← WA Computer Science ATAR Unit 1

User and technical documentation

Documents supplied with a program: user documentation guides users to operate it; technical documentation records design (pseudocode, flowcharts, test results) for developers.

Part of: WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Pseudocode and Algorithm Design — Module 100

Understanding User and technical documentation in WA Computer Science ATAR Unit 1

What it does: Numbered instructions that tell a user what to click are typical of a user guide or manual. Pseudocode, flowcharts and test results are design records, so they belong in technical documentation for developers. External documentation is supplied with the program. Comments inside the code are internal documentation. User documentation is written for the people who use the program, so it explains how to operate it step by step. Developers need the design and structure of the program to maintain it, not instructions on how to operate it.

Common mistakes: A user guide is written for end users who operate the program, not for developers. The line should be audience <- "end user". The audience is a developer and the content is a flowchart, so this is technical documentation. The first line should be docType <- "technical doc".

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 100–314) and word search (Modules 100–470).

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Learning
Duo
Who is user documentation written for?
The developers who maintain the codeThe people who will operate the program
Matches
Give the user a flowchart and pseudocode of the program to learn how to operate it
↓
Design documents such as flowcharts and pseudocode are technical documentation for developers, not instructions for users.
Applying
Meanings
Term
external documentation
Meaning
Documents supplied with a program: user documentation guides users to operate it; technical documentation records design (pseudocode, flowcharts, test results) for developers.
Practice
User documentation (audience: users)
Testing
Gaps
documentation: user guide or manual
Check Answer
Spots
1docType <- "user guide"
2audience <- "developer"

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Quick Questions

1. Who is user documentation written for?
A. The people who will operate the program ✓
B. The developers who maintain the code
User documentation is aimed at users. It shows them how to install and operate the program. Technical documentation is for developers.
2. Which document is technical documentation?
A. A flowchart showing the program's design ✓
B. A step-by-step guide to using the menu
Flowcharts, pseudocode and test results record design and structure, so they are technical documentation. A guide to the menu is user documentation.
3. Which statement about external documentation is correct?
A. It is supplied with the program, separate from the code ✓
B. It is written as comments inside the code
External documentation is supplied with the program. Comments inside the code are internal documentation.
4. A new developer must update a program next year. Which document helps most?
A. A user guide explaining how to log in
B. Technical documentation with pseudocode and test results ✓
Developers need design details such as pseudocode, flowcharts and test results to maintain a program. A login guide is for users.
5. A user wants to know how to save their work. Where should they look?
A. The program's flowchart and test results
B. The user guide or manual ✓
The user guide or manual explains how to operate the program, including saving work. Design documents are for developers.

Match the Pairs

User documentation → A user guide or manual that shows users how to install and operate the program
Technical documentation → Records of the design and structure, such as pseudocode, flowcharts and test results, for developers
A document written for end users that explains how to use the program → User manual: 1. Open the app. 2. Click Add Task.
A document written for developers that records the design of the program → Design document: flowchart + pseudocode + test results
Give the user a flowchart and pseudocode of the program to learn how to operate it → Design documents such as flowcharts and pseudocode are technical documentation for developers, not instructions for users.
Put the step-by-step user manual in the technical documentation so a developer can fix the code → A user manual is user documentation. Technical documentation should hold design records such as pseudocode, flowcharts and test results.

Key Term

external documentation
Documents supplied with a program: user documentation guides users to operate it; technical documentation records design (pseudocode, flowcharts, test results) for developers.

Fill in the Blanks

1. user documentation: user guide or manual
Hint: Type the kind of external documentation that shows people how to operate the program.
2. technical documentation: for developers
Hint: Type the kind of external documentation written for the developers who maintain the program.
3. user documentation audience: end users
Hint: Type the group of people who read the user guide.
4. technical documentation includes flowcharts
Hint: Type a design diagram of the program's steps, kept in technical documentation.
5. technical documentation: pseudocode, flowcharts, test results
Hint: Type the record of how the program performed when tested, kept alongside the design documents.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A docType <- "user guide"
B audience <- "developer"
C content <- "how to log in"
D print docType
Line B — A user guide is written for end users who operate the program, not for developers. The line should be audience <- "end user".
Question 2
A docType <- "user guide"
B audience <- "developer"
C content <- "flowchart"
D print audience
Line A — The audience is a developer and the content is a flowchart, so this is technical documentation. The first line should be docType <- "technical doc".
Question 3
A define chooseDoc(need)
B if need = "how to use" then
C return "technical doc"
D else
E return "technical doc"
Line C — Someone who needs to learn how to use the program needs the user guide. Technical documentation is for developers. The line should be return "user guide".
Question 4
A docType <- "user guide"
B audience <- "customer"
C include <- "test results"
D print include
Line C — Test results record how the program was designed and tested, so they belong in technical documentation. A user guide should include steps such as "login steps".
Question 5
A docType <- "technical doc"
B audience <- "developer"
C print "Design: pseudocode"
D print "Steps: click Start"
Line D — Technical documentation records design and test results for developers. Instructions such as 'click Start' belong in a user guide. The line should be print "Tests: results table".

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