The Awkward Gap Between Developers and Official Documentation

There’s Always an Awkward Gap Between Developers and Official Docs

"Maybe I’m just not skilled enough to understand the docs?" I’ve believed that for a long time.

1. “It felt like only I couldn’t get it”

Frameworks, libraries, REST APIs, cloud services… most of them now have solid official docs. The problem is… I just can’t grasp them.

That’s how I felt as a beginner.

“Ah… I’m still lacking skill. If I study more, someday I’ll read these docs fluently…”

So I read hard. But:

I don’t understand the principles.
I’m confused about where the concepts end and the practical examples begin.
I’ve read the content, yet I can’t get my hands on the code.
Why is the documentation so voluminous?

I now consider myself a developer who no longer hears the word “beginner.” Still, when I see a new library’s docs, I hear this in my head.

“Wow… another one to start…”

I know it’s not just a lack of skill.

2. Docs are usually written from the creator’s perspective

The biggest reason docs feel hard is that most official docs are written from the creator’s mental model.

The creator already knows
the internal structure
why the design choices were made
the constraints involved
where and how each function is called.
Therefore the docs tend to focus on:
“This method takes these parameters.”
“It returns this type.”
“It throws this exception in this case.”
“You can do this with it.”

The problem is that we’re not the ones who built the program.

What we usually want to know is:

“Where do I start?”
“Which part of the docs addresses the problem I’m facing?”
“When is this option actually needed?”
“When is this line of code called?”

But the docs say:

“This option performs foo using the bar strategy to execute baz.”

At that point, you just want to run an example first.

3. “My own docs are still hard for others”

It’s funny that I write docs for my own APIs and libraries. I end up writing them from the creator’s perspective again.

“This function does X…”
“This endpoint accepts these arguments…”
“It returns JSON in this shape…”
“Success/failure responses look like this…”

Then I think:

“Isn’t that pretty friendly documentation?”

But my teammates react like this:

“Can you just explain it verbally once?”
“There’s a doc, but asking is faster.”

Even more amusing is that I sometimes can’t understand my own docs. When I try to use an old API, I open the old docs and see:

“Huh… did I write this? Why is the explanation so odd…?”

I realized then:

Writing docs doesn’t automatically make them understandable.
I don’t really deserve to criticize official docs that I can’t read. 😅

4. It’s normal that official docs don’t make sense at first

Every project has at least one library or package you use constantly. You keep that tab open while working.

The odd thing is:

At first read you might think, “What the heck is this?”
Near the end of the project you revisit it and think, “Ah, that’s what it meant.”

You often wonder:

“Did I read this before? I didn’t understand it then…”

Why does this happen?

Understanding docs requires some experience and context.
To gain that experience, you need to at least skim the docs and try something.

In other words, you need a pre‑understanding of the docs to understand them. That circular dependency is easy to fall into.

So I now think:

“Official docs aren’t meant to be understood in one go. They become clear only after you’ve seen them in several projects.”

Thus, the initial confusion is normal. It’s not because you’re lacking; it’s just how they’re structured.

5. Non‑English‑speaking developers face an extra +2 difficulty

We also have the handicap of being non‑English‑speaking developers.

We can read English sentences.
Technical terms are familiar.
We enjoy books and reading, so we don’t feel “poor comprehension.”

Yet reading official docs feels like our brain gets exhausted faster.

It’s not a skill issue but because:

English itself demands cognitive effort.
On top of that comes
new concepts
unfamiliar API design
abstract example code all at once.

So we’re playing a game that drains more energy than others. That explains why we feel more tired and find it harder.

When you wonder, “Why is reading docs so hard for me?” you can tell yourself:

“I’m already running with a handicap.”

6. Still… we have some survival skills

Instead of just consoling, let me share a few documentation survival tips I’ve picked up.

6‑1. Drop the “read from start to finish” fantasy

Official docs are more like a reference + dictionary. They’re not a beginner’s guide that you finish in one go.

So I:

Skim the Getting Started / Quickstart / Tutorial sections.
Treat the rest as
search material
fallback when something breaks.

6‑2. Understand via examples first, then read explanations

Write a line of code.
Trigger an error.
Search the error message and then revisit the docs.

The text suddenly makes sense:

First read: “I don’t get what this means.”
After a few attempts: “Ah, that’s the error I hit earlier.”

Failure experience turns the docs into a story.

6‑3. Take notes in your language

Docs are inevitably written in their own language. So I often jot down:

“Setting this option to true is essentially XXX mode.”
“This function feels like a factory that creates X.”
“Remember this line verbatim; deep understanding comes later.”

When I revisit my personal notes, they pair with the official docs and feel more solid. (Though sometimes even my notes become confusing.)

7. It’s not your fault

If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably sighed at official docs before.

Sentences that stay unclear after multiple reads.
Sections you remember seeing yesterday but can’t find today.
Sentences that only make sense after solving a problem.

Remember:

You’re not alone.
Even top developers get lost.
Even daily users of a library often search Stack Overflow or GitHub issues more than the official docs.

Official docs are intentionally hard. That’s not your fault.

We just:

Re‑read when we don’t get it.
Try coding first if it still feels opaque.
Fail, then revisit the docs.
Eventually, one day, we realize:

“Ah, that’s why the author wrote it that way.”

That’s part of being a developer.

So to anyone frustrated today, I want to say:

“You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re just moving through the developer pipeline at a normal pace.”

We all still stare at docs, keep dozens of tabs open, and keep searching for yesterday’s page. Yet projects keep moving, and we keep learning one line of code at a time. 