Reflection

What I Learned

Good documentation requires testing every single step. I couldn't just write from memory. I had to follow my own instructions from scratch. This caught issues like forgetting to mention committing changes before pushing or not explaining what the --force flag does.
Structure matters as much as content. My first draft was one long page that would've been overwhelming. Breaking it into separate files (setup, step-by-step, troubleshooting, summary) made the information more digestible.
Documentation architecture is a real thing. How you organize information affects how usable it is. Users rarely read linearly. They tend to go to the sections that contain the information they need, so navigation and structure are crucial.
Writing for people who can't ask follow-up questions is different. In conversations, you can clarify information on the spot. With documentation, you get one chance to be clear, which made me reconsider almost every sentence.

Writing the troubleshooting section meant deliberately breaking things. I had to anticipate user problems by testing different failure scenarios. The sidebar configuration error I hit became perfect material, but I also had to test wrong build commands and missing dependencies.
Keeping the tone consistent across all pages took multiple passes. Some sections came out too stiff, others too chatty. Finding that balance of formal and plain language took a lot of trial and error.
Choosing the right format for different types of information. I initially put everything in bullet points, but some content works better as tables (deployment settings) or code blocks. Learning when to use admonitions (tip/warning boxes) versus regular text took experimentation.
Anticipating questions was harder than expected. Every step needed context and explanation, not just commands. I had to constantly ask myself "what would someone wonder about this?" to add the right amount of detail.
Fighting the urge to be too verbose. My first drafts were way too detailed, so I had to cut back on the content to keep it readable.

Always test your own instructions. If you can't follow your own steps from start to finish, neither can anyone else. Reviewing my guide helped me avoid so many missing steps.
Error messages are documentation gold. Real problems with real solutions (like the sidebar configuration error) are more valuable than hypothetical scenarios. Users searching for errors want exact matches.
Visual hierarchy increases readability. Strategic use of headings, bold text, code blocks, and admonitions makes docs scannable. People jump to what they need rather than reading everything.
Audience definition shapes everything. At first, I was not sure who the audience was, but then I remembered it was supposed to user-friendly and developer-focused. From there, my decisions about detail level, tone, and what to explain became much easier.