While employed as Senior Designer with Masterbuilt, I have had many design roles and worn many hats. One of those hats being as a technical writer.
This was a very challenging yet rewarding role as I was able to learn many new skill sets and build on my knowledge as a designer. Not only that, but I also gained a better understanding of organizing and maintaining digital assets.
As a technical writer I had to work hand in hand with the engineering and quality departments. I had to learn the best way to take the engineering CAD drawings and format them with precise technical knowledge of the product that was being assembled. I had to know the contents of each product within a carton, the components, nuts and bolts to put them together, warranty bills and have knowledge of very specific regulatory requirements and quality assurance information.
Also, as a technical writer I had to communicate with the factories to ensure that the product assembly instructions and pack-in components were all properly represented right down to the correct size screw.
I learned through much troubleshooting more effective ways to create illustrations from the CAD program E-drawings using PDF’s and then converting them to vectors in Illustrator.
During my time as a technical writer and graphic designer, I produced hundreds of instruction manuals and guides.Each project was different, unique and would sometimes take a life of their own.