Lessons for technical writers from iPhone's dominance
Technical writers can use iPhone’s winning strategies to improve documentation.
The iPhone has dominated the premium smartphone market for over a decade. Since its launch in 2007, Apple has sold over 3 billion iPhones globally. And as of July 2025, approximately 1.56 billion people worldwide currently use iPhones. This represents 18–19% of all smartphone users.
Yet this dominance didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a carefully planned long-term strategy rooted in an obsessive dedication to user experience.
iPhone’s consistent dominance offers valuable lessons that extend far beyond the smartphone industry. In many ways, technical writers can apply the same strategies to create documentation that stands out for its clarity, focus, and user experience.
Know your target market
Since launch, Apple knew exactly who it was targeting: middle to upper-class users willing to pay more for quality, design, and seamless digital experience. The smartphone’s primary markets are America, Europe, and China, and its typical user is younger to middle-aged and tech-savvy.
Why this focus? Several reasons stand out. Younger and affluent users are early adopters who value the iPhone for its privacy, ease of use, and device integration. These users also have the disposable income to justify premium pricing, and they’re willing to pay for security and brand prestige.
This laser-like focus gives Apple a huge advantage. It allows them to invest deeply in understanding a specific set of user needs and design experiences that fit those needs precisely, instead of trying to satisfy everyone and in the end appealing to no one.
Technical writers should apply the exact same strategy for documentation. Every documentation project should begin with a fundamental question: Who am I writing for? Answering that question helps in creating personas and shapes every subsequent decision—tone, structure, examples, depth of explanation, and which features deserve emphasis.
Technical writers who understand their target market or audience can create documentation that helps users achieve their goals and feel confident using the product. In contrast, neglecting audience research results in vague, scattered, and irrelevant content. Sometimes, such documentation goes too far in one direction. They either become too technical for beginners or too simplistic for advanced users.
Make simplicity your philosophy
Steve Jobs once said:
The way we’re running the company, the product design, the advertising, it all comes down to this: Let’s make it simple. Really simple.
This wasn’t just a slogan. It was a governing philosophy that shaped every aspect of Apple’s business, from product engineering to marketing to user interface design.
The result is unmistakable. The iPhone’s visuals are clean, and its interfaces feel intuitive, so users don’t need a manual to understand how to use it. This simplicity has also shaped its marketing. iPhone’s ads are minimalist, often focusing on use cases rather than overwhelming viewers with technical specifications.
Because of this, some critics dismiss the iPhone as “boring” or “uninspired.” These critics are missing the point entirely. This apparent simplicity isn’t a lack of innovation, but a deliberate design philosophy that prioritizes clarity and ease of use over flashy features that dazzle but don’t serve users.
Technical writers should adopt the same philosophy for documentation. Simplicity should be the cornerstone of their approach. The job of a technical writer is to help users solve problems, and anything that doesn’t serve that goal is a distraction.
For instance, in customer-facing documentation, technical writers should avoid deep dives into internal mechanics unless they directly help users understand how to use the product. The technical architecture, backend processes, and implementation details belong in internal documentation for developers and engineers working on product development.
This philosophy extends to information architecture as well. Technical writers should keep their documentation structures straightforward and intuitive, especially at the project’s beginning. Overly complex hierarchies or navigation systems make content difficult to scale and maintain as products and documentation grow.
The same philosophy applies to tooling. Technical writers should choose documentation tools that are powerful yet easy to maintain. Whenever possible, teams should use lightweight static site generators like MkDocs or Docusaurus instead of custom systems that demand ongoing maintenance and specialized expertise. Lightweight markup languages such as Markdown are also ideal for their simplicity, portability, and support for great collaboration.
Obsess over user experience
Another key to the iPhone’s dominance is Apple’s obsession with user experience. The iOS interface is clean, consistent, and intuitive. Also, standardized gestures, accessible settings, and clear navigation reduce cognitive load. Features like Handoff, AirDrop, and Universal Clipboard enable seamless continuity and integration across the Apple ecosystem. This end-to-end user experience is what keeps people coming back, justifies the premium price, and creates lasting brand loyalty.
Documentation should reflect the same principle. A great user experience begins with clarity. Every sentence should say exactly what it means, with no unnecessary fluff or jargon. Consistency is equally important. Use the same terminology, maintain parallel structure across similar sections. Logical progression also matters. Build from foundational concepts to more complex ones, connect ideas smoothly, and avoid abrupt shifts that confuse readers.