Carolyn Stransky

See how the language we use affects our users, and discover the first steps towards writing accessible, approachable and use case-driven documentation

It’s no secret that most people don’t read technical documentation for pleasure. Users often come to your docs when they are frustrated with your software, disappointed that they haven't been able to solve the problem on their own and generally feeling pretty low. This is sad, sure, but being aware of these feelings is key for developers and technical writers alike. These emotions frame the reader’s perspective and therefore, should shape the mood of our docs.

In this talk, we’ll discuss how the language we use affects our users and the first steps towards writing accessible, approachable and use case-driven documentation.

2020

React Finland

Humanizing Your Documentation

One of the nuances of working in frontend is constantly being told that [insert whatever tooling, frameworks or technologies here] are “super simple” or “easy to pickup”.

One of the nuances of working in frontend development is constantly being told that [insert whatever tooling, frameworks or technologies here] are “super simple” or “easy to pickup”. While on the surface this seems great, the reality is that many of these technologies are riddled with syntax quirks, incomplete documentation and a high barrier to entry.

In this talk, we’ll discuss why truly intuitive tooling doesn’t exist, go over some common misconceptions in the React community and learn more inclusive ways to talk about emerging frontend technologies

2019

React India

"Intuitive" Tooling

ReactJS Girls

Life is Hard and So is Learning GraphQL

One of the nuances of working in frontend development is constantly being told that insert whatever tooling, frameworks or technologies here are "super simple" or "easy to pickup". While on the surface this seems great, the reality is that many of these technologies are riddled with syntax quirks, incomplete documentation and a high barrier to entry.

In this talk, we'll discuss why truly intuitive tooling doesn't exist, go over some common misconceptions in the React community and learn more inclusive ways to talk about emerging frontend technologies.

2018

React NotAConf

It’s no secret that people don’t usually read technical documentation for pleasure. Users often come to your docs when they are frustrated, disappointed and at their lowest. In this talk, we’ll discuss how the language we use affects our users and the first steps towards writing use case-driven, accessible docs.