Documentation site reading path
The order in which a documentation team learns its site. Each step names who should read the page.
The first week: write and publish safely
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Documentation sites: start here | Everyone | How documentation runs on Exponential |
| 2 | Logging into the editor | Writers | Where to sign in |
| 3 | Editing content | Writers | Create and change pages |
| 4 | Publishing and versions | Writers | Drafts, versions and going back |
| 5 | Media and uploads | Writers | Screenshots and files |
| 6 | Roles for your team | Documentation lead | Writers and releasers |
The first month: structure, review and search
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Approvals and review | Documentation lead | Review before release |
| 8 | Object states | Documentation lead | A release state separate from publishing |
| 9 | Structuring the content tree | Documentation lead | A hierarchy that can grow |
| 10 | Searching | Everyone | How editors find pages |
| 11 | Site search and what visitors look for | Documentation lead | Missing pages and missing words |
| 12 | URLs, redirects and moved pages | Writers | Bookmarks that keep working |
| 13 | Image and file guidelines | Writers | Screenshots that are readable and described |
The first quarter: languages, exports and upkeep
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Translation routine | Documentation lead | Translations that keep up |
| 15 | PDF export | Documentation lead | Printable manuals |
| 16 | Help maintained as content | Documentation lead | A model for topic types, states and e-books |
| 17 | Content audits | Documentation lead | Pages that are still true |
| 18 | Accessibility upkeep | Writers | Documentation everyone can use |
| 19 | REST API for owners | Product owner | Documentation inside your product or app |
| 20 | How updates work | Product owner | Upgrades with your provider |
| 21 | Features customers often miss | Everyone | What the site can already do |
If you have only one hour
Read steps 1, 4, 7 and 11: the model, versions, review and what readers fail to find.
Related pages
- Documentation sites: start here
- Customers reading path
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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