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Document 360: #1 Knowledge Base Software

Articulating stories that influence product adoption (new article in Simplifying Complexity series)

by Tom Johnson on Jul 31, 2018 •
categories: simplifying-complexity • podcasts • stitcher

I added a new article in my ongoing series about simplifying complexity. The article is called Articulating the invisible stories that influence product adoption or rejection and explores why adoption of our products among users doesn't often live up to our expectations. I argue that we need to articulate the story we're telling about the product as well as the story users tell, and identify whether the two are in alignment. Note that you can both read and listen to this article, since I created an audio recording for it.

Listen here:

You can download the MP3 file, subscribe in iTunes, or listen with Stitcher.

Here’s a summary:

In any documentation scenario, there are usually at least two competing stories: the company’s story about their product, and the user’s story. The two stories don’t always align. For a product or feature to be successful, the overall story about that product needs to align with the user’s story. These stories aren’t always apparent, and learning to see them constitutes a complex task, since you have to reduce a sea of action and noise down to its essence. The misalignment of these stories often explains why products fail.

Continue reading: Articulating the invisible stories that influence product adoption or rejection

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About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm a technical writer based in the San Francisco Bay area. In this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, visual communication, information architecture, writing techniques, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out simplifying complexity and API documentation for some deep dives into these topics. If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in the field, be sure to subscribe to email updates. You can also learn more about me or contact me.

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