You can learn interesting things that apply directly to you...from a totally different discipline.
Recently, I was reading a story about Board Game Designers. I may be a board game geek, but that's not why the story was interesting. The story was more about UI/UX and things that technical writers do every day than about board games.
One of the most puzzling challenges of any board game project is how to convert an abstract concept, into something that people can engage with. How to convert something from a mere idea into something that is practically, and predictably fun.
Sound familiar? Techcomm folks convert abstract topics into information that users need to do what they need to do with the products we support. They convert ideas into practical tasks every single day.
The story described how board game designers look at a user's engagement journey with a new product and with the rules (documentation).
The conclusion they come to is that board game designers need to think like technical writers! The writer proposes that board game designers write IKEA-style docs--for board game instructions.
I quite enjoyed reading the article. Here was someone celebrating technical documentation! If you want the whole story, check out the full article.
Key Concepts:
best practices, soft-skills, usability and user experience