Writing good docs, the importance of speed, SQLite and no-code tools for coders - What our team is reading
How to write good documentation, why speed wins and how SQLite succeeded and on choosing to build no-code tools for highly technical people
[…] It doesn’t matter how good your product is, because if its documentation is not good enough, people will not use it. Even if they have to use it because they have no choice, without good documentation, they won’t use it effectively or the way you’d like them to.
Documentation needs to include and be structured around its four different functions: tutorials, how-to guides, technical reference and explanation. Each of them requires a distinct mode of writing. People working with software need these four different kinds of documentation at different times, in different circumstances - so software usually needs them all, and they should all be integrated into your documentation.
- [GS] Speed wins
“We’re deeply driven by the belief that fast decisions are far better than slow ones and radically better than no decisions.”
All else being equal, the fastest company in any market will win. Speed is a defining characteristic — if not the defining characteristic — of the leader in virtually every industry you look at.
On how Retool was at $500k before launching, with only 20 customers. About making your users badass and the possibilities of building no-code tools where your target users are already highly technical.