Chuck Martin Résumé
My Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication, University of Washington
- Passion for great user and content experiences
- Skills in user-centered content development, information architecture, content & project management, content patterns and reuse, topic-based authoring, software development
- Tool proficiency from command line to CMS
My Skills
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My Experience
Sr. Technical Writer/Release Notes Architect • Box • Redwood City, CA • Apr 2020–present
- Designed process for and produced release notes for high-value customer subset.
- Develped product documentation for administrators and for security, compliance, and governance functionality.
Technical Writer • Agari • Foster City, CA • May 2018–Apr 2020
- Developed admin/user guides in MadCap Flare for suite of SaaS email security products.
- Designed PDF and online help layouts.
- Created single content repository and connected it to GitHub for source control.
- Used conditional content to produce output for both company and partner products.
- Managed tasks with Jira Kanban board.
Contract Technical Writer • Google • Sunnyvale, CA • Jan 2018–Feb 2018
- Developed an accessibility help center for internal employees.
- Fixed documentation bugs on team members’ backlogs.
Contract Technical Writer • Apttus • San Mateo, CA • Nov 2017–Jan 2018
- Developed new content and revised existing content (the latter written by engineers), including installation and configuration (onboarding) content, security content, and app tool content in Confluence wiki for administrators and business operations audiences.
- Created ERDs (entity relationship diagrams).
Technical Writer • ItsOn • Redwood City, CA • Mar 2014–Aug 2017
- Developed task, conceptual, reference, and tutorial online help content in ProProfs Knowledgebase for technical, business operations, analytics, and support users of SaaS application that helped mobile carriers manage their network and the devcices connected to it, their product offerings, and their customers.
- Designed topic and content patterns for different types of reader needs.
- Reused content with snippets and variables.
- Tested content for validity.
- Wrote CSS to produce branded topics and well-formatted PDF files.
- Migrated content set from Confluence to ProProfs Knowledgebase (formerly HelpIQ).
- Identified content needs and created Jira tasks to track work.
- Responsible for all web (SaaS) app and mobile app UI text, including buttons, labels, titles, and messaging. Found and eliminated duplicate text.
- Created consistent microcontent patterns to aid in clarity and translation.
- Worked with UX designers to develop additional content in mockups and trained them in content principles.
Contract Sr. Technical Writer • Aruba Networks • Sunnyvale, CA • Oct 2012–Oct 2013
- Developed and updated procedural, conceptual, and reference content in MadCap Flare to document new and updated features for ClearPass Policy Manager web-based software that controls WiFi access.
- Used content strategy principles to chunk long topics and reorganize information, to identify content that could be reused, and to use conditional content to produce output for both company and partner products.
- Used conditional content to produce output for both company and partner products.
- Volunteered to design and develop HTML5-based online documentation for ClearPass WorkSpace, a new web-based mobile device management product.
- Contributed content on typography and grammar to an updated company style guide.
Sr. Technical Writer • Model N • Redwood City, CA • Jul 2011–Aug 2012
- Developed content in FrameMaker for enterprise-level suite of web applications.
- Added API content pages to HTML Help system for developers.
- Created entity relationship diagram (ERD) documents for specific product areas.
- Managed all UI content.
- Re-architected existing content, driving topic-based development and using audience and content analysis to eliminate redundancy, and to make the language simpler, more straightforward, and directed toward the specific user types.
Contract UI Text Writer • Hewlett-Packard • Palo Alto, CA • Jun 2011–Aug 2011
- Revised computer setup wizard UI text, making it clear and consistent, less jargony, less wordy, and friendlier.
- Suggested content layout to make workflow clear.
Contract Technical Writer • Obscura Digital, San Francisco, CA • Dec 2010–Jan 2011
Developed hardware/software user and maintenance guide for unique data-driven multimedia installation.
I cost myself some money on this (short) contract by being focused on users. How? Let me explain.
Obscura Digital is a San Francisco-based company that "designs and develops immersive, interactive digital art installations and experiences" and they were looking for someone to develop an owner's manual for an installation being develped for the lobby of a private business. It consisted of a set of public displays that were controlled by a custom computer that was out-of-sight from the public. During my interview, I was shown the computer hardware and I asked a number of questions about how it would work and who would be managing it. As a result of my questions, the engineers simplified the computer's operation so that the portion of the manual that explained how to operate the computer was much shorter and simpler. Which meant fewer hours were required to develop the content, and as a contract, I was being paid by the hour. And while it "hurt" me in that I earned less money, the product itsdelf was easier to use, and I would make that tradeoff any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Sr. Information Designer • Intuit • Mountain View, CA • Feb 2006–Aug 2009
- Designed and coded conceptual, task, and contextual HTML-based online help topics for new and updated online banking features in QuickBooks.
- Coded conditional content for different software versions.
- Created CSS and JavaScript code to improve user experience with help.
- Created UI text for new features.
- Updated content for administrators to install and configure QuickBooks on a network.
- Created and iterated UI design ideas with XD (experience design) team members.
- Participated in usability testing and developed design ideas based on user feedback.
- Created planning documents to estimate/manage work.
- Participated in team’s TSP planning and daily scrum meetings.
- Created and updated knowledgebase articles using web-based content management software.
