don't skimp on your docs
There are two types of documentation:
The kind that helps you convince a prospective buyer to try and buy
The kind that helps a paying customer go deeper into your product
Recently I’ve seen several companies whose documentation is either all or damn near all the second type.
That’s not very interesting or unique, though. But another thing these companies have in common is that they’re no longer in business.
Yes, there are a million and one reasons a company can go out of business. I happen to think this is one of them. One that is entirely in your control.
What’s the problem with docs that help customers go deep into your product?
Nothing. The problem comes when this is the only documentation you have. Imagine someone trying your app for the first time. The first thing they see in your documentation is a technical guide to integrations and APIs.
That doesn’t answer the question about how to use the product. And that’s what the first type of documentation is all about.
Give people a good reason to try it
Documentation usually has a Get Started page, an FAQ page, and some light ideas about how to actually use the thing. The companies I reviewed recently had less than that.
In fact, the documentation left me thinking “what do I do with this thing again?”
The marketing pages convinced me to dig deeper and learn how these tools fit into my work. But there were no use cases on the website and none in the documentation.
Use cases and workflows give the right people a good reason to try a product. Yeah, include compelling use cases on the website. But offer more in the docs, where it’s a acceptable to show people exactly how to get it done with your app.
Documentation isn’t sexy
But it should be. A documentation site can be one of the hardest working assets you have. If visitors can both understand what they can do with your product AND exactly how to do it AND have a path to purchase (link back to marketing site, marketplace listing, other point of purchase), you’re onto a winner.
Make Documentation Great Again (MAGDA),
Peter
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