As a company dedicated to providing high-quality developer documentation for our community and developing our own documentation solution, DocsKit, we recognize the critical importance of understanding the evolving needs of users, particularly developers. In this article, we delve into the findings of various developer surveys conducted in 2023, aiming to gain deeper insights into the significance of high-quality developer documentation and a favorable contributor experience.

Exploring insights from three significant surveys, we gain valuable understanding into developer needs and industry trends, empowering us to stay informed and aligned with evolving requirements.

In May 2023, over 90,000 developers responded to Stack Overflow’s annual survey about how they learn and level up, which tools they're using, and which ones they want. Technical documentation and Stack Overflow remain top resources for learning to code. Developers value well-written documentation, an active community, and regular posts for effective self-teaching.

Responses to the question 'What online resources do you use to learn to code?' in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey.

At the end of last year, Intel hosted a survey of open-source developers to collect their feedback on various open-source software issues. Maintainer burnout, documentation/onboarding, and sustainability are top challenges faced by open-source developers. Intel’s survey highlights the importance of addressing these challenges to foster a healthy open-source ecosystem.

Responses to the top open-source challenges faced in the Open-Source Community Survey.

This report is the culmination of insights gathered from 26,348 developers from all around the globe. Within the State of Developer Ecosystem Report, you'll find information covering a wide range of topics, from programming languages, tools, and technologies to demographics and fun facts. The report emphasizes the critical role of documentation in shaping user-product relationships and highlights the need for improved collaboration and documentation quality.

The State of Developer Ecosystem research delves deeply into the documentation aspect, highlighting the significant contribution of developers to documentation efforts, underscoring the importance of a good contributor experience.

Regarding markup languages, Markdown remains the predominant choice.

Responses to the question 'Which markup language do you use to write technical documentation?'' in The State of Developer Ecosystem 2023 survey.

DocsKit utilizes MDX, an extension of standard Markdown, allowing for the integration of pre-designed custom elements to make documentation pages more engaging.

While almost half of the respondents use a structured approach to content reuse, 32% still resort to copy and paste, potentially due to limitations in their tools.

Responses related to content reuse in The State of Developer Ecosystem research.

DocsKit addresses this by supporting content reuse through centralization and single sourcing via DocsKit Partials.

69% of respondents don't use templates to speed up writing, but of those who do, most use them for different document types.

Responses related to the use of templates in The State of Developer Ecosystem research.

Templates are a powerful tool to streamline the documentation process and engage a wider community in content contribution while ensuring consistency. DocsKit provides MDX templates for commonly used content types.

Despite the benefits of automated checks in technical documentation, only 13% of respondents utilize them.

Responses to questions related to automation in The State of Developer Ecosystem research.

At DocsKit, we believe that automation plays a crucial role in the documentation process, significantly impacting the outcome of your work at every stage. Therefore, we integrate AI at various points in the editorial workflow and utilize a diverse array of configurable linters in the Docs as Code CI/CD workflow.

These surveys underscore the pivotal role of developer documentation in facilitating learning, fostering community engagement, and ensuring project sustainability. As we reflect on the insights gleaned, continuous improvement and innovation in documentation practices remain essential. At platformOS, we are committed to advancing the field of documentation and technical writing through our comprehensive DocsKit solution and expert services. By leveraging MDX for markup, supporting content reuse through DocsKit Partials, providing templates for streamlined writing, and integrating AI in our workflow, we aim to empower developers to overcome challenges highlighted by these surveys.