Mar 2Using Analytics in DocumentationMake the numbers thing to do the word thing more gooder. The Feedback Loop: Happy, Healthy, Shiny Docs As a technical content strategist, my job covers two main areas. I work as a Technical Writer (write the docs), and also as a Content Strategist (think about the wider content and UX landscape that the docs sit in)…Technical Writing20 min readTechnical Writing20 min read
Sep 2, 2022How to make a free BirthdayBot using Slack and Google SheetsThis tutorial walks through how to set up a Google Sheet with birthday data so that a Slack app automatically posts a message on someone’s birthday. To do this, you’ll need: Some experience with JavaScript Admin access to your Slack space (note: just Admin is sufficient; Owner isn’t necessary) Admin/Edit…Slack6 min readSlack6 min read
Jul 19, 2022Blocks & Ink: Choose your own protagonistExplorations in speculative fiction and gender neutrality. In October 2020, right at the most depressing and uncertain apoapsis of lockdown, I threaded together some writing prompts that had been floating around in my head for some time and wove them into a happy little collection of (very) short stories. I…Fantasy34 min readFantasy34 min read
Aug 25, 2021Understanding Documentation as ProductWhy good documentation matters, and the theory of product in language processes. Part 1: The What Documentation. What is it? Documentation enables people to use a product to its fullest extent, and meet their needs best. Example: the first time I got in an automatic car, I couldn’t turn it on. I had absolutely no idea. I spent…Docs27 min readDocs27 min read
May 12, 2021Compiling a commonplace book using obsidian.mdTaking strings and weaving knowledge using visualisation software. When studying for my undergraduate degree in 2008, I started writing down things my friends said. Funny things, pithy remarks, sweet comments. Meaningful memories. I knew I had trouble remembering them aurally, and writing them down helped. This soon morphed into taking…Commonplace Book7 min readCommonplace Book7 min read
Feb 13, 2021What Occupational Therapy can teach us about cycling and “the elderly”An article and case study combining three of my favourite things: cycling, older adults, and OT. I love bikes. I love riding them, building them, cleaning them, the whole nine yards. The sheer ingenuity of the wheel simply doesn’t get old for me. I also love seeing people get on…Older Adults10 min readOlder Adults10 min read
Jul 13, 2020Occupational Therapy and technical skillsOriginally written for The OT Magazine (Jul/Aug 2020) Modern healthcare and (to a lesser extent) social care are hugely augmented by technology. We can provide people with the longest, healthiest lives ever lived by humans because we are able to combine clinical expertise and human empathy with the muscle of…Occupational Therapy8 min readOccupational Therapy8 min read
Jul 1, 2020When a new career doesn’t go the way you expectOriginally written for One HeathTech: a community about diversity, inclusivity, openness, and kindness for under-represented groups in healthtech, healthIT, digital health, biotech and medtech. Let’s talk about career paths. Except, instead of thinking of it as a brick path that you follow, envision it as deliberate steps you take, one…Health Technology5 min readHealth Technology5 min read
Jun 16, 2020Better elderly care: what might it look like?If we all did one thing a little bit more, I think we could make a serious change. I must confess I’ve lured you here under false pretences. Yes, I will absolutely explore what, in my opinion, better elderly care might look like, but (spoilers) it’s not just providing more…Health Technology22 min readHealth Technology22 min read
May 8, 2020The weird and wonderful world of SNOMED codesA pseudo-professional quest for the most esoteric socio-medical terms. SNOMED CT is a funny beast. The CT stands for Clinical Terms, and SNOMED (as it’s generally known) is basically a computer-comprehensible language for medical terms. It’s part of the way the world is going to digitise health, through turning information…Snomed Ct6 min readSnomed Ct6 min read
