The security and compliance platform SecurityScorecard requested a Technical Writing exercise as part of the later stages of an interview process. As all of the information in this exercise is accessible by anyone with an email address, the screenshots remain as originally taken.

Understanding the problem: 

• One document in any common format (PDF, DOCX, or Google-Doc link)

• A folder of 4–6 numbered PNG/JPG screenshots you captured

• Craft a concise, practical guide for an over-stretched IT manager. (.

• Structure – organise it however feels natural, provided the reader can quickly:

  • grasp the goal and why it matters

  • see any up-front requirements (e.g. domain email)

  • follow clear steps to the outcomes you recommend;

  • understand how to confirm success;

  • know what to tackle next week;

  • see any open questions or assumptions you had to make

The result:

• Total time: ~4 hours.

• 2 hours just clicking around, trying to find articles to explain the concepts, documenting gaps.

• 2 hours writing the guide: determining which information is relevant to a small company, which features have the quickest return to that company, trying to understand key terms.

General thoughts:

The product is complex in concept and in layout. UI assumes an intermediate understanding of compliance but also includes some custom definitions, so users have to relate SSC concepts to their existing security concepts. Terms are not always clear or defined in context (Breach risk, is this the probability or impact or the resulting risk score? What is the difference between Threat level and Breach risk?)(What is a Portfolio?)(What are Signals?)(What is the difference between Create Action Plan and the Score Planner?).

The Help Center has too many articles to be browsable, so search functionality is most important. Titles and keywording need work. There are some stars but most docs are in rough shape. Definitions are difficult to find: basic information does not get its own HC article and is usually embedded inside a larger article with an unclear title. Searching for key terms often fails because articles have similar titles ("score factor" returns "Scorecard overview", "Prepare for a scoring recalibration", "How SecurityScorecard calculates your scores", etc. The answer to "What is a score factor?" is inside option #3.). This may be an article keywording issue. Documentation is out of date. More than one dead link inside documentation. Articles that have been superseded but are still active.

Brief Plan of Action:

• Slow audit of articles

• Triage of articles with the most views (users want this information), have a short time on page (articles that users started to read but gave up on), and those with poor ratings ("Was this article helpful?"). Revise for clarity using style guide, or delete. Work outwards from our top 20 worst offenders.

• Create and implement help center style guide w/ taxonomy, naming conventions, interlinking rules between articles.