Draw the Docs

Description

Drawings and diagrams are so useful to include in the docs, but they’re often time-consuming to create, difficult to update, and incompatible with standard development workflows. In this talk, we’ll introduce a system for integrating drawings and diagrams into the docs using a Markdown-based visual editing tool, which allows developers and technical writers to enhance their team’s docs with enticing visuals, in a manner that’s familiar to existing developer workflows.

This talk will discuss the experience of integrating drawings, images and diagrams into the docs of Mobify Inc., from the perspective of a developer and a technical writer. From the developer’s perspective, we’ll discuss how the process is effective for contributing to docs and keeping them up to date, sharing knowledge between teams, and even diagramming to assist in debugging. From the technical writer’s perspective, we’ll share how this process has contributed to making the docs more engaging and moved the needle closer to our goal of having a friendly, approachable writing voice.

  • Conference: Write the Docs PORTLAND
  • Year: 2019

About the speaker

Alicja Raszkowska