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Discussion on: Explain like I'm five documentation

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mellen profile image
Matt Ellen

Well, you know how you want to do something and you don't know how, so you go to your parent and you ask:

"I want to change the inner tube on my bike, but I don't know how"

And you parent replies "Ok, hun. I'll come and show you."

And you parent shows you, and now your inner tube has been changed.

But what if your parents weren't around? You still need to change the inner tube on your bike, but you can't ask them.

Luckily you can read, and your parent left instructions for you on how to change the inner tube.

That's documentation. It doesn't cover all types of documentation, but I think it covers the most important part: helping people understand how to use or do something.

The other types of documentation, like risk assessments or specifications, are important, but for people using a project, instructions on how to use it, especially first steps, are very important.