The Baseline -- Or Technical Writing for Non Technical Readers
summary
Argues for a clear one‑sentence baseline: what the thing is, what it improves, who benefits. Shows concrete rewrites: an analog to digital converter lets a Raspberry Pi read potentiometers; Linux’s gpsd supplies location to programs; kirigami becomes “build apps that adapt to phones and desktops.” Advises translate jargon, expand acronyms early and often, pick tight practical examples, avoid metaphors, and measure readership gains by rewriting and comparing responses.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (6)
- 0:00Introduction
- 9:00Dig out a baseline
- 13:11Using a baseline
- 15:08Avoid jargon
- 17:44Where should we start
- 20:26How to convince your colleagues
related talks
25mTechnical Writing for Developers and Engineers
27mWrite Docs Devs Love: Ten Tips To Level Up Your Tech Writing
31mHow to Effectively Communicate Technical Ideas to Non Technical Audiences
32mApplying Engineering Principles to Technical Writing
33mHow to Write Useful Technical Texts
22mHow to Talk About your Open Source Project so People Get It
13mTechnical documentation – how can I write them better and why should I care?
52mImagining the Reader