- Helped co-workers with technical and workflow issues as Tech Lead.
- Implemented ideas for workflow improvement.
Participated in usability testing and developed design ideas based on user feedback.
Intuit has this process they call "follow me homes," where members from all disciplines do ethnographic field research. 2-3 people go out to spend time at a business and observe people there.
One of my best experiences was that in my first two weeks at Intuit, I went on two of these, including one with a VP where the third team member had to cancel and I was pressed into service as notetaker.
Technical Writer II • Aurora Networks • Santa Clara, CA • May 2005–Jan 2006
- Developed online help for suite of hardware-monitoring/management Windows applications.
- Rewrote and redesigned content for hardware user guide.
Senior Technical Writer • manageStar • Emeryville, CA • Apr 2004–Sep 2004
- Developed combined user/administrator JavaServer Pages-based (JSP) online help system for Web application.
- Wrote and edited Linux and Windows Installation and Configuration Guide for web application server software.
Contract Technical Writer • Snap Appliance • San Jose, CA • Mar 2003–Apr 2003
- Reviewed and edited customer support questions and answers for inclusion in online knowledgebase.
Contract Technical Writer • Ordinate • Menlo Park, CA • Dec 2002–Jan 2003
- Developed User Guides and Quick Reference Cards for proctors of phone-based English testing system.
- Developed HTML-based Help and Adobe Acrobat-format User Guide for test management web application.
Senior Technical Writer • Rivio/CPA2Biz • Santa Clara, CA • Jan 2001–Aug 2002
- Developed and maintained a task-based HTML-based help system for web-based small business application, gathering information from requirements documents, use cases, programmers, and using and testing the application.
- Wrote both task and conceptual topics in standards-based XHTML and coded content to be role-specific.
- Maintained context-sensitive links between application and help system and rewrote some of the JavaScript code in the links.
- Wrote and updated a 200-page Setup & Configuration Guide and created output with appropriate links and bookmarks in Adobe Acrobat format.
- Created documentation plans and estimated resources.
- Provided input on application usability and interaction design, both working one-on-one with UI designers and in formal design meetings.
- Worked on usability testing, including facilitating tests.
Contract Technical Writer • WetFeet.com • San Francisco, CA • Dec 2000–Jan 2001
- Developed new User Guide for version 1.1 web product, gathering information from previous small Help system, from interviewing engineers, from reviewing use cases, and from using the product.
- Wrote, organized, and indexed 40+ page manual in fewer than 3 weeks.
Contract Technical Writer • Electronics for Imaging • Foster City, CA • Jul 2000–Nov 2000
- Created and edited 100+ page manual for new software product, gathering new information from programmers and QA and re-using other information, adhering to in-house style guides, and working with other writers.
- Provided feedback on usability and interaction design issues.
- Re-designed a part of the product’s UI.
Senior Technical Writer • SERENA Software • Burlingame, CA • Nov 1999–Jul 2000
- Updated HTML-based Help system with information about new product features, re-designed the file-system structure and the information architecture of the Help system, updated and edited existing topic files.
- Identified usability problems and GUI inconsistencies.
- Designed a simple, cross-platform, cross-browser style sheet.
Contract Technical Writer • thinkfree.com • Mountain View, CA • Sep 1999–Nov 1999
- Designed and wrote HTML-based Help system for online Office-style suite of applications.
Technical Writer • techbargains.com • San Francisco CA • Sep 1999
- Edited, revised, and wrote new text for new company’s website.
Contract Technical Writer • Impresse Corp. • Mountain View, CA • Aug 1999
- Converted text content to HTML, including editing, creating links, and designing navigation.
- Suggested formatting and styles to use for most effective presentation and re-use.
Principal Technical Writer • Oracle • Redwood Shores, CA • Apr 1998–Jun 1999
- Developed procedures and wrote macros to convert portions of online Help system to print.
- Documented new Java API.
Technical Writer • Evolve Software • San Francisco, CA • Nov 1997–Mar 1998
- Designed and created content for an online Help system for a 100% Java application.
- Reviewed and chose a Help tool for developing Java-based Help system.
- Helped conduct usability testing of application.
Contract Technical Writer • Seeker Software • Oakland, CA • Aug 1997–Oct 1997
- Designed and created content for HTML-based application.
Contract Technical Writer • Red Pepper Software • San Mateo, CA • Mar 1997–Jul 1997
- Designed, wrote, and edited a 100-topic context-sensitive Windows Help system in 6 weeks for a vertical market Windows messaging application, including coding connections to Windows Control Panel applets.
Technical Writer • FWB, Inc./FWB Software • Menlo Park, CA • Feb 1995–Mar 1997
- Wrote, designed, and edited online help and print documentation, some recognized for its excellence in magazine product reviews, for Windows and Macintosh utility software and high-performance RAID hardware.
- Managed documentation projects for multiple applications.
- Single-sourced content for applications designed for both Windows and Macintosh.
- Designed and reviewed user interfaces for utility applications.
Information Developer • IBM • San Jose, CA • Jun 1993–Nov 1994
- Wrote and edited online help system for OS/2 programming application.
Technical Writer • WinWriters • Seattle, WA • Mar 1992–Jun 1993
- Wrote and edited Windows Help systems and printed manuals for several different Windows applications.