Editing Technical communication (section)

==As a profession==
Technical communicators generally tailor information to a specific audience, which may be subject matter experts, consumers, end-users, etc. Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create [[deliverable]]s that include [[online help]], user [[user guide|manual]]s, classroom training guides, computer-based training, [[white paper]]s, government documents, [[industrial video]]s, [[reference card]]s, [[data sheet]]s, [[journal article]]s, and patents.
[[Vocational education|Technical]] domains can be of any kind, including the soft and hard sciences, high technology including computers and software, and [[consumer electronics]]. Technical communicators often work with a range of [[subject-matter expert]]s (SMEs) on these projects.

Technical communication jobs include the following:<ref name=whirl/>
[[API writer]], [[e-learning author]], [[information architect]], [[technical content developer]], [[technical editor]], [[technical illustrator]], [[technical trainer]], [[technical translator]], [[technical writer]], [[usability expert]], [[user experience designer]], and [[user interface designer]]. Other jobs available to technical communicators include digital strategist, marketing specialist, and content manager.

In 2015, the [[European Association for Technical Communication]] published a competence framework for the professional field of technical communication.<ref>[http://competences.technical-communication.org/overview.html Competence Framework for Technical Communication] at the Tekom Europe official website. Last updated October 2015. Accessed 8 October 2015.</ref>

Much like technology and the world economy, technical communication as a profession has evolved over the last half-century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malone |first=E. A. |date=December 2007 |title=Historical Studies of Technical Communication in the United States and England: A Fifteen-Year Retrospection and Guide to Resources |journal=IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=333–351 |doi=10.1109/TPC.2007.908732 |s2cid=39438169}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kimball |first=Miles A. |date=April 2016 |title=The Golden Age of Technical Communication |journal=Journal of Technical Writing and Communication |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=330–358 |doi=10.1177/0047281616641927 |s2cid=113266235}}</ref> In a nutshell, technical communicators take the physiological research of a project and apply it to the communication process itself.

=== UX design in technical communications ===
[[User experience design|User experience (UX) design]] has become more prominent in technical and professional communication (TPC) as companies look to develop content for a wide range of audiences and experiences.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Verhulsdonck |first1=Gustav |last2=Howard |first2=Tharon |last3=Tham |first3=Jason |date=21 September 2021 |title=Investigating the Impact of Design Thinking, Content Strategy, and Artificial Intelligence: A "Streams" Approach for Technical Communication and User Experience |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00472816211041951 |journal=Journal of Technical Writing and Communication |volume=51 |issue=4 |language=en |pages=468–492 |doi=10.1177/00472816211041951 |s2cid=240552938 |issn=0047-2816|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The User Experience Professionals Association defines [[user experience]], or UX, as "Every aspect of the user's interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user's perception of the whole."<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last1=Baxter |first1=Kathy |title=Acknowledgments |date=2015 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-800232-2.09986-7 |work=Understanding your Users |pages=xxxiii–xxxiv |publisher=Elsevier |access-date=7 November 2021 |last2=Courage |first2=Catherine |last3=Caine |first3=Kelly|doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-800232-2.09986-7 |isbn=9780128002322 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>  Therefore, "user experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction."<ref name=":2" />

It is now an expectation that technical communication skills should be coupled with UX design. As Verhulsdonck, Howard, and Tham state "...it is not enough to write good content. According to industry expectations, next to writing good content, it is now also crucial to design good experiences around that content." Technical communicators must now consider different platforms such as social media and apps, as well as different channels like web and mobile.<ref name=":1" />

As Redish explains, TPC no longer writes content but "writes around the interface" itself as the user experience surrounding content is developed. This includes usable content customized to specific user needs, that addresses user emotions, feelings, and thoughts across different channels in a UX ecology.<ref>Redish, Ginny. (30 September 2020). ''UX Writing - A New Role for Technical Communicators? The MasterClass in TechComm for Society for Technical Communications'' (Washington DC and Baltimore). [Apple podcast]. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ux-writing-a-new-role-for-technical-communicators/id1534090690?i=1000493180560 

</ref><ref name=":1" />

Lauer and Brumberger further assert, "…UX is a natural extension of the work that technical communicators already do, especially in the modern technological context of responsive design, in which content is deployed across a wide range of interfaces and environments."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lauer |first1=Claire |last2=Brumberger |first2=Eva |date=2016 |title=Technical Communication as User Experience in a Broadening Industry Landscape |journal=Technical Communication (Washington) |volume=63 |issue=3 |pages=249}}</ref>