Divio’s documentation system
Updated to add: This doc system has a new name and new home: Diátaxis Framework.
I’m surprised I haven’t linked to this already. Divio’s documentation system is a system in the best sense of the word: a way to think about, organize, and execute on something. In this case, the key insight is that there are four types of documentation:
| Tutorials | How-to guides | Reference | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| oriented to | learning | a goal | information | understanding |
| must | allow the newcomer to get started | show how to solve a specific problem | describe the machinery | explain |
| its form | a lesson | a series of steps | dry description | discursive explanation |
| analogy | teaching a small child how to cook | a recipe in a cookery book | a reference encyclopaedia article | an article on culinary social history |
The author, Daniele Procida, has the system’s website up on GitHub.