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Wow! The site and its functionality are cool. I am not a web dev, so I can’t say much more than that. What really impresses me is the site’s collection of info
by Hnrobert42 6y ago
Wow! The site and its functionality are cool. I am not a web dev, so I can’t say much more than that.
What really impresses me is the site’s collection of information and its presentation. It is very thoughtful. Not too much. Not too little. You even included sources for most of your information. Fantastic! Don’t lose focus on your writing skills as you develop your technical skills. Both will serve you well. Great work!
If I may make a few suggestions, please consider:
1. The calculator says you should try to “fall asleep at <time>.” Maybe calculate a “bedtime” by including “time to fall asleep.” Default to 20 minutes, but allow the user to adjust.
2. The first sentence tripped me up. “ You should go to bed 5-6 90 minute sleep cycles before your wake up time.”
a. It should be 90-minute. See rule 4: https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/hyphens.asp https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/hyphens.asp
b. Consider breaking it into smaller sentences that lead the reader to your point. Something like:
People sleep in 90-minute cycles. They need five or six complete cycles to feel refreshed. Waking up mid-cycle feels worse than waking up earlier at a cycle boundary. Use this calculator to determine an ideal bedtime based on when you need to wake up.
Anyhow, just some minor thoughts. Overall, it is a great site, and not just a for a 15-year-old.
- joshternyak 6y agoThank you so much for all your encouragement. I will definitely use this feedback to improve the page. Thank you again for all the encouragement and advice.
- xupybd 6y agoAny tips on improving technical writing beyond what you've mentioned here?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tylerscott 6y agoI found this book to be a wonderful resource on tech writing: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Technical-Communication/p/1319058612 https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Technic.... You can sometimes find a cheap used copy. The material hasn’t really changed all that much between editions.
- NamTaf 6y agoWrite in active voice. That's the single most important lesson I learnt when writing technical specifications. The #1 goal of technical writing is to be clear and accurate, so passive voice should take a back seat unless you cannot phrase it otherwise. Active voice lets you convey clearer, more concise statements that describe a concept. Take for example "the ball was thrown by the man" vs "the man threw the ball". The latter is much more concise and easier to parse because the active object preceeds the passive one and so the concept unfolds linearly. If you're using Word for writing, go into options > proofing > find 'writing style' and hit 'settings' > turn on 'passive sentences'. I just throw it to the default 'grammar & style' because I'd prefer to know of and actively decide against style issues than not. It's helped drill my writing significantly.
- valbaca 6y agoThanks for the tip for Word! Those settings are put real deep in the options.
- Hnrobert42 6y agoI am no expert, but a few things that helped me: 1. Read lots. 2. 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Norman Lewis. Some the words I have inly encountered once or twice in the intervening 25 years since I read it, but many others I hear every day. 3. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. It’s like any other instruction manual. It’s worth reading, even if you don’t follow them.