Linda Spiller | Portfolio
Release notes
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Project: Portfolio sample
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Role: Technical Writer and Technical Editor
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Type: Sample technical documentation for personal portfolio
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Format: PDF
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Portfolio tools: CodePen, StackEdit, and Draw.io. Written in Markdown.
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Workplace tools for a similar project: ReadMe​​​​​
Overview
This was a portfolio project I created while pivoting from the legal field back to technical writing and technical editing. I had previously written software release notes that were shipped with product disks. I wanted to write a modern version for a mobile or website app that would be suitable for a consumer-based app used by users with a wide range of technical abilities. After researching best practices and reviewing popular release notes, I wrote this sample set of release notes for a fictitious company. (The fictitious software product was based on ideas from real products and a list of the most frequently requested features from antenna users in several online forums.) I used CodePen, StackEdit, and Draw.io to create this sample.
Release notes portfolio sample​
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Key tasks I did:
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Researched current best practices and designs for release notes. ​
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Researched similar apps and potential customer needs.
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Developed a product lifecycle and documentation plan that mirrored a possible product development schedule and used that to draft the release notes.
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Created illustrations and "screenshots."
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Included descriptions of security notes, bug fixes, and new features.
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What I learned:
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Learned great methods for making interesting but detailed release notes.
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Learned new tools and additional features in Draw.io.
Impact:
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Created an interesting portfolio sample based on best practices that I can use in other roles.