: : << I N D U S >> : : March 2003

Ten years ago, if someone had asked me about my profession, I would have spent a good 15 minutes explaining what I did for a living. Today, ‘Technical Writing’ is answer enough.

This is one notable change in my life. In the last 10 years, I have witnessed many important changes in the field of technical writing. Here are a few.

Communicating has always been a basic human need. Since the printing process was invented, humankind has developed at a faster pace. Thoughts could be shared with others across the globe, and across time. Newer generations used the knowledge of earlier generations as a launching pad. The increasing pace at which information is being made available demanded easier and faster tools. Entrepreneurs grabbed this business opportunity to create better tools. Manual typewriters gave way to electronic typewriters and they in turn gave way to Word Processors.

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But this was just the beginning. Effective communication today requires writing, graphic designing, and drawing tools. We also need fonts, pictures, typesets and much more. The advent of computers has made all this possible, convenient, and powerful.

I entered this profession just about the same time when Microsoft Corporation introduced Windows. Windows was yet to become popular and many writers worked with DOS-based tools. Many software applications were DOS-based. I had to capture screens in MS-DOS shell. In some cases, I had to 'draw' the screens rather than 'capturing’ them.
Many desktop publishing (DTP) setups used Apple Macintosh systems. After August 24, 1995, Windows 95 changed the world of computers forever. With the increasing popularity of Windows, the MS Office suite established itself as well. The popularity of Unix-based word processors was on the wane.

I did most of my work on PageMaker (then Aldus PageMaker; now Adobe PageMaker). I was so used PageMaker, that when my friends forced me to learn MS Word, I was reluctant. I resisted the move for almost three months, until I finally began using Word. I initially used Word to write letters and PageMaker to design manuals. I had DTP operators using CorelDraw design graphics for me.

One fine day, I met a gentleman, who advised me to learn "how to create help files". He even suggested a book. I went all the way to Mumbai to buy the book (the Internet was then a rare and precious resource) It took me 3 days to create my very first Help file. With no Help Authoring tool (HAT) on hand, I had to hand-code the project file, the .rtf files, create all footnotes, and so on. I used RoboHELP for the first time in 1997. It was hard to believe that I could create a help file without knowing what a footnote was. Since then, I have used all versions of the tool.

Later, I learned Word 6. Today, we have Word 2000/2002 and XP, and I’m told a beta version of 2003 is out.

I used Paint to capture and edit screen-shots. Today, plenty of tools like FullShot and SnagIt are available for this purpose.

Many HATs are available today. RoboHELP, RoboHTML, HDK, Doc-to-Help, AnswerWorks, WebWorks and so on. We can choose HATS according to the word processor we use. The operating system has changed the format of help files. This triggered changes in HATs — and gave rise to a good business. We have come a long way from using text files to generate Help.

I see potential business opportunities triggered by these changes in technology. When new computer systems are designed, legacy data is ported onto the new database structure. Similarly, old documents need to be converted into a format supported by the new word processing tool. Many companies used WordPerfect. So Word offered a utility to convert these documents into Word format. Today, there is a need to convert Word documents into HTML, XML, or PDF formats. Many companies want to archive their old documents in a format that can be searched and used later. Document conversion can be a good business!
Unfortunately, porting pre-formatted text from one word processor to another is quite a cumbersome task even today. This much has not changed. Converting text from FrameMaker to Word formats or vice-versa can be a nightmare. The same RTF files when opened in either application, behaves differently.

Discrepancies in HTML formats are an issue of concern. XML offers the flexibility of using non-standard tags. A considerable part of the documentation will now be done using XML. If the document type definition (DTD) is not standardised, there could be a problem using and porting the files into other formats.

Today, documents are shared over various types of devices like computers, palmtops, mobile phones and so on. So we will need to create documents and help files that are portable. Four years ago, when I created Help for the palmtop (Windows CE Operating System), my biggest concern was the file size. I had to bend many rules in writing a conventional Help file.

Writers will have a tough time learning new tools and techniques. It will be an interesting and important part of our jobs. Each of these areas will provide ample opportunity to specialise.

Ten years back, I paid ten rupees per page for laser printouts. Laser printers were then too expensive for me to buy. Even medium-sized companies had only a few laser printers, and I have seen people carrying Inkjet printers to their cabins, because they wanted some printouts urgently. Colour laser printers were a distant reality and duplex printing (both sides of the sheet) was a dream. Thankfully, all this is available today. What’s more, some advanced printers can even collate and bind printouts.

Not many writers may have used plotters. I had done considerable work in AutoCAD. Plotters are used for drawing large-size engineering drawings. The process is in use even today. But Inkjet Plotters can give fairly good quality output within minutes. One can get this output on white paper or trace-paper (which can then be used to make blue prints). There are high-end plotters with multiple drawing pens. They can draw very high quality drawings within hours. It is an interesting experience to see a plotter work. It uses a variety of pens and moves the paper sheet up and down to plot the drawings. Colour plotters are now commonly used to print large areas, as big as advertisement hoardings. Many ads today are not printed, not painted.

Ten years back, manuals were published in print. Today, more documents are distributed in soft copy (typically .pdf or .doc format), thanks to the Internet which serves as a popular distribution channel. In many cases, printed manuals are available at an additional cost to cover printing expenses.

