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Background

One of the biggest challenges for individuals starting out in technical writing is the constant worry about how to come up with ideas or brainstorm topics to write about in their technical blog(s). This article does not only provide a well-curated list of trending topics in frontend development; it also looks at a number of ways to get topic inspiration as a technical writer, whether or not you are a frontend developer.

💡Note: It is important to note that this article focuses more on trending topics relating to frontend development, such as Javascript frameworks and libraries, serverless architectures, micro-frontends, etc., but the many scopes that will be discussed below are however, not limited to frontend development.

Preface

Let me tell you a quick story about me; I reconnected with a childhood friend in September last year (2022), One discussion led to another when he told me he has made a sh*t ton of money writing online, and he literally wouldn't believe if anyone had told him that so much money could be made from technical writing. Being a lover of writing, I was happy to learn about a new way that could also allow me to turn a passion into an income stream, so I dashed online to learn about the processes involved in technical writing and the various style guides that exist. However, from all the materials I read, I noticed that one important thing was lacking and it was a guide on how to properly brainstorm and get ideas on what to actually write about to build a technical writing portfolio.

Days went by, and I was still seeing different YouTube videos and reading series of articles. Everything I knew about technology felt like the wrong things and concepts to write about, especially because I felt I was just a silly frontend developer, I was basically stuck in tutorial hell trying to figure out what to do, so one evening I was surfing through the streets of Twitter and I made a stop at a joint where a technical space was ongoing. I loved the topic of discussion, obviously because it was about technical writing, so I hung around for a while. As I listened to people talk about their problems with programming technologies and also with technical writing, I realized that my frontend programming knowledge, which I thought was rusty and irrelevant, was actually more than enough to write about, as the things that I took for granted were difficult and trouble for a lot of people to understand.

From that moment on, I totally hacked the trick behind figuring out what to write about as a technical writer at any given point in time, and my first technical article (Micro-frontends) was inspired by that Twitter space. Since then, I've grown to learn so much more about other ways to find topic inspiration, and I will share them below.

IDEAS

Regardless of the various methods you could use in determining what to write about as a technical writer trying to build a portfolio, the number one advice that I'd give to you is that you "write as you build," Write about whatever you're learning, write about the new stacks you are looking at, the new technologies you are trying out, the new fields you are seeking out, write about anything and everything in that field you're in. Know that you can be a technical writer for the tech stack you use.

The good thing about writing as you learn is that it gives so much clarity to even your own learning process as much as it does to readers because the efforts that are put into making sure your readers understand the same concept as you do make you seek out beautiful ways to present your ideas so that it could be easily comprehended, thereby elucidating the concepts for you even better. Another good thing is that you get to present fresh ideas and not rusty ones. Here are a couple of other ways to come up with topics;

1. Talk to your colleagues: As simple as this sounds, If your colleague has a problem understanding a particular concept, probably because there is a lack of proper documentation on that concept, chances are that there are a whole bunch of other people just as stuck and confused about the concept as your colleague. Therefore, you're one topic away from building your portfolio because you won't talk to your colleagues.

2. Joining communities: being a part or a member of tech communities on platforms like Discord, Slack, Twitter etc. You can achieve your aim by checking community interactions & feedback, seeing support tickets, accessing reviews, and Joining spaces & voice channels to see what topics or areas users are struggling with. This can help you identify gaps in existing documentation or areas that require more explanation.

3. Follow industry trends: Keep up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in your field. This can help you identify new topics or technologies that users may need help with.

4. Attend conferences and events: Attend physical or virtual industry events and conferences to learn about new technologies and trends. This can help you identify new topics to write about and provide you with valuable insights and knowledge.

Remember, the goal of your writing should be to help users understand and use products or services more effectively. By keeping your audience in mind and staying up-to-date with industry trends, you can ensure that your writing is useful, informative, and engaging.

Trending topics in frontend development

You would find a numbered list of trending topics in frontend development below, with zero regard for order, meaning that the list does not prioritize one topic over another with respect to numbering. This list is curated to help you get ahead and stay on top of your game as a technical writer in the frontend development niche.

1. Responsive Web Design: A design approach that aims to create websites that provide optimal user experience across different devices and screen sizes.

2. Progressive Web Applications (PWAs): A web application that utilizes modern web capabilities to deliver a native app-like experience, including offline capabilities, push notifications, and more.

3. Serverless Architecture: An architectural pattern where the responsibility of managing the infrastructure is taken off the developer, allowing them to focus on writing code.

4. Web Accessibility: The practice of designing and developing websites that are usable by people with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments.

5. Performance Optimization Techniques: Techniques used to improve website performance, such as reducing file size, minifying code, and optimizing images.

6. Single Page Applications (SPAs): A web application that loads a single HTML page and dynamically updates the content as the user interacts with the application, without requiring a full page refresh.

7. JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries (React, Angular, Vue.js): Popular tools used to simplify and speed up frontend development by providing pre-built components and abstractions.

8. Cross-Platform Development: The ability to develop an application that works across multiple platforms, such as web, mobile, and desktop.

9. Micro Frontends: An architectural pattern where a frontend application is broken down into smaller, independently deployable modules.

10. Web Assembly: A low-level binary format that allows developers to write high-performance applications that can be run in web browsers.

These are just brief introductions to each topic, but they should give you a general idea of what each one entails. These topics are not exhaustive, but they should give you a good starting point to explore the latest trends in frontend development. Keep in mind that each topic could be explored in-depth, and you can tailor your content to your target audience and their level of expertise.

In conclusion, if you are just starting out as a technical writer and looking to build your portfolio, the first thing is to make sure you are not overcomplicating things for yourself. As much as technical writing is a lucrative field, make sure you are first of all passionate about writing, master how to communicate technical concepts to your readers, and keep writing till you sharpen your skills and become better.

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