UX Writing @ Rapid7

Project: Updating the Scan Assistant documentation

My role: User Experience Writer

Collaborators: Product Manager, Senior UX Writer

Skills Applied: Technical Writing, User Experience Writing, Content Strategy

Tools Utilized: Visual Studio Code, Markdown, Github

• The Scan Assistant provides customers with sufficient security for authenticating scans and uses elliptic curve asymmetric encryption (ECDSA) and advanced encryption standard (AES) to form a trusted secure channel between the Scan Assistant and the Scan Engine. Customers can install and configure the Scan Assistant on a Windows or a Linux System.



• In this project, I collaborated with a product manager and a senior UX writer to add information regarding utilizing the Scan Assistant on Windows and Linux Systems. At the end of the documentation I included two FAQ sections about verifying the Scan Assistant is present and running on a Windows asset and confirming that Network Scans are completed successfully.

Requirements

• Information Architecture: Ensure the information is organized by categorizing and grouping information about the Scan Assistant in multiple sections.
• Accessibility Standards: Ensure the information is accessible to all customers by adhering to accessibility standards in the style guide.
• Voice and Tone: Keep the overall voice and tone of the documentation informative and assertive by adhering to the style guide.

Task and process

• Updated the Scan Assistant documentation for customers using Windows and Linux systems, ensuring the information is clear and concise for them to understand. I created a draft by outlining how the documentation should be structured in a Google Doc to organize the information. I then shared the Google doc with the product manager and the senior UX writer to receive feedback on the accuracy and structure of the info.
• Once the draft was completed I then moved the information in a Markdown file in Visual Studio Code. I utilized Github to publish the documentation on Rapid7's docs site.

What I learned

• Consistent use of the same voice and tone makes documentation more seamless for users.
• Crafting extensive documentation takes time because you have to decide on better ways to improve the hierarchy of the information.

Project: Incorporating information regarding the Extensible Ingress

My role: User Experience Writer

Collaborators: Product Manager

Skills Applied: Technical Writing, User Experience Writing

Tools Utilized: Visual Studio Code, Markdown

• The Extensible Ingress provides customers with data reliability between the Security Console and InsightVM. For this project, I needed to add information about the Extensible Ingress to the Configure communications with the Insight Platform documentation and an FAQ section for general questions customers may have.

Requirements

• Empathy and Understanding: Infuse empathy in the the FAQ questions by understanding the customers perspective.
• Clarity and Simplicity: Prioritize clarity and simplicity in the FAQ questions by avoiding confusing technical terms.

Task and process

• Collaborated with a product manager to add new information regarding the extensible ingress in the Configure communications with the Insight Platform documentation. I drafted the details of the Extensible Ingres in a Google doc and shared the file with the product manager to receive feedback on the accuracy of the information.

What I learned

• Customers prefer FAQ questions to be short and concise.
• It is important to create FAQ questions that can answer most of the customer's questions to address their needs.

Weekly UX writing task