Beyond "Just Use the Free One": Connecting the Economics and Use of Technical Communication Tools

Abstract

This poster provides guidance for technical communicators navigating technology adoption decisions. First, this poster provides quotes from professional technical communicators suggesting that the pricing of technical communication tools can influence the way technical communication teams work. Second, it shows the methods and results of a research study that evaluated the pricing scheme of 30 commonly used technical communication tools. Models demonstrate how the pricing strategies, versioning strategies, and onboarding strategies used by the proprietors of technical communication tools can influence the way teams use those tools. This research indicates the strategies used to price software tools can affect usability, as minor differences at every level of a company’s pricing scheme can influence user behavior.