A technical description explains what it does, what it looks like, and how it works.

What a Technical Description Actually Answers—and Why “Why Was It Created?” Isn’t One of Them

If you’ve ever picked up a manual or a product spec and felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of detail, you’re not alone. Technical descriptions are the backbone of clear, trustworthy documentation. They map out what something is, what it does, and how it behaves, without veering into the realm of why a product exists. That boundary matters. Let me show you how this distinction shows up in real-work writing—and why one common question sits outside a technical description.

What a technical description is really trying to do

Think of a technical description as a precise portrait of a tool or system. It’s not a marketing flyer, and it isn’t a long novel about a product’s backstory. It’s a focused, practical explanation that helps someone operate, assemble, or troubleshoot something with confidence.

Here are the questions a technical description is built to answer, usually all from the user’s or technician’s perspective:

• What does it do?

• What does it look like?

• How does it work?

On first glance, these might feel like three angles on the same object. In practice, they’re different kinds of clarity:

• What does it do? This is about function. If the device is a smart thermostat, the description should outline temperature regulation, energy-saving modes, and how it responds to sensors.

• What does it look like? This is about form and interface. It covers components, layout, connectors, labels, and how the user identifies parts.

• How does it work? This is about mechanics or logic. It explains the sequence of operations, data flow, or physical processes, often with diagrams or step-by-step workflows.

Here’s the thing: describing “why” something exists—its purpose, intent, or origin—belongs to a different lane. That’s not the job of a technical description. It’s more in the realm of project rationale, product strategy, or market research. And that material sits in separate documents or sections aimed at stakeholders, not end users.

A simple, concrete example

Let’s use a familiar object: a coffee grinder that’s sold for home use.

• What does it do? It grinds coffee beans to a chosen fineness, so you can brew a drink that matches your taste. The description covers grind sizes, motor speed, and consistency across batches.

• What does it look like? It shows the exterior shell, the hopper, the burrs, the control dial, and the hopper lid. It might note materials (stainless steel burrs, BPA-free plastics), dimensions, and weight.

• How does it work? It outlines the steps: load beans, select grind level, start, the motor turns the burrs, coffee grounds fall into the portafilter or a container, and how to adjust for uniformity. It may include a quick troubleshooting note—why a grind seems uneven, for example.

Now, the thing you might wonder: where does “Why was it created?” fit in? If you ask that, you’re stepping into design rationale or market considerations. That information is valuable, sure, but it belongs in a different document set. The technical description should stay laser-focused on the “what” and “how,” so a user can operate it safely and effectively without hunting for background stories.

Why the “why” question isn’t part of the technical description

Product teams often spend a lot of energy answering “why” a product exists. Was there a gap in the market? Did a user need a faster workflow? Could new materials cut costs or improve durability? These questions are essential for guiding development, budgets, and strategy. But they’re typically addressed in:

• Product requirements or design justification papers

• Marketing briefs

• Project plans or stakeholder reviews

The technical writer’s task is different: translate engineering decisions, specifications, and user-facing instructions into clear, usable text. If you’re drafting for an engineer who needs to know tolerances, or for a technician who must wire a device correctly, the focus stays squarely on “how” and “what,” not “why” in a broader sense.

How to carve out clear, useful technical descriptions

If you want your descriptions to be precise, readable, and genuinely useful, here are some practical guidelines you can apply right away:

• Start with user tasks, not product lore. Frame the description around what someone is trying to do, and build the details to support those tasks.

• Use consistent terminology. Once you label a component or function, keep that label everywhere. Mixing terms creates confusion and errors.

• Include essential data points. For a mechanical device, that might mean dimensions, materials, tolerances, and safety notes. For software, list API inputs/outputs, data formats, and failure modes.

• Lean on visuals. A clean diagram, a labeled photo, or a flowchart can save readers from wading through long text.

• Separate sections clearly. A quick, scannable layout helps. For example, a component overview, an operation sequence, and an interface table.

• Use plain language, but keep precision. You want to avoid vague phrases. If a setting alters a parameter by a certain unit, say so.

• Tie content to tasks, not to marketing slogans. Readers want concrete steps, not buzzwords.

• Include safety and maintenance notes. These details protect users and extend the life of the product.

A tiny checklist you can reuse

• Purpose and scope: What is this description covering? What is outside its scope?

• Key functions: What can the user do with it?

• Physical/visual characteristics: What does it look like, and what are its key parts?

• Operational flow: What sequence of steps or states does it pass through?

• Interfaces and connectivity: How does it connect to other devices or systems?

• Safety, compliance, and handling: What must users know to stay safe and compliant?

• Troubleshooting and support references: Where should users go if things go wrong?

• Revision history and versioning: How do you know you’re looking at the latest information?

Practical notes, plus a few caveats

• Don’t mix in the product’s backstory just to fill space. If you need context, keep it brief and separate from the core instructions.

• Don’t overcomplicate a single page with too many details. If something is critical but lengthy, consider an appendix or a linked diagram.

• Don’t assume the reader shares your internal jargon. If a term isn’t universal, define it the first time you use it.

• Don’t forget accessibility. Clear fonts, readable contrast, and alternative text for images make a big difference for many readers.

What this means in real-world writing

In the wild, technical descriptions show up in user manuals, service guides, installation sheets, and product specifications. They’re the precise maps technicians rely on when assembling or repairing equipment, and the straightforward references everyday users turn to when they want to get things done without drama.

You’ll often see the same idea expressed in different flavors—manuals, diagrams, quick-start guides, and safety addenda. The common thread is clarity. If a paragraph could be misread, or a diagram leaves more questions than answers, something needs tightening. The end goal is to reduce ambiguity and the need for back-and-forth questions.

A few real-world touches worth noting

• Across industries, writers lean on standards to keep things consistent. In software, you might see API docs structured around inputs, outputs, and error conditions. In hardware, the emphasis shifts toward mechanical interfaces and material specs. If you ever work with teams that use DITA or similar topic-based authoring, you’ll notice how modular pieces of content can be repurposed for manuals, quick-start guides, or online help.

• Tools matter. Some writers prefer Framemaker for long, heavily formatted documents; others lean toward MadCap Flare or modern Markdown-based systems. The choice often depends on team size, the audience, and the cadence of updates.

• Diagrams aren’t cosmetic. A well-designed diagram can replace pages of prose and cut comprehension time dramatically. In user-facing docs, labeled exploded views, flowcharts, and sequence diagrams help readers visualize how components interact.

A closing thought—and a tiny nudge toward everyday craft

Technical descriptions aren’t about selling a story behind a product. They’re about enabling action. When you write one, you’re building a bridge from the device to the user’s hands. You’re translating complex behavior into steps you can follow, with labels you can trust.

If you keep the focus squarely on the user’s tasks, stay consistent with terms, and use visuals where they matter, you’ll end up with documentation that’s not only accurate but genuinely usable. And that’s the sweet spot where good technical writing earns its keep—where readers finish a page and think, “That was easy to follow.”

So next time you sit down to describe a gadget or a system, ask yourself these quick questions: What does it do for the user? What does it look like? How does it operate? Leave the “why was it created?” to the strategy folks and the marketing decks, and you’ll deliver something that helps people get the job done—clear, trustworthy, and straight to the point. That’s the core of technical description, in plain language you can actually rely on.