Chapter 1: Tutorials
1.1 Software Choices
This section discusses your software choice for your tutorial topic and that which you will use to write and design your tutorial.
Learning Objectives
After reading this section, you will be able to
- choose software for your tutorial topic
- choose software with which you will design your tutorial
What software platform should you use as a topic for your tutorial?
For this class, you need to think about what you already know, what you are interested in, and what will help you after you graduate.
Since one semester is not long enough for you to learn a new software platform, you should decide on one that you already use and are extremely knowledgeable about.
| Note: You will not do research for this document (except history of the company in the intro which needs footnotes for sources), and all content must be original since your tutorial will be scanned by Turnitin. If Turnitin finds source materials in your document beyond the cited history, you will receive a zero for the assignment. |
Additionally, pick a software that interests you since you will be working on this project for several weeks. Don’t pick a software that you find “buggy” or frustrating, especially since writing documentation is not necessarily a “fun” endeavor for most students although there is an element of creativity in how you design your document.
Lastly, think about software from your future industry. If you have learned a program during your studies, such as Visual Code Studio if you are a Computer Science major, consider writing about that technology as it may help you get a job once you graduate.
Some software choices include:
- Microsoft products: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, outlook, hotmail
- Google products: Google Drive, Google Docs, YouTube, gmail
- Messaging platforms: Discord, Signal, Slack, Whatsapp
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, Premiere Pro, InDesign
- Design software: Snagit, Madcap Flare, Canva, Sketch, Gimp
- Version control: Github, Gitlab, Bitbucket
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, X, Truth Social, Snapchat
- Educational technology: Webcourses, Yellowdig, Perusall
- Software Apps: Spotify, Shopify, Disney World Magic, iTunes,
This list is not exhaustive!
| Note: If you are tasked with writing documentation in your future job, you won’t be able to choose what you write about, but this project will give you the tools, and the confidence, to successfully write and design any type of documentation in the future. |
What software platform should you use to write and design your tutorial?
Using free technology is the best option for this class since the University is not funding the project; however, paid technologies are included here to give you an idea of what you may need to use in industry if you become a technical writer.
Free platforms
These technologies will allow you to write and design your technical documents although there are positives and negatives to each.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is the most convenient, easy to use software for Windows users. This platform allows you to design your document while you write with the added benefit of Word Styles which formats headings, figure and table labels, and table of contents with just a few clicks of the cursor.
There are negatives with using Word, however. If you save your document locally, you are risking the loss of your work if your computer crashes, so you should always save your documents to One Drive instead. Next, Word is not capable of designing elaborate visuals for your documents. You would need to use the snip tool, 3D-paint, or PowerPoint to create visuals.
UCF students can download Microsoft 365 for free by accessing this Using UCF Email to Download Microsoft Office page. Follow the links and instructions provided on the page.
Google Docs
Google Docs is another option, and a major benefit is you won’t lose your document since it is saved automatically to the cloud. Google Docs allows for quick sharing of documents, basic formatting including the creation of tables, and editing features similar to Word.
A major issue with Google Docs is the lack of design functionality. For example, you can’t add borders to your documents unless you create tables which severely limits user accessibility.
Document 360
Document 360 is a website which touts a free version, but when you sign up, you receive countless emails as well as phone calls trying to get you to buy the product. Originally, you get a 14-day free version, but to continue using the product, you need to manually change the billing to the free version within the 14-day trial. The cheapest paid version is $149 a month per project.
Positives of the platform include options for Markdown, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), and Advanced WYSIWYG. You can also set your documents for public, private, or combination viewing.
Canva
Canva is a design website, so you don’t have to download any software, and it includes multiple genre templates which can be easily modified and redesigned since the software is user friendly.
However, you have to pay careful attention to the templates since those with a small, gold crown in the bottom right corner are limited to Pro users only. Pro is a paid version which includes premium tools and advanced templates.
Canva templates are somewhat difficult to change, which can be very frustrating and time consuming, but the design elements can be used in conjunction with a document processing software, such as Word or Google Docs.
Canva is generally used to create images, logos, or short static documents such as resumes and infographics rather than lengthy documents such as tutorials.
If you choose to use Canva as your writing and designing platform, be careful that you don’t choose a slide deck, which can be very restrictive. A slide deck is for presentations only, and the font size default will always be must larger than what you should use for a tutorial. If you do use Canva, be very mindful of layout and design choices as you write.
Another negative is that you may not be able to download your finished document if you don’t pay for pro. You cannot submit a link to your project to the assignment box.
Slide Decks
Slide Deck software can also be used to increase the design elements in your tutorials, but they should be used with a word processing program.
Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides can be used to design horizontal oriented tutorials, but you have to be careful since the default font size is very large as stated above regarding Canva. This software forces you to redesign extensively, and previous students have struggled to design written content in a format that works for a tutorial. Creating images with shapes, colors, and other elements is much easier in a slide deck than word processing.
Paid Platforms
MadCap Flare
MadCap Flare: Often used in industry but is very expensive ($195 per user per month)
Paglio
Paglio: Prices are not listed on the website, which is concerning, and you need to talk to a salesperson directly to get the information, but this platform allows for multiple authors to create technical documents.
