The category of tech writing software is pretty wide open. But basally you have knowledge bases (content management systems, repositories of frequently asked questions, blog posts / news items, help files, personnel directories, product catalogues, anything that might answer a question anyone inside or outside the organization might have), wireframe makers (for prototyping), screen capture/recording tools for both still images and video (user observation), graphics editors (charts, line drawings, etc.).
You might want to learn one from each category, a content management system (WordPress? Madcap Flare?) a wireframe tool (Canva? Figma?), a survey tool (Qualtrics?), a screen recorder (Camtasia?) a data tool (NVivo?), etc.. You might start by searching job ads to see what software proficiencies are in demand.
Technical writing software standards change every five years or so. You should make a habit of learning a new software package periodically. The more you learn, the more adept at learning you will become, and the quicker you will be able to get up to speed when the next big thing comes along. If you don't currently have a piece of software you are itching to learn, scan the technical writing job boards to see what employers are asking for.
GSU has a site license for LinkedIn-Learning, which is a watch and learn platform for pretty much any piece of software you can think of. YouTube, as always, is a great resource as well.
If you are searching for projects to put in your portfolio, consider using the free version of one of these apps to make something to demonstrate both that you know how to use it and that you can make interesting and useful things.
This list has gotten a bit out of hand. I'm pretty sure everything here is worth a look, but I don't use any of them. Mind you, I don't do UX or even much technical writing, per se. So, there's that. I'm working on organizing the links by type.
The summaries are the result of me asking MS Copilot, Please give me a three sentence overview of ___ software. Or taken verbatim from the product's website.
Document360 is a knowledge management platform that allows you to create and manage self-service knowledge bases for your customers and employees. You can use it to generate product help, technical documentation, user guides, API documentation, SOPs and more. It offers a rich editor, category manager, analytics, integrations and migration services.
Madcap Flare is a content management application that allows you to create, manage, and publish content in various formats, languages, and devices. It supports single-source publishing, topic-based authoring, and content reuse. Madcap Flare is a powerful and versatile tool for technical writers and content developers.
Adobe RoboHelp is a professional authoring tool used for creating help systems, e-learning content, knowledge bases, and policies and procedures. It offers advanced features for content development, such as responsive HTML5 output, single-source publishing, and multi-device compatibility, allowing content to be optimized for various platforms and devices. RoboHelp is particularly favored for its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and integration capabilities, making it a popular choice among technical writers and content developers.
NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) software that helps researchers organize, analyze, and find insights in unstructured or qualitative data like interviews, open-ended survey responses, articles, social media, and web content. It provides powerful tools for coding, sorting, and linking different types of data, enabling researchers to identify themes, trends, and patterns. NVivo supports a range of methodologies, making it a popular choice among academics, social scientists, market researchers, and evaluators for its ability to handle complex, detailed, and nuanced data.
Tableau is a powerful data visualization and business intelligence tool that enables users to transform raw data into interactive and shareable dashboards. It excels in its ability to handle large volumes of data and perform complex data analysis, presenting insights through visually appealing charts, graphs, and maps. Tableau is widely used across various industries for its user-friendly interface, robust data connectivity options, and flexibility in creating customized data visualizations to aid in data-driven decision-making processes.
Qualtrics is a sophisticated cloud-based platform that specializes in experience management, offering tools for survey creation, data collection, and advanced analytics. It is widely used for market research, customer experience, employee engagement, and academic research, providing robust functionalities to gather and analyze data for actionable insights. The platform stands out for its user-friendly interface, powerful integration capabilities, and extensive customization options, making it a popular choice among businesses, educational institutions, and researchers for gathering and interpreting complex data sets.
Camtasia is a software suite that allows you to create and record video tutorials and presentations using screencast or PowerPoint plug-in. You can also edit your videos with a range of features, such as effects, transitions, themes, and audio correction. Camtasia is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for video creators of all skill levels.
Loom is a software application that allows you to record and share video messages with your team and customers to improve productivity and communication. You can use Loom to create interactive videos, customize them, and integrate them with hundreds of other tools you use every day. Loom is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for video creators of all skill levels.
Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription and voice note service that offers real-time transcription of meetings, lectures, interviews, and other spoken conversations. It provides users with the ability to record, transcribe, and share transcripts, as well as search and play back specific parts of recordings. The platform is known for its accuracy, ease of use, and collaborative features, making it a valuable tool for professionals, students, and anyone needing to convert spoken words into written form efficiently.
Balsamiq is a software that helps you to create low-fidelity wireframes for your web or mobile applications. It allows you to sketch your user interface ideas quickly and easily, and share them with your team or clients. Balsamiq is designed to make UI design accessible, fun, and collaborative
Canva Prototypes is a feature of Canva that allows you to create and publish interactive prototypes for your app, website, or interface design. You can choose from a variety of templates for different devices and platforms, and customize them with your own content, images, fonts, and colors. You can also add animations, transitions, and links to make your prototype more realistic and engaging. You can preview your prototype in the browser, or share it with others via a link or QR code. Canva Prototypes is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that can help you to test and validate your design ideas, and get feedback from your team or clients.
