Examples of Effective and Ineffective Short Descriptions

This topic compares good and poor short description examples across topic types and user contexts to highlight best practices.

Here's a comparison table, with examples demonstrating effective short descriptions across different topic types and scenarios:


Topic Type	Poor Short Description	Good Short Description	Analysis
Concept	Info about user management.	Overview of user account creation, permission assignment, and access control policies for system administrators.	The poor example is vague. The good example is specific, defines scope, and indicates target audience.
Task	How to configure email settings.	Set up SMTP servers, authentication, and security options to enable reliable email delivery from applications.	The poor example repeats the title without adding value. The good example expands on the title, providing concrete actions and benefits.
Reference	Data for APIs.	Complete API reference for user management operations, including authentication, user creation, and permission assignment.	The poor example is too generic. The good example specifies the type of data, its scope, and what it covers.
Troubleshooting	Login issue help.	Diagnose and resolve login problems caused by password policies, account lockouts, or authentication service connectivity issues.	The poor example is unhelpful. The good example identifies the problem area and lists main cause categories, helping users determine relevance quickly.

Industry-Specific Examples

Software Development:
Title: API Rate Limiting

Short Description: Control API usage by limiting request frequency per user or application, preventing system overload while ensuring fair resource distribution.
Healthcare Context:
Title: Patient Data Privacy Compliance

Short Description: Ensure medical records handling meets HIPAA requirements through access controls, audit logging, and secure transmission protocols.

Technical Audience Example:
Title: Database Index Optimization

Short Description: Improve query performance through strategic index design, covering composite indexes, query execution plans, and maintenance overhead considerations.
Business Audience Example:
Title: Database Performance Improvement

Short Description: Speed up application response times and reduce system costs through database optimization techniques that require minimal downtime.