MEMORANDUM

TO: Dr. Sara M. Dye

FROM: Nena Vero
SUBJECT: Genre and Remediation Project
DATE: September 11, 2023

This memo reports research on my chosen profession and focal genre.

INTRODUCTION
Through this report memo project, I gathered information and analyzed writing samples for a
potential career field of interest: technical writing. My subsequent research compiled detailed
insight about the general workplace routines of a technical writer as well as the expectations and
strategies related to the written products produced by technical writers.

RESEARCH METHODS
I conducted primary and secondary research to learn about the work of a technical writer.

Primary Source Evidence

For my primary research, I interviewed Senior Technical Writer Stacy Crain on Thursday,
September 7, 2023. Our meeting took place via Zoom from 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM. Ms. Crain
currently works for Eagle Eye Networks, which is a video surveillance business based in Austin,
Texas. For my genre analysis, I was able to collect a 44-page user guide written by my
interviewee, and she pointed me to dozens of other user guide documents available on her
company’s website.

Secondary Source Evidence

For my secondary research, I consulted the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and an Arizona State
University publication to understand a broad view of technical writers. In preparation for my
interview with Ms. Crain, I explored the fundamentals of the Adobe FrameMaker software used
by my interviewee. After my interview, I read additional articles and watched YouTube
demonstration videos to learn more about the Eagle Eye Networks company. I also found the
IEEE Professional Communication Society as an online resource to learn about in-depth
technical writing principles; the TechSmith software company blog provided information about
writing strategies specifically related to user guides.

RESULTS
This section includes the information gathered through my research.
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Discourse Community of Technical Writers

Technical writers are responsible for writing content to make complex information more
accessible for readers. Writers in this community generally fuse their writing skills with a
background of knowledge related to “the computer and management, scientific, and technical
industries” (“Technical Writers : Occupational Outlook Handbook”). By producing manuals,
technical descriptions, user guides and more, technical writers maintain clarity and a
collaborative nature to communicate with colleagues and experts related to the content of their
written products. Research is also a central component to technical writing as technical writers
are “meticulous in verifying facts, data and technical specifications before including them in the
documentation” (“How to Become a Technical Writer: ASU Online”).

Adobe FrameMaker
My interviewee Ms. Crain regularly uses FrameMaker software as a means of organizing long
documents. This tool provides a range of settings for writers to filter and search their content by
different heading levels, spacing, and overall formatting across pages. I learned from Ms. Crain
that in terms of the upkeep of technical documents, design changes more often than content, thus
FrameMaker allows convenient updates to be made. The software also ensures usable formatting
between print and digital copies of technical writing (“Adobe FrameMaker-Intelligent, Modern,
Superfast”).

User Guides
My focal genre is user guides because this is the most central type of writing to the work of my
interviewee, Ms. Crain. This type of document is used by readers seeking understanding of any
given product, including physical equipment and software alike. While user guides are needed
across industries, Ms. Crain has experience working for Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and their
products related to scientific laboratory equipment. She currently works for Eagle Eye Networks,
largely writing user guides for software of the video surveillance company, which notably offers
uploading of security videos to the cloud via company-owned servers and encryption. From Ms.
Crain’s professional experience, her primary audience for Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. included
scientists and engineers; her audience for Eagle Eye Networks is more broad to include “all end
users of the Eagle Cloud VMS” – Video Management System (see Appendix B). Overall, Ms.
Crain explained the constant importance of writing to meet “user-level understanding,” meaning
that she writes user guides on the premise of a knowledge base a reader would have to be using
the given product. Once writing, the following textual patterns are practiced by technical writers
to create user guides:

Writing with a Consistent Voice

Whenever possible, Ms. Crain writes in an active voice. To instruct readers within her user
guides, she structures much of her content in the order of “[v]erb (infinitive) + article + object +
punctuation mark” (“Simplified Technical English”). For example, Ms. Crain writes: “Test the
Technical Writing: User Guides Vero 3

power source quality in your laboratory [...]” and phrases sentences to start with an infinitive
verb (see Appendix A). She practices consistent language in this structure to ensure clarity and
ease of reading. Headings and lists of information are written in parallel grammatical structure,
and content is concise.

Designing a Proper Format

Visuals including images, diagrams, and charts are heavily used to reduce and organize needed
text. This style also helps technical writers provide “white space and avoid long blocks of text”
(Knott). Ms. Crain explained that workplace professionals typically desire clear, direct writing to
spare unnecessary reading and effort finding the segments of content they need. For software
applications, screen-captures are also used to supplement text. These images are supplemented
with image descriptions and highlighted segments for online navigation. For example, Eagle Eye
Networks proceeds through steps for administrative personnel to change the settings for the AI
analytics features available for each security camera (see Appendix C). Through the screen-
capture images, readers can see how to enable features such as counting people detected by each
camera over time.

