A tech writer, a map, and an app – ASTC 2017

I’m attending the Technical Communicators Conference 2017, which is the annual conference of the Australian Society for Technical Communication (ASTC). This post is about the session I presented at the conference.

I presented a session called A tech writer, a map, and an app. The session is about my experiences developing an app, why I tried my hand at app development, and what I learned from the experience. The app itself, Tech Comm on a Map, is an interactive map that shows events of interest to technical communicators. The app is available on the web and on Android.

The presentation included a technical overview of the app and what went into developing it:

The nuts and bolts of a web-based application like Tech Comm on a Map: where it’s hosted, where the data is stored, the JavaScript code and the APIs that create the map and the app’s functionality.
The difference between a web-based application and a mobile app. Tech Comm on a Map is available as a native Android app as well as a webapp.
Where the app’s data is stored, and how it’s crowd sourced.
What open sourcing means, and why you may want to open source your code.
The information sources that I used when developing the app.

I’ve learned much from the experience of developing an app, including:

Interactions with my engineering colleagues have increased mutual understanding and respect.
Fellow technical writers all over the world help compile the data. A project like this is a good way of connecting with your peers.
Developing an app has helped me better understand my audience of software engineers, by experiencing their needs and problems first hand.
The project has given me confidence in my own abilities in a highly technical field.

The slides for my presentation are available on SlideShare: A tech writer, a map, and an app. You can also read more about the app, Tech Comm on a Map.