Portfolio

Technical Writer - Confluent, Palo Alto

February 2019 - present

• Writer on several product lines and features, including Schema Management, Cluster Linking on Confluent Platform, Self-Balancing Clusters, Replicator, support for Admin REST APIs, such as helping to craft this REST API demo, and Kaka Basics.
• Writer on these emerging Cloud features: Cluster Linking on Confluent Cloud, Schema Management on Cloud Schema Linking, Data Lineage, and other technologies related to Stream Governance.
• Contribute to Apache Kafka open source documentation, and provide illustrations on some Confluent documentation.

Technical Writer - ThoughtSpot, Palo Alto

November 2017 - February 2019

• Managed the documentation and build infrastructure for docs.thoughtspot.com, onboarded/trained new writers on Git, GitHub, Jekyll, Markdown, and our specific workflows for documentation
• Wrote new and updated documentation topics, including Using Custom R Scripts in ThoughtSpot, how to run ThoughtSpot on VM and cloud platforms, downloads and setup of supported drivers for database connectivity, search bar keyword reference (including publishing keyword translations in several languages with include files), formulas and formulas reference, experimented with new dataset samples for topics such as SpotIQ, and much more.
• Developed ideas for docs initiatives and improvements, and defined documentation architecture
• Plannned, coordinated, and hosted corporate wide knowledge transfers for releases
• Plannned, coordinated, and hosted SpotOn Learning webinars for the ThoughtSpot Community
• Updated messages/strings and JSON files for an in-product Help app called Formula Assistant (worked in developer codebase via Git / Jenkins toolchain)
• Scripted, produced, and published short tutorial videos
• Participated in product manager (PM) initiated customer visits to identify usability issues, feature requests, and ways of optimizing training. Wrote reports based on these customer visits.

Technical Writer - Docker, San Francisco

October 2015 - November 2017

• Wrote user/developer guides for Docker for Mac (from scratch), Docker for Windows (from scratch), Compose, Machine, Kitematic, Docker Toolbox, Store (d4mac), Store (d4win) and Cloud (AWS, Digital Ocean, Azure)
• Helped with text and labels for UIs, and modified content in localization files
• Built Docker for Mac product on local system from Go codebase using XCode IDE
• Wrote documentation in Markdown, and built with GitHub/Docker/Hugo toolchain, later Jekyll
• Coordinated documentation topics with training and samples developers
• Docker for Mac and Windows have more than 1M active users to date, and have become the 2nd monetized product at Docker with Docker Desktop Enterprise. I designed and wrote the documentation from scratch as products were in initial development, working closely with design and development teams and helping usability test prototypes.

Technical Writer, Docs Manager, UX Researcher - Palantir, Palo Alto

July 2010 – September 2015

• (UX Researcher) Conducted interviews, focus groups, and usability tests at various phases of the product life cycle for both product discovery and design research objectives. Video/audio record and extract film clips for reports.
• (UX Researcher) Wrote usability recommendations and blog posts to communicate research findings.
• (Docs Team Manager)Managed the Gotham documentation team of 6-10 writers and interns approximately two years
• Wrote Help guides for data analysis platform, including analytical graphs for discovering relationships among objects, charts and histograms for large data sets, community tools for team-based research, mobile and video apps.
• Contributed to administration guides for topics on both GUIs and CLIs
• Installed, configured, and maintained my own platform instance, including multiple servers running locally and remotely, along with desktop and mobile clients.
• Contributed to brainstorming design of new application UIs
• Worked with Android SDK (Eclipse+Android plugin), first to build my own .apk from the developer codebase, and then experimented with adding mobile Help to the project
• Managed documentation build system, templates, integration points with internal tools and product builds, documentation web site publishing at release time, and related procedures and tracking on Wiki.
• Managed Gotham Docs team for year of 2012.

Senior Technical Writer- ArcSight, Cupertino

July 2006 – June 2010

• Designed, planned, wrote, and implemented Help systems for Web UIs and Java Swing consoles for enterprise security software products (data collection, analysis, reporting, network monitoring). Researched and wrote new topics, including trends and reporting; queries, filters, and rules; and event flow monitoring, tracking, and investigation.
• Installed, configured, and maintained my own instances of Oracle DB, server, and clients.
• Pitched in to write topics for log management products during crunches.
• Wrote labels and screen text on wizards; drove re-design of some elements on the console
• Contributed to UI design reviews, workflow design, and bug logging.
• Planned and implemented new production and deployment model for Help systems. using different tools. Developed templates and usage guide, demo’ed and got buy-in from Development, QA, Build, and Docs teams. Held workshops for all groups and provided guidelines for adoption of the new system (e.g., template workshops, details on mapping strategy in new model for context-sensitive UIs to Help IDs).
• Initiated new project to publish product docs on a collaborative portal. Worked with multiple departments to integrate Docs with community site for information sharing and solutions exchange. Tested various community platforms (Jive, Group Swim) and Wikis (MediaWiki, MoinMoinWiki, Confluence Wiki). Worked as part of a small team to develop Docs portal examples for demos and trials. The portal used the same templates and build infrastructure as the new Help system, and both worked with the build automation and publishing system developed by another writer on the team.

Technical Writer (consultant) - Teleplace (OpenQwaq), Palo Alto

July 2006 – May 2009

• Kick-started product Help for Qwaq, a small startup in the 3D collaboration space with a business focus (rather than social).
• Met with developers at an early stage in the product life cycle to plan appropriate documentation focus and deliverable strategy.
• Set up Docs infrastructure, chose tools, and developed guidelines for process and reviews (on internal Wiki). Wrote from scratch Help and user Docs for Qwaq Forums.
• Met with developers and customers in Forums to brainstorm, get feedback, and identify useful samples.
• Contributed to testing and UI design reviews.
• Wrote topics for a Forums administrator guide.
• Worked with product manager to develop video tutorials and design a strategy for delivering client Help live from the Qwaq Web site.
• Designed and developed Help guide for original products.

Earlier jobs

• Docs Manager, Lead Writer - Devicescape (Instant802), Brisbane 2003 - 2006
• Lead Technical Writer, UX Research - BEA Systems, Inc., San Jose 1996 – 2003
• Technical Writer – Tandem Computers, Austin, Texas 1994 - 1996
• Technical Writer – Tivoli Systems, Austin, Texas 1994

Additional writing samples

• Snapshots: Aisha’s Path to Rio

Education

• B.A. in English, The University of Texas at Austin, (with coursework in journalism, sociology, anthropology, computer science, art)
• UCSC Extension and Foothill College (user centered design and research, C, Java, and education)
• Udemy and other online courses on website development, data science, data visualization, and Apache Kafka