The Art of Writing Technical Documentation That People Actually Want to Read

Ever wondered why nobody reads your documentation? Here's how to write technical docs that developers will actually use and appreciate.

The Problem with Most Documentation

# Typical Bad Documentation

Installation:
1. Install dependencies
2. Configure settings
3. Run the application

For more information, see the configuration guide.

This tells users nothing useful. Let's fix that.

The Better Approach

1. Quick Start That Actually Works

# 5-Minute Quick Start

```bash
# Clone and run in under 5 minutes
git clone https://github.com/your/project
cd project
docker-compose up

# Visit http://localhost:3000
# Default login: admin/demo123

That's it! You're running. See "Detailed Setup" for customization.

### 2. Real World Examples
```javascript
// ❌ Bad Example
// "Use the authentication middleware"

// ✅ Good Example
// Protect your API endpoint
app.post('/api/payments', authenticate, async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const payment = await processPayment(req.body);
    res.json({ success: true, payment });
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(400).json({ error: err.message });
  }
});

Documentation Structure

1. The Perfect README

# Project Name

One clear sentence about what your project does.

## Quick Start
Copy-paste these commands to get running in 5 minutes.

## Key Features
- Feature 1: One sentence explanation
- Feature 2: One sentence explanation
- Feature 3: One sentence explanation

## Common Use Cases
1. Problem it solves
2. When to use it
3. When not to use it

## Installation
Detailed steps if quick start isn't enough.

## Documentation
Link to detailed docs if they exist elsewhere.

2. API Documentation

## POST /api/users

Create a new user.

### Request
```json
{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "role": "user"
}

Response

{
  "id": "123",
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "created_at": "2024-01-20T..."
}

Errors

• 400: Invalid email format
• 409: Email already exists
• 500: Server error

## Making Documentation Maintainable

### 1. Documentation as Code
```yaml
# mkdocs.yml
site_name: Your Project
theme:
  name: material
nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Quick Start: quick-start.md
  - Guides:
    - Installation: guides/installation.md
    - Configuration: guides/configuration.md
  - API: api.md

2. Automated Examples

// test/docs-examples.test.js
describe('Documentation Examples', () => {
  it('README quick start works', async () => {
    // Test the exact commands from README
    const result = await executeReadmeCommands();
    expect(result.status).toBe('running');
  });
});

Visual Documentation

1. Architecture Diagrams

graph TD
    A[Client] --> B[API Gateway]
    B --> C[Auth Service]
    B --> D[User Service]
    B --> E[Payment Service]

2. Sequence Diagrams

sequenceDiagram
    Client->>API: POST /login
    API->>Auth: Validate credentials
    Auth->>Database: Check user
    Database-->>Auth: User exists
    Auth-->>API: Generate token
    API-->>Client: Return token

Common Patterns

1. Progressive Disclosure

## Payment Integration

### Basic Usage (5 minutes)
Simple copy-paste example for basic payments.

### Common Configurations (10 minutes)
Popular customization options.

### Advanced Usage (30 minutes)
Complex scenarios and full customization.

2. Troubleshooting Guides

## Common Issues

### Error: Connection Refused
1. Check if service is running
2. Verify port number
3. Check firewall settings

### Error: Authentication Failed
1. Verify API key format
2. Check key permissions
3. Validate request headers

Making Documentation Discoverable

1. Search-Friendly Structure

# Error: ECONNREFUSED in Docker

Common solutions for Docker connection refused errors.

## Symptoms
- Cannot connect to container
- Connection refused error
- Docker network issues

## Solutions
Step-by-step fixes...

2. Internal Links

See also:
- [Network Configuration](./network.md)
- [Docker Compose Setup](./compose.md)
- [Troubleshooting Guide](./troubleshooting.md)

Documentation Checklist

1. Quick Start
   • [ ] Works on clean system
   • [ ] Takes under 5 minutes
   • [ ] Includes verification steps
2. Main Documentation
   • [ ] Clear structure
   • [ ] Real examples
   • [ ] Common use cases
   • [ ] Troubleshooting guide
3. API Documentation
   • [ ] Request/response examples
   • [ ] Error codes
   • [ ] Authentication details
   • [ ] Rate limits
4. Maintenance
   • [ ] Last updated date
   • [ ] Version compatibility
   • [ ] Test coverage
   • [ ] Contributor guide

Conclusion

Great documentation:

• Starts with quick wins
• Provides real examples
• Anticipates problems
• Stays up to date
• Is easily discoverable

Remember: The best documentation is the one that people actually read and use.