Melbourne: Tech writing in 2026 and beyond

Technical writing has changed a lot in the last couple of years. New tools, shifting job titles, restructured teams, and a whole lot of opinions about AI. So what does it actually look like to be a tech writer in 2026?

This is the first in a series of relaxed evening meetups where we dig into that question. We've got speakers from inside and outside the tech writing world sharing short talks, followed by open conversation.

For this first session, we're starting with a look back. What was technical writing 18 months ago, and what's different now? We'll use that as a jumping-off point for the room.

I've never met a technical writer before
‘I have never met a technical writer before’, said most of the young engineers who worked in a team Yvonne joined about 18 months ago. They had not even heard of the profession. Drawing on the stories and interactions from the last Write the Docs conference and her personal work experiences, she presented her view of technical writing as a profession to this engineering team.

Is this presentation now a time capsule of a past era? Yvonne will share some of it with you at this meetup and let you decide.

About Yvonne Perkins
Yvonne is a passionate technical communicator who has spent her career helping teams perfect their knowledge and communication strategies. She believes that documentation should serve the user first, and that teams should be empowered to understand their users better. In the past, she has worked with organisations including ANZ, NEC, and AEMO.

Now she is embarking on a new chapter with her own business, Evandra, which enables her to bring her expertise to a broader audience. Evandra helps businesses improve the effectiveness of their documentation and skills of their staff through knowledge strategy consulting and enjoyable workshops such as BrickDocs.