Content strategy
In addition to aligning content to the needs of the user, content strategy is also understood as the integration of content into the business strategy and goals of a company.
Cross-information product concepts are defined in the concept development process phase. This includes, for example, which information products are created with which function and which information architecture.
A concept should ensure the consistency and consistent quality of the information products. This is particularly important if several people are involved in the creation of the information products.
The concepts must be reviewed routinely at suitable intervals. A review is also necessary on special occasions, such as the introduction of new products, new variants or new media.
The concepts have a direct impact on content creation and the subsequent process phases.
Information products and information architecture
Different information products can differ fundamentally in terms of their properties and function. In the course of concept development, it must first be determined at the highest level what type of documentation is involved, what type of information product is being created, and what its communicative function is. An important starting point for this is the product life cycle. The user requires different information for each phase of the product life cycle, which must be documented for them.
The concept for information products defines the characteristics and properties of the information products.
- Classification and types of information products (e.g. installation instructions, operating instructions, maintenance instructions)
- External vs. internal documentation
- Special types of documentation (e.g. API documentation (Application Programming Interface) in software development)
- Connection of product life cycle and information products
- Principles of user experience design for technical documentation
- (e.g. communicate concisely and in line with expectations; consistency; encourage users to interact; do not produce redundancies; write in a translation-friendly way; use active instead of passive voice; address users directly)
- Communicative functions (e.g. guidance, information)
- Principles of designing information products for specific communicative functions (e.g. depending on the use of the information product, e.g. for installation, operation, training,e-learning)
- API reference as automatically and continuously generated function documentation, possibly with interactive test option
- Docs-as-code as a method for documentation in source code
- Developer guide as auxiliary documentation
- Role and contribution of technical communication in API documentation