Transforming Cloud Platform Guides: From Technical Complexity to User-Centric Information
Explore the journey of Hansem Global as they revolutionized Naver Cloud Platform's intricate technical guides into user-friendly manuals. Delve into this case study to uncover the obstacles faced and the innovative solutions devised to craft accessible cloud service guides, ultimately elevating user experience and minimizing inquiries.
Project Summary
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are well-known entities in the cloud platform domain. South Korea, with its exceptional internet speeds and widespread usage, presents an optimal setting for the advancement and integration of cloud services. Spearheading this movement in the Korean market is Naver Cloud Platform, supported by Naver, a prominent internet corporation renowned for its powerful search engine and wide array of online offerings.
During 2021, Naver sought the expertise of Hansem Global to refine the user guides for its Cloud Platform ‘Console’, comprising around 200 guides with inconsistent presentation. Initially authored by technical developers, these guides were laden with intricate terminology and unclear explanations. Recognizing the strain on resources caused by numerous inquiries regarding basic functions, Naver Cloud opted to create more accessible documentation. They partnered with Hansem Global, esteemed for its relevant proficiency, to spearhead this endeavor.
Challenges
Technical Knowledge
A solid grasp of cloud computing principles, coupled with an intimate knowledge of the distinct features, tools, and administrative interfaces of the Naver Cloud Platform, proved indispensable. Hansem Global’s technical writers, well-versed in consumer electronics, encountered the immediate hurdle of grasping the intricate and specialized technical intricacies inherent in cloud platforms.
Understanding User Experience
Crafting an effective user guide hinges upon a comprehensive comprehension of the intended users. It was imperative to grasp the requirements and encounters of diverse user categories, including developers, system administrators, and platform service users, in order to customize the content accordingly.
Systematic and Consistent Documentation
The existing guides for the platform’s numerous products and features lacked a standardized format. They were arbitrarily written by various developers across different departments, resulting in a structure that made it difficult for users to search for and utilize the necessary information. Establishing a method to systematize this documentation was a significant challenge.
Long-term Project
The project involved updating over 200 existing guides and required selecting new guides to revise on a monthly basis, indicating a long-term effort that necessitated a sustainable team and work methodology.
Our Solutions
Formation of a Dedicated Long-Term Team
Hansem Global designated a specialized team of technical writers, each possessing adept technical comprehension and prior experience in analogous projects, to spearhead this initiative. A seasoned technical writer, boasting over two decades of expertise, assumed the role of project leader.
Technical Background and User Experience Learning
The assigned writers conducted extensive research on the cloud platform to build a solid foundational knowledge. They engaged in developer meetings with the client, attended external training sessions, and actively used the Naver Cloud Platform to meticulously test each feature and create simple coding examples to aid in understanding. When necessary, detailed inquiries were compiled and addressed to the client, with additional information sought through video meetings with developers when required.
Clear Goal Setting
Clear objectives were crucial for specifying the scope of work and standardizing procedures. The team meticulously reviewed the client’s major improvement requests and work methods, analyzed the status quo of the existing guides, customer needs, and trends in similar services to establish the goals for this initiative:
- Systematize the structure of all user guides.
- Implement standards consistently.
- Enhance searchability and user comprehension.
Improvements in Searchability, Readability, and Usability
The team reorganized the table of contents to make information more accessible and understandable for users, selecting and categorizing only the necessary information. Complex concepts were explained in designated sections, and content not directly related to user objectives or widely known was appropriately omitted. Standards were set to ensure consistent application across all documents, including the style of sentences and the format of visual aids like graphics and illustrations, to enhance intuitive understanding and overall document consistency.
Development of Collaborative Tools with the Client
To facilitate seamless collaboration throughout the drafting, feedback, and application processes, appropriate HTML documentation applications and markdown tools were employed to create an optimal working environment.
Outcome
Over two years, Hansem Global consistently met monthly development targets, significantly improving the client’s user guides, which were transformed into systematic and user-oriented manuals, reducing inquiries. Having succeeded in upgrading Naver’s platform guides, Hansem Global now expands its scope to include enterprise automation solutions and developer-supportive API documentation.
- Consistently met monthly development targets over a two-year period
- Substantial improvement of client’s user guides to a satisfactory level
- Transformation of guides into systematic and consistent user-oriented manuals
- Dramatic reduction in user inquiries
- Expansion of Hansem Global’s scope to include enterprise automation solutions and developer-supportive API documentation
For expert assistance in transforming technical documents into user-friendly manuals, consult Hansem Global’s content development team.