Knowledge Documentation with Joy
- Michal Blumenfeld Sagi
- 11 minutes ago
- 4 min read
On Creativity and Out-of-the-Box Thinking in Knowledge Documentation Processes
Written in collaboration with Dr. Moria Levy
What a joy this is! How do we all love preparing long documents and filing them in endless libraries, right? Well, maybe not all of us, and not even close...
A bit of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking can help: making knowledge documentation processes more enjoyable, improving willingness to document, and, no less important, increasing the desire to read the outputs.
Willingness to Document
Gamification is an organizational tool with multiple benefits. We can pull it out of our toolbox whenever we want to shake up processes, inject some innovation, and think outside the box. How can we use gamification to encourage document creation?
We have several ideas:
Competition (gamification): In a process of extensive organizational documentation, you can incorporate an "Outstanding Documenter" competition, accompanied by tokens, interim incentives, and a valuable prize like a Kindle for the final winner.
AI-Guided Documentation Workshops (knowledge and incentive): Offering workshops that teach how to make effective use of artificial intelligence tools, while applying critical thinking to improve documentation capability and pace. The workshops will be accompanied by a practical documentation project that addresses professional needs and will be offered to relevant employees.
Fun Documentation Sessions (sharing and regular commitment): Reserve a meeting room on fixed days and times, create a pleasant atmosphere with quiet music and light refreshments, and invite people to document with joy. This way, we can establish a routine of enjoyable documentation.
There are many more ideas and possibilities, you just need to think a bit outside the box... Additional tips on using gamification in your knowledge management solutions are available in the article "On Artificial Intelligence and Human Gamification."
Improving and Streamlining the Documentation Process
Encouraging a willingness to document is a good start, but we also want to improve writing quality and create more engaging, inviting documents. Here, too, we can use artificial intelligence alongside critical thinking as we lead the process.
Chapter Headings for Documentation: Request help from the AI engine to suggest chapter headings and sub-topics we want to cover.
Learning from the World's Similar Processes: Request help from the AI engine to tell us what can be said about the process based on existing knowledge in the world.
Chapter headings and learning enable a quantum leap that helps the documenter avoid starting from a "blank page" and prioritize what's most important rather than what simply seems so for various reasons (for example, availability bias). This is only the first version, after which our creative work begins-writing, editing, and refining.
Involving a Junior Employee in the Process: You don't have to rely on artificial intelligence. It's more efficient and cost-effective for an expert to brief a junior employee on the process, who will be responsible for the documentation while the expert reviews and corrects it. In addition to reducing costs, this improves younger employees' knowledge within the organization.
Incorporating Examples: Using interesting examples and, where possible, metaphors and imagery from trending content worlds (e.g., storytelling) will improve writing quality and information clarity. Provided, of course, that the metaphor is indeed appropriate and not forced.
Great, we've created a perfect document! But what's it worth if no one reads it?
Invitation to Read
Improving the reading experience can be achieved with various tools; here, too, we'll use creative thinking:
Document Appearance: Investing in the visual design will make our document more engaging and inviting and improve comprehension (dual-coding principle). You can design the document in pleasant colors, incorporate videos, and add icons accompanying chapter titles. You can insert an illustration that varies from chapter to chapter based on the content (for example, a character of a cute, entertaining animal performing the described process).
Several points to emphasize: 1) It's important to decide on our design tone; we want to create a coherent reading experience, so it's worth being consistent. 2) Ensure that videos and other elements are related and serve the content. 3) You can use images intended to create "atmosphere"-but even then, there must be a connection to the content and spirit of the document.
Spacing: The simplest... and most effective. Appropriate spacing between lines and paragraphs creates a critical break that improves readability.
Subheadings: Adding subheadings and breaking text into easily consumable segments-ones that "go down smoothly"-allow readers to breathe and think while reading. If spacing refers to a visual respite, then subheadings create a different kind of respite for the mind.
Quotes and Key Phrases: Adding bubbles along the sides of the page, with highlighted key messages, will improve current comprehension and future information recall.
More on making documents user-friendly and accessible is available in the article "Knowledge Doesn't Sleep at Night-The Night Shift of Knowledge Management."
Bottom Line
We all know the value of using case studies to improve documentation. It's an excellent tool, but it's only the tip of the iceberg of possibilities available to us: gamification, storytelling, and additional elements we've covered here will help us document more and better, and help others want to read.
If knowledge documentation is the bread and butter of knowledge management, then we should add some honey on top. Winnie the Pooh certainly wouldn't object...
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