Visualization Tools for Technical Writing.

Images and Design Tools For Technical Writing

typist

Table of Contents

• Diagramming.
• Presentation.
• Screenshot and Screen recording.
• Graphic design.
• Data visualization.
• Code visualization.
• Engineering Computer-aided design(CAD).
• Illustration
• Meme and GIF.

I started technical writing in 2020, and if there’s anything I struggled with the most, it was visualizing my ideas for more accessible communication.
The more I wrote and researched, the I found tools I could use to express myself better. Since I couldn’t find an article on visualization tools for technical writers, I thought it’d be nice if I wrote an all-encompassing piece on visualization tools for technical writing.

It is well said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Adding visuals to your technical articles, documentation, e.t.c, could help with the following…

• Retaining readers' attention.
• Better understanding.
• Communicating statistical data.
• Improved description.

In this publication, I overview various tools you could use to create images for enhanced communication in your technical write-ups.

Looking to get started with technical writing? Check these courses and blog out…

• Lumen Learning technical writing course.
• Google technical writing course.
• W3School.in technical writing course (Includes SEO tutorials).
• The University of Oxford style guide.
• Semrush blog SEO course.
• Study.com technical writing course.
• Paligo.net articles.
• Clickhelp technical writer guide.

Diagramming

draw.io application interface

Diagramming tools help you create diagrams, flowcharts, and technical representations of your ideas.

Most diagramming tools have templates that technical writers could easily use to illustrate their ideas. e.g., creating a flow chart of how APIs work.

Examples of diagraming apps include;

• Draw.io.
• Microsoft Visio.
• Miro.
• Diagrams. app(for Mac only)
• Sketch.
• dbdiagrams.
• Balsamiq wireframes.

Presentation

Ludus homepage

Presentation tools are an easy way to share images in a slideshow. Presentation apps come in handy when creating documentation or technical tutorials e.t.c.

Some presentation apps include…

• Ludus.
• Microsoft’s PowerPoint.
• Google Slides.
• Canva.
• Apple’s Keynote.

Graphics Design

Canva homepage

Good graphic designs draw readers' attention to the subject, and there are a lot of tools that aid with creating incredible graphics.

These tools include…

• Adobe Photoshop.
• Canva.
• Google Snapseed(Android & iOS).
• Coreldraw.
• Desygner.
• Pixlr.

Data Visualization and Charting

Google charts homepage

Data and statistics are better visualized to help readers pull insight from the specified data.

The following are data visualization and charting tools…

• Google Charts.
• Canva.
• Tableau.
• Microsoft PowerBI.
• Highcharts JS.
• Holistics.

Screenshot and Screen Recording

OBS homepage

When creating tutorials, you might need to visualize the steps as they happen most of the time.

The following screenshots and screen recorders are available to choose from…

• Bandicam.
• OBS studio.
• Kazam (Linux).
• URL2PNG.
• Windows snipping tool e.t.c.

Code to Image

carbon homepage

Code-to-image tools offer a way to share beautiful code snippets easily.

Useful websites in this category include…

• Carbon.
• CodeZen.
• CodeSnap.
• Ray.so.

Computer Aided Design(CAD)

Solidworks launch screen

These computer-aided design software are mostly used in majors like Mechanical engineering, Civil engineering e.t.c.

Complex explanations can be made simple using them as they also have simulation features.

• Autocad.
• Solidworks.
• CATIA.

Illustration

onfire illustrations page

Illustrations efficiently tell complex stories with elegance; These tools help you design illustrations for your technical writing tasks

• Onfire illustrations
• Olio Constructor
• Delesign
• Woo bro
• Weareskribbl
• Freepik
• Pixeltrue

Memes and Gifs

Giphy homepage

Technical content can be boring sometimes. A few memes and GIFs never go wrong.

Memes and GIFs should be used to depict expression only when necessary.

Useful tools for creating memes and GIFs are…

• Giphy (GIFs).
• Tenor(GIFs).
• Canva(GIFs and memes).
• Imgflip.
• Mematic(iOS).

Technical writing visualization Tips…

• Always add reference links to images, if any.
• Add a caption to images.
• Add alternate text to images to aid the visually impaired.
• Use only images that describe a context in the subject.
• Always add descriptions to charts.
• Label all diagrams.

Technical Writing

Till the next publication, it is.

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