How to write documentation that developers want to read

Creating outstanding developer documentation requires a deep understanding of the audience, strategic navigation design, and a collaborative approach that treats documentation as code. Successful documentation balances automation with human expertise and maintains quality through collective team efforts, measuring its impact via quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback. It should be thoughtful, comprehensive, and easy to navigate, tailored to the specific needs and challenges of its users. This involves understanding the holistic product and developing content that aligns with the audience's mental models and user journeys. Navigational strategies should consider both traditional and search-centered approaches, optimizing for external search engine visibility and internal search efficiency. Additionally, the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle helps optimize content by reducing redundancy and maintaining consistency. Treating documentation as code fosters a documentation-focused culture by integrating it into developers' workflows, making updates a team effort. This approach enhances inclusivity and allows developers to contribute their technical knowledge more easily. Regular updates and clear metrics are essential to keep documentation relevant and useful, with input from various stakeholders such as customer support and engineering teams. Ultimately, excellent documentation combines quality, personalization, and effective communication between documentation managers and engineers, ensuring that it directly addresses customer concerns and supports product use.