Growing as a technical writer in the AI era with Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti
Description
In this episode, I talk with Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti about moving beyond strictly following documentation frameworks to embrace strategic thinking, his Seven-Action Documentation model that prioritizes user needs over content types, and how technical writers can grow and adapt in the AI era while positioning themselves as essential strategic partners.
Fabri and I discuss his background as a cognitive psychology student who transitioned into technical writing through his love of computers and writing. He shares his journey from academia to becoming an editor at Softonic, and eventually to his current role as a principal technical writer at Elastic working on OpenTelemetry documentation. We explore his concept of technical writers as shapeshifters who adapt to different roles and contexts.
The conversation centers around Fabri's Seven-Action Documentation model, which he developed as a more descriptive and user-focused alternative to prescriptive documentation frameworks. Unlike content-type-focused approaches, his model identifies seven key user actions that address real user needs that are often overlooked by traditional frameworks. We discuss how this model encourages writers to think strategically about user needs rather than simply following rigid content templates, and why starting with user needs rather than content types leads to more effective documentation.
We also explore professional growth for technical writers, particularly in the AI era. Fabri emphasizes the importance of meaningful skill growth, advocating for work that demonstrates strategic thinking rather than just high-volume output. He shares his philosophy of embracing AI as a tool while maintaining critical evaluation of its limitations, arguing that technical writers must understand emerging technologies to maintain credibility and influence in organizational decisions about documentation and AI implementation.
About Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti:
Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti is a technical writer and documentation engineer with over 15 years of experience. Through his blog Passo.uno, he shares insights on documentation strategy, API design, and the evolving role of writers in the tech industry. When not championing better documentation practices or contributing to open source projects like OpenTelemetry, he explores ways to make technology more accessible.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- passo.uno
- The Diátaxis framework
- The Write the Docs Slack
- The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information
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