Figma is a web-based application that enables you to design, prototype, and collaborate on various types of projects, such as user interfaces, user experiences, graphics, and more. You can work with other designers in real time, share feedback, and access a variety of tools and features, such as Dev Mode, FigJam, and design systems. Figma is a powerful and easy-to-use platform for creating and delivering meaningful products.
Justinmind is a prototyping and wireframing tool that allows you to create realistic and interactive versions of web and mobile apps without coding. You can design, test, share, and manage your prototypes with features like design templates, interactive UI components, integrations, and specifications documents. Justinmind is a comprehensive and easy-to-use platform for UI and UX design.
Lucidchart is a web-based application that enables you to create and share diagrams for various purposes, such as process mapping, project management, and business planning. It offers intelligent features, such as ChatGPT and AI Prompt Flow, to make diagramming faster, clearer, and more collaborative. Lucidchart is a powerful and easy-to-use platform for visual communication and collaboration.
Makereal tldraw is a web-based tool that allows you to draw a user interface and make it real with the help of OpenAI's GPT-4V API1. You can create interactive videos, customize them, and integrate them with hundreds of other tools you use every day. Makereal tldraw is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for video creators of all skill levels.
"Marvel has everything you need to bring ideas to life and transform how you create digital products with your team. Placing the power of design in everyone's hands."
Mockflow is a web-based tool that allows you to create and share wireframes and prototypes for web, mobile, and desktop apps. You can use Mockflow to brainstorm and visualize your UI ideas with hundreds of components, templates, themes, and UI kits. Mockflow also offers collaborative features, such as team chat, video conference, live presentation, and feedback.
Moqups is a web-based tool that allows you to create and collaborate on wireframes, mockups, diagrams and prototypes for any type of project. You can use Moqups to brainstorm and visualize your UI ideas with hundreds of components, templates, themes, and UI kits. Moqups also offers collaborative features, such as team chat, video conference, live presentation, and feedback.
Proto, formerly known as Proto.io, is a powerful prototyping tool used by designers to create fully interactive and high-fidelity prototypes that closely mimic the final product, without the need for any coding. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, enabling designers to quickly build and test mobile, web, and desktop app prototypes. Proto is widely appreciated for its comprehensive range of features, including user testing, collaboration tools, and the ability to integrate with other design tools, making it a popular choice among UX/UI designers and teams.
Sketch is a vector graphics editor and design tool focused primarily on user interface and user experience design for websites and mobile apps. It offers a range of features such as vector editing, pixel-perfect precision, and built-in grids, making it a popular choice for designers who need to create and prototype high-fidelity UI/UX designs. Sketch is known for its simplicity, collaborative capabilities, and extensive plugin ecosystem, which enhances its functionality and integrates seamlessly with other design tools and services.
Uizard is an innovative design tool that leverages artificial intelligence to transform hand-drawn sketches into digital prototypes for websites, apps, and other digital products. It is designed to streamline the design process, making it more accessible for non-designers and professionals alike to quickly create and iterate on UI/UX designs. Uizard's intuitive interface, combined with its AI-powered features, allows for rapid prototyping, collaboration, and the easy conversion of ideas into functional designs.
Miro is a collaborative online whiteboard platform designed for remote and distributed teams to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate on projects in real time. It offers a highly visual and interactive interface where users can create and share boards with various pre-built templates, sticky notes, drawing tools, and more. Miro integrates with various productivity tools and is widely used for agile workflows, design thinking, and ideation sessions, making it a versatile tool for teams across different industries.
You can create websites from scratch for free (time rather than money) at w3spaces.
You should know something about programming
Really, Pullman? Well, yeah, I think so and I'm not the only rhetcomp person who thinks so, but we are definitely a minority. Don't take my word for it. "The physicist Richard Feynman famously said, 'What I cannot create, I do not understand.'" Mustafa Suleyman, The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma (2023). Now that AI can write code, what it means to write code may be changing fast, but the same can be said for writing prose. Generally AI can accelerate production if you know more or less what you are doing to begin with. If you can learn to describe what you want codewise, and you can work with what might be not quite right when it comes back from ChatGPT or whatever, you can create simple software with very little programming experience and just a bit of knowledge.
The list below is currently what most web-platform software (like Facebook) uses. You can learn all of this for free from W3Schools.
JavaScript
Python
PHP
MySQL or SQL
By the way, you should have a website portfolio of your work. You can get started learning how to do that by spending time at w3Schools. In addition to information and practice spaces, they provide a free web hosting service, where you can keep, maintain, and share your portfolio.
Chatbots
A great deal of digital communications, which is pretty much all communications these days, is automated or being automated. Call a help center for visit a corporate website and you will be offered the opportunity to chat with a bot. Natural Language Processing has gotten to the point where these kinds of tools are fairly easy to implement, from a technical perspective. What a good bot requires is a good script and that's where a technical writer can be helpful. Learning how to write bot scripts might prove useful.