So, we’ve seen all the data and heard from the experts. But what does the State of Docs Report tell us about the documentation landscape in 2025?
In this section we sum up the key learnings we can take away from the report, and make some recommendations for docs leaders looking ahead to 2026.
The documentation landscape is evolving quickly
Documentation is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves. It’s no longer just something you bolt on after a product launch — it’s becoming a key part of how companies attract, onboard, and keep their customers. Good documentation doesn’t just answer questions; it drives adoption, helps users succeed faster, and can convince people to stick with a product longer.
At the same time, AI is changing how documentation gets created, delivered, and consumed. Teams are starting to use AI not just for drafting and organizing content, but also to help users find answers faster and personalize the docs experience based on what each person needs. AI is helping make documentation feel less like a giant manual and more like a conversation.
Still, human writers are crucial for making sure the content stays clear, accurate, and genuinely helpful. AI can help scale the work, but it can’t replace the thought and care that great documentation needs. And with docs increasingly being ingested by AI, having a human in the loop is essential to make sure that the docs are accurate and useful.
However, despite this momentum, there are still challenges. Most teams don’t have great ways to measure the true impact of their docs, and many companies still treat documentation like a side project instead of a core part of the product. Closing that gap will be one of the biggest opportunities over the next few years.
The teams that invest now — building documentation into their product experience, using AI thoughtfully, and finding ways to show real business results — will have a huge advantage as expectations around documentation keep rising.
Key insights and opportunities
The way companies think about documentation is changing fast. It’s no longer just about answering support questions — it’s about helping users succeed, shaping the product experience, and even driving revenue.
Documentation as a business driver
Teams that treat docs as part of the full customer journey — from first impressions to long-term success — are already seeing real results. Documentation is influencing purchase decisions, speeding up onboarding, keeping customers happy, and opening new revenue opportunities.
The investment gap
Even with this growing impact, a lot of companies still haven’t invested enough in their documentation teams. Metrics are often basic, and many teams still struggle to show how their work ties into bigger business goals.
AI’s role
AI is speeding things up, but it’s not a magic fix. It’s giving teams better tools for writing, organizing, and personalizing content — but it only works if the foundation is strong. Clean, clear, well-structured documentation is more important than ever.
The opportunity ahead
The biggest wins will go to teams that build documentation directly into the product experience, measure the business impact of their work, and use AI thoughtfully to scale quality without losing it. Documentation isn’t just growing up — it’s becoming a real business advantage for the companies that treat it like one.
Recommendations for documentation leaders
Tie documentation to real business goals
Documentation teams need to connect their work directly to business outcomes like conversion, activation, retention, and customer satisfaction. When you show how docs drive real results, it’s easier to get leadership support and make documentation a core part of product strategy.
Measure the full picture, not just page views
Tracking success takes more than just numbers. The best teams combine hard metrics — like usage numbers and onboarding speed — with real user feedback. Together, these give a much better view of how well documentation supports the whole customer journey.
Use AI to help, but keep humans in charge
AI can handle routine work like first drafts, formatting, and personalization. But writers are still critical for strategy, structure, and making sure content stays detailed and accurate. The best teams will set clear boundaries between what AI should do and where human expertise matters most.
Bring help right into the product experience
Documentation shouldn’t live on a separate site that users have to hunt for. People expect help right when they need it — inside the product itself. Building docs into the experience makes them more useful and keeps users moving forward without frustration.
Keep the basics strong, no matter what
No matter how much AI speeds things up, everything depends on the quality of the core content. Clear writing, accuracy, strong examples, and good structure are more important than ever — both for human readers and for AI systems that rely on clean, detailed inputs to deliver good results.
The path forward
The role of documentation is bigger and more important than ever. Teams that move early — connecting docs to business goals, using AI wisely, and keeping quality at the core — will be the ones that lead the way. As the documentation landscape continues to evolve, we’ll look forward to tracking how organizations tackle these challenges and opportunities in future editions of the State of Docs Report.
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