, this article describes Continuous Integration and how it's used in software development.

What is Microcopy?

Elite Strategies LLC (2022)

An important aspect of UX writing is microcopy. This article explains what microcopy is and offers some guiding principles for creating it. 

Why we use a 'docs as code' approach for tech documentation

Jen Lambourne (2017)  

A discussion and justification of the Docs-as-Code approach to documentation.