Balancing Graphics and Text in Technical Docs – James Birkinshaw, Oracle

In this episode of Knowledge Base Ninjas, we have James Birkinshaw, Principal Technical Writer at Oracle. He takes us through his exciting journey of becoming a technical writer. He emphasizes the role of illustrations in conveying complicated concepts and reflects on how visuals have evolved in tech documentation. This episode contains experiential stories, recommendations, and thought-provoking conversations about audience-focused documentation and the relationship between text and visuals.

Watch the full podcast episode video here

About James Birkinshaw

• James Birkinshaw LinkedIn
• James’s journey into technical writing began as a process of exploration and discovery. Initially unsure about his career path, he was drawn to drafting and design, learning AutoCAD and blueprinting, before pivoting to writing, a field in which he found a natural affinity. His passion for clear communication was sparked by a book, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive for the Complete Idiot, which highlighted the power of effective writing and visuals. This inspired him to pursue a degree in English, later combining it with computer science and drafting, setting the stage for his successful career.

Key Takeaways

• Know your audience before you write – It is important to understand who your audience is because effective technical writing begins with deep understanding of the audience. You must understand your audience’s knowledge and expectations to provide them with the information they need in a clear and accessible way.

• Illustrations support, don’t replace – Good graphics helps very much in simplifying complex thoughts about your content matter. Visuals support the text by providing clarity and context in a way that does not distract from the written communication.

• Balance visuals and text to achieve maximum impact – It’s not a choice between text or visual, it is knowing when and how to combine text and visuals. Good balance of text and visual works along and helps in conveying clear and concise messages to the audience.

• AI is a tool, it isn’t here to replace us – AI can provide efficiencies in how content is created, but it doesn’t diminish the value of the human practitioner. Technical writers are still going to be fundamental to ensure content is accurate, clear and in context while using AI as an assistant to refine some process.

• Design graphics that are scalable – While we don’t create visuals (graphics or infographics) for documentation every day of the week, consider elements like internationalization and localization. Use scalable formats (like SVG) for graphics for example as this makes it is much easier to change and manipulate visuals to support a different language or region.

Rapid Fire

• What are some valuable resources you would recommend to the viewers?
  John Wiley and Sons – series of technical communications books

• One word that comes to mind when you hear “documentation”? 
  Happy place

• A piece of advice you would give your 20-year-old self?
  Never stop being curious. There’s always more to learntry something new.

You can listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.