Earlier, scanners were available only in selected departments of a company and with DTP operators. Scanning was charged at a whopping hundred rupees for an A4-sized image. This cost varied further according to the resolution (dots per inch) required.

Today, scanners are available for as little as 5000 rupees. It is possible to have a personal scanner and printer. However, I have not seen many people utilising the potential of scanners fully. They can be used to 'read' text from pages using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Most scanners are bundled with fairly good OCR software. This feature is very useful when you don’t have a soft copy of the document.

I send scanned images instead of faxes (scanned image may not be considered as legal documents in some countries). They are easy to store and clearer when printed. I also carry scanned images of my passport and business card collection as a backup.

The Small Office Home Office (SOHO) concept ideally suits a freelance technical writer. With computer peripherals becoming affordable, it is possible to start one’s own technical writing set-up with as little as fifty thousand rupees. There are more opportunities for freelancers or contractors today, as the market has developed (more about this in another article).

Ten years ago, when I told my grandmother that I had moved to a "writing profession," she responded with, "That’s OK with me, but how are you going to earn for your family?"

Even today, there is much confusion about how much a Technical Writer should be paid. Many HR Managers have asked me how much they should pay their Technical Writers and what perks to offer. Some clients expect us to complete a five-month project for as little as 15000 Rupees. They think it should not cost more than that. On the other hand, I know writing professionals in India who are paid 1,500,000 Rupees per annum. Both extremes exist.

Today, Technical Writing (or Communicating) is not a new profession. Often, people I meet have already met a technical writer. So there are less eyebrows raised when I tell them about my work. What many still do not realise is that Technical Writing is a global profession. One can change one’s domicile without changing their profession.

Recognition is essential for any profession to be successful. At the time of writing this article I received a copy of a letter from the Office of the Prime Minister of India. The letter recognises the contribution of STC India Chapter to the profession of Technical Communication in India. This speaks volumes about the development of this profession.

At various points in their career, many Technical Writers were asked to help with tasks like User Interface Design, Instructional Design or Testing. The results have been good. In fact, some people have even drifted out of this profession as a result!

Today, the nature of work and responsibilities have changed. There are more number things on the plate than there were 10 years ago. The nature of assignments I did for clients have varied in nature. They include:

That brings me to another point. Today, we have at least some training facilities in India for Technical Writers. I do not remember having seen one 10 years ago. However, full-fledged post-graduate courses are still rare.

The demand for writers is steadily increasing. Many companies insist on experienced candidates, as there aren't many training facilities available. Those who are new to this profession, should take the opportunities that come their way. After 3-4 years, you can afford to be choosy.

My personal estimate is that there are about 2500 technical writers in India. I see a scope for at least 10000 more. The supply is too short to boost the demand. Though there are many candidates, there is a short supply of good candidates.

The first STC India conference in 1998 recorded 140 participants. Last year’s conference attracted about 250! The Technical Writers of India (TWIN) mailing list had about 200 members 3 years back. Now it has crossed 900! We hope to touch 1000 soon.

Our profession is set to play a vital role in the development of the Software industry. If we can attract good investments and maintain competitive business practices, the profession can probably develop into a standalone industry.

There are probably about 1200 technical writers working for multinational companies in India. Assuming an average annual pay package of Rs. 250,000 per writer, this totals Rs. 300,000,000. Assuming that companies earn at least double that for the work done, it adds Rs. 600,000,000 to India’s exports.

The number of writers will grow to hit a mark of around 5000 writers by the year 2010. Assuming an average yearly pay package of Rs. 400 000 , this would contribute to Rs. 4,000,000,000 (US$ 80,000,000 at Rs 50 per US$) to India’s exports.

I will not be surprised to see the Technical Writing industry doing an export of 1000 Crore rupees by year 2010. The potential exists! We have to set our systems right and attract business. Computer & Web Based Training Development, Content Development, Instructional Design can add to this. But since these areas have not yet been tracked, it is difficult to gauge their exact impact.

There are some things that do not change with time. As long as the industry comes out with new products, there will be a need for documentation. There will be a constant demand for Technical Writers. The actual demand will hover above this level.

The emphasis on quality has not changed. The quality standards used for Indian end users are lower compared to the end users in the west. This is because the industry in India is still developing. Most US-based companies have systems and processes laid down for quality control, reviews and so on. They are in maturity phase.

It is said that 94% of failure is caused by the system and not the people. Most people want to do a good job. The failure is because the system they were using has failed".

As the industry in India matures and systems are built, the quality will improve!

Though there will be many people joining the profession, the need for good candidates will always be felt. So one's goal should be to become a "Good Technical Writer" rather than becoming a "Technical Writer".

As one excels in this career, there will be many lessons learnt. Some of them will benefit both the writer and the company. Some of them might benefit just the writer, and not the company. What one does in that situation, will determine one’s long-term future.

I have been in this profession for almost 10 years now. Looking back, I am happy I chose this profession because it has taught me a lot.

Several STC India members have actively contributed to STC’s initiatives. To list a few:

(Makarand Pandit is owner of Technowrites and TWIN administrator.
The author wishes to acknowledge important inputs given by Pawan Nayar and Frederick Menezes. They added a lot of value to this article. Feedback and comments on the article are welcome. You can contact Makarand at mp@vsnl.com)

Technical Writing in 1993 and 2003