Ensuring Accuracy and Clarity

Technical writers must provide accurate information with clarity to respect the time and safety of
readers and stakeholders. In terms of physical and software products, Ms. Crain shared that
readers of user guides are most commonly looking for product setup, troubleshooting, pre-
installation requirements, installation processes, and/or maintenance. If engineers and other
professionals cannot correctly perform tasks or solve problems based on a user guide, technical
writers are responsible for corrections and even risk incurring financial costs upon their company
to financially compensate for a reader’s time e.g., wages for an engineer who spent work time on
a faulty user guide. Considering these potential financial consequences and safety risks if
products are not properly described, reader usability is essential for all aspects of technical
writing documents.

DISCUSSION
This section describes how the features of my focal genre of technical writing, user guides,
reveal the values and significance of technical writing.

Using Textual Patterns

By writing correct content in a concise format with accessible design, I learned from Ms. Crain
that technical writers focus on the values of accuracy and professionalism within their work to
enable successful use by readers. Concise user guides are essential for readers as they read in
blocks and skip to sections they need. Producing concise content is also beneficial to result in a
cheaper cost of translation of written content across different languages needed by readers.
Technical Writing: User Guides Vero 4

Learning Continuously
Technical writers must have a strong understanding of the given product or application basis of
each user guide they compose in order to write clearly for readers. Even for senior technical
writers such as my interviewee, research and learning are ongoing processes. Technical writers
research content independently and consult SMEs – subject-matter experts – with essential
questions thereafter. Successful technical writers seek and take note of new information on a
regular basis in order to meet the needs of their readers.

CONCLUSION
After interviewing a technical writer and learning more about the field, I gained valuable
takeaways for the workplace. Ms. Crain explained that the first half of her day is spent in project
and software meetings, where she observes and while taking audio recordings and notes for her
own learning and reference. Her writing follows in the afternoons since her company has global
offices, whereby her European colleagues end their workday once she starts writing. Ms. Crain
emphasized the value of “polite persistence” in order to get her writing reviewed by colleagues
and to consult with SMEs – subject matter specialists – in a timely manner. She sends her work
e.g., user guides in segments to break-up lengthy documents for review in smaller sections at a
time. Most importantly, technical writers must exercise initiative to complete independent
research and to constantly learn.

While Ms. Crain integrates her writing skills with science-related content, she clarified that many
technical writers primarily have a background in writing and supplement their content
knowledge as they go. She encouraged me to learn new software, to thoroughly grasp any
content I write about, and to even explore programming languages such as Markdown. Her quote
that technical writing is less about “can you do it” and more about “will you do it” serves as the
thesis of my regard of the professional field of technical writing. In my future career, I hope to
use my writing skills as a tool for producing documents and synthesizing new information, be
that in my interest of science or any discipline I encounter in the workplace.
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REFERENCES

“Adobe FrameMaker-Intelligent, Modern, Superfast.” Adobe.Com, Adobe, 2023,

www.adobe.com/products/framemaker.html.

“Eagle Eye Cloud VMS App Notes.” Eagle Eye Networks, 13 July 2022,

www.een.com/docs/app-notes/.

“Eagle Eye Networks Cloud Video Surveillance for School Campuses.” YouTube, Eagle Eye

Networks, Inc., 30 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvNk7N6-IQ&t=

547s. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.

“How to Become a Technical Writer: ASU Online.” How to Become a Technical Writer | ASU

Online, ASU Online, 1 Aug. 2023, asuonline.asu.edu/newsroom/online-learning-tips/h

ow-to-become-technical-writer/.

Knott, Ryan. “How to Build the Best User Manual.” The TechSmith Blog, TechSmith

Corporation, 2 Mar. 2023, www.techsmith.com/blog/user-documentation/.

“Simplified Technical English and Clearer Documentation through the Thumbs up Technique

(3/3).” IEEE Professional Communication Society, IEEE, 20 Apr. 2016,

procomm.ieee.org/simplified-technical-english-and-clearer-documentation-through-the-

thumbs-up-technique-33/.

“Technical Writers : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31 Jan. 2023, www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communic

ation/technical-writers.htm.
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APPENDICES

Appendix A: Mass Spectrometer Preinstallation Requirements Guide (cover and p. 7)

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