Designing Effective Online Help

Getting to the point

Because users want information, and want it fast, they don't want to read through pages and pages of useless information. As a technical writer, you have to get right to the point. The best way to get to the point is avoid unnecessary banter. Including the equivalent of 20 pages of company history is a no-no. Marketing pitches are also very bad. If someone has spent their money on a product, they don't want to have to sift through a repeat of the sales pitch (especially if the product doesn't live up to the promises of the sales pitch) in order to find out how to use the thing.

How do you get to the point? You can make introductory paragraphs short. Two or three sentences long should be good enough. You should include only relevant information, leaving out marketing.