Why do we need technical communication? Technical communication provides us with the information to navigate new electronics, software packages, any assembly required object and myriad other uses. It contains crucial instructions without which we would be unable to accomplish whatever we are attempting to do. The quality of the technical communication is imperative. Have you ever gotten a new gadget, excited to try it out, only to find that whoever wrote the instructions did not write them with their audience in mind. Either the language was too technical to understand or it was interpreted poorly. There are too many examples of poor technical documentation to ignore the importance of its value.
What purpose does it serve? Technical communication takes the place of an individual assisting us, a teacher or coach, so that we may achieve the result we are looking for. For example, a technical manual for a software program walks us through the features of the program while showing us what to look for and how to use those features.
There are numerous other examples of technical writing: instruction manuals for appliances, user manuals for electronic equipment, financial prospectuses, software manuals, on-line instructions for website use, websites for informational purposes, any non-fiction instructional book and disclosure statements for pharmaceuticals, just to name a few.
