Here’s the ask: Share an experience with tech writing in the wild– this needs to be an “organic” experience/frustration/observation of technical writing shaping/influencing/changing your experience going about life. In your post, discuss your observations including how your experience is tied to at least three of our assigned readings.
An English 461 student emailed me with an example how a post in this forum could look– content + images from Carley shared here with permission:
Recently I had an experience with a piece of technical writing that has perked my curiosity. As it deals with some of the topics we are discussing, I wanted to share my experience and ask several questions.
A few days ago, I got a new office chair and assembled it by myself using the instruction manual. My first observation was that I immediately gravitated towards the diagrams rather than the words. My second observation was that even though I was following the instructions, I still manage to make an error and use the wrong screws for the bottom of the chair, which caused me to start all over. My third observation was that the instructions told the user to attach the arms to the seat and then to the back of the chair; however, after several attempts I switched and attached the arms to the back of the chair and then to the seat. The second way made more sense to me and was much easier to assemble.
My questions from this scenario were:
How does can a technical writer foresee potential errors?
How is a specific way of assembling an object determined?
Can a technical writer create a manual that shows multiple ways of building a product?
