Encyclopedia

Subject areas

• Software development kits

  4 articles · 6 context cards · Last reviewed September 29, 2026

  A software development kit (SDK) is a packaged set of tools, libraries, documentation and samples that enables the development of software for a particular target. The term is used across subject areas that otherwise have little in common. This subsection distinguishes four types — developer SDKs, publishing SDKs, platform SDKs and hardware SDKs — describes each in a separate article and examines the points at which they interoperate.

  Overview and comparison

  1. 1Developer SDKsDeveloper SDKs wrap a platform’s APIs in language libraries, authentication, serialization and error handling. Definition, history, components and uses.
  2. 2Publishing SDKsPublishing SDKs parse, validate, transform and render structured content such as DITA or XML into many output formats. Definition, history and components.
  3. 3Platform SDKsPlatform SDKs define how third-party apps, plug-ins and integrations extend a platform: extension points, manifests, sandboxes and permissions.
  4. 4Hardware SDKsHardware SDKs expose devices, sensors and processors to software through drivers, low-level libraries, toolchains and debug tools. Definition and uses.

• Technical documentation models

  6 articles · 4 context cards · Last reviewed October 1, 2026

  A technical documentation model is a set of principles for dividing, organizing and expressing technical content. Several models shape current practice. This subsection distinguishes six — topic-based documentation, task-based documentation, Every Page is Page One, semantic documentation, minimalism and structured authoring — describes each in a separate article and examines how they combine in a documentation system.

  Overview and comparison

  1. 1Topic-based documentationTopic-based documentation writes content as self-contained units on one subject and assembles them into deliverables. Definition, history, types and limits.
  2. 2Task-based documentationTask-based documentation organizes content around what users do, derived from task analysis. Definition, history, components, uses and limits.
  3. 3Every Page is Page OneEvery Page is Page One (EPPO), described by Mark Baker, treats each page as the reader’s entry point. Seven characteristics, origin, uses and limits.
  4. 4Semantic documentationSemantic documentation represents the meaning of content in machine-readable markup and metadata. Definition, history, components, uses and limits.
  5. 5MinimalismMinimalism, described by John M. Carroll, designs documentation for action: real tasks, error recovery and little text. Principles, history and limits.
  6. 6Structured authoringStructured authoring writes content to a schema and separates it from formatting. Definition, history from SGML to DITA, components, uses and limits.

• Cognitive psychology in technical communication

  6 articles · 8 context cards · Last reviewed October 5, 2026

  Cognitive psychology studies how people perceive, remember, understand, decide and act. Technical communication draws on its findings to design information that readers can find, understand and use. This subsection describes six areas along the reader’s processing chain — perception and attention, memory, reading comprehension, cognitive load, judgment and human error, and information seeking — and keeps the research findings apart from the documentation practices derived from them.

  Overview and comparison

  1. 1Perception and attentionPerception and attention: selective attention, Gestalt grouping, inattentional blindness and signal detection, and what they mean for layout and warnings.
  2. 2Memory and instructionsMemory and instructions: working memory, chunking, schemas and prospective memory, why "seven plus or minus two" is no rule for steps, and what follows.
  3. 3Reading comprehensionReading comprehension: construction-integration, situation models, dual coding and mental models, and how they inform concept information and plain language.
  4. 4Cognitive loadCognitive load: Sweller’s theory, split attention, expertise reversal and Mayer’s multimedia principles, with their evidence and limits for documentation.
  5. 5Judgment and human errorJudgment and human error: heuristics, satisficing, situation awareness, SRK levels and error types, and how they shape troubleshooting and recovery.
  6. 6Information seekingInformation seeking: information foraging, scent, the paradox of the active user and scanning, and how they shape navigation, headings and entry points.