"I'll always be a sucker for start-ups with quirky products, and for companies based in interesting locations..."

I’ll keep on fixing prices upfront, so there’ll be no nasty surprises. As before, there’ll be discounts for small projects I can fit in between the big ones. And, I’ll  always be a sucker for start-ups with quirky products, and for companies based in interesting locations…

This year I’ve done a lot of work on user-interfaces, ranging from simple post-translation localisation, through to full reports on structure and usability (I like to think of this as “pre-emptive techwriting”). I’m going to add this to my list of core services – just as soon as I can work out a consistent pricing system!

I’ve also put in a good few hours working on website text. Sometimes clients just needed me to check the English. Other times, I’ve created the website copy more or less from scratch. It’s similar to my regular documentation work, but requires more thought and hence more time. That’s another service to add to the list once I’ve had time to think about pricing.

What hasn’t changed is that I’m still fast, still friendly and still having fun. So, roll on 2010!

In explaining my work to a translator, Gert (my main contact) neatly summed up what I do…

So the original text was…

blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-bl a-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah- dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-di e-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee- blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-blah-dee-blah-dee-blah-

After DD’s changes it is…

To do blah-dee-blahh:

1. Blah-dee-blah blah blah

2. Blah blah blah

(With several spelling errors corrected.)

He was of course, correct.

I’ll cheerfully admit that I don’t do anything special, but what I do do, I do very quickly indeed, and from the user’s point-of-view. This makes it more cost effective to use me, than to lock some poor coder in a room with a Help Authoring Tool – and I’ve yet to see a HAT that’s both user-friendly and powerful – and a copy of Technical Writing for Dummies.

EDIT: When I told Gert about  this blog post, he said I could quote him on the following:

Working with Documentation Doctor is a pleasure, he works quickly and for a reasonable fee. If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to contact me: gert at watchftp.com

There’s this UK TV show where a brilliant Californian house doctor hurtles around a property, improving its value. She doesn’t add much to the house – perhaps a coat of paint here, a plant pot there – but she does transform its presentation. Suddenly, it’s worth a good dollop of extra cash.

That’s what I do with documentation. I don’t pretend to add content, just value.

Modern software developers already have a detailed functional spec, or draft manual. You don’t need a technical author underfoot, spending billable days investigating the product and asking questions!

What you do need is somebody to rewrite, reorganize and reformat your existing content, turning it into professionally presented user-friendly documentation. That’s what I do, and that’s why I call myself the Documentation Doctor.