Good documentation is the difference between a product people love and a product people abandon. Here are the fundamentals.
The Golden Rule
Write for the user's goal, not for the feature. 'How to export your data' > 'The Export Function.' Users don't care about features — they care about accomplishing tasks.
Structure
1. What it does (1 sentence). 2. When to use it (context). 3. How to do it (steps). 4. What can go wrong (troubleshooting). Every doc page should follow this pattern.
Language
Active voice: 'Click Save' not 'The Save button should be clicked.' Present tense: 'The system displays...' not 'The system will display...' Short sentences. No jargon without definition.
Common Mistakes
Assuming context the user doesn't have. Skipping 'obvious' steps that aren't obvious to beginners. Writing for developers when users aren't developers. Not including screenshots.
Check your technical writing with our readability checker — aim for Flesch-Kincaid grade 8 or lower for general documentation.