Content Audit and Gap Analysis
Content Strategy for Perl's Core Documentation
Perl is a free, open-source, general-purpose programming language originally developed by Larry Wall in the 1980s. Prior to this project, Perl had a lot of meaningful information but it needed a proper structure, one that is focused more on the needs of users. With more than 100 core documents, it was not easy for users to interact with the documentation and make the most of it.
As a part of Google Season of Docs, this project was completed over a period of six months (May to November 2021). The purpose of this project was to conduct a comprehensive audit of Perl’s existing core documentation, identify the areas of improvement, conduct a gap analysis, and create a roadmap for the future. The end goal of this project was to provide recommendations to improve Perl’s documentation and make it more useful and usable for the target audience.
Objectives
- To conduct a comprehensive content audit and gap analysis
- To gather feedback from users and understand their pain points
- To restructure the documentation by proposing a new Information Architecture
- To create a roadmap for the future by creating a list of tasks and projects
- To make the documentation useful, usable, and findable for the users
Project Phases
The project was completed in four (plus one) phases to thoroughly evaluate the existing content, identify the gaps, and devise an improved strategy for the future.
Phases of the project
Phase 1: Content Audit
The first step toward the improvement of the documentation was to conduct a comprehensive audit of the existing documentation. This not only helped in developing an understanding of the documentation but also highlighted the areas of improvement.
Phase 2: Gap Analysis
Gap analysis came next, where existing and potential users of Perl gave feedback about the documentation. This helped in incorporating the input of users in the project and understanding their pain points.
Phase 2.75: Actions for Gaps
Phase two and three-quarters, originally not included in the proposal, were introduced to organize the findings of the content audit and gap analyses. An action plan with task-based projects was created that turned out to be extremely helpful in the end.
Phase 3: Information Architecture
Once the users gave their feedback and pretty much all the areas for improvement were highlighted, a new structure for Perl’s documentation was proposed. The primary goal here was to reorganize the existing documentation so that the users find it easy to interact with and do not get overwhelmed or frustrated when seeking help from the documentation.
Phase 4: Roadmap for the Future
The concluding phase of the project was where everything was brought together. From the content audit to the information architecture, every finding served as a significant step to improve Perl’s documentation. A roadmap was then created for the future, where each area of concern was given due attention. The tasks and projects in this roadmap will be taken up one by one, adding great value to the existing documentation of Perl.
Accomplishments
The project succeeded in meeting its goals and was included in the list of successful projects released by Google. The findings of this project will serve as a huge step in the future of Perl’s documentation. This project helped in:
- Identifying key issues in the existing documentation concerning various aspects such as usability, navigation, readability, and coherence.
- Highlighting the shortcomings of the organization of documentation and the impacts on users’ interaction with the content.
- Reorganizing the content in an effective manner so as to give the entire documentation a more logical structure.
- Developing a roadmap for the future that can be followed to improve Perl’s documentation in the days to come.
- Highlighting the shortcomings of the organization of documentation and the impacts on users’ interaction with the content.
- Reorganizing the content in an effective manner so as to give the entire documentation a more logical structure.
- Developing a roadmap for the future that can be followed to improve Perl’s documentation in the days to come.
Summary
Documentation can be a real challenge in open source organizations as it is not easy to keep pace with updates and new issues. Dedicated documentation projects can be really helpful in resolving some key issues and making sure that the needs of the target audience are being met.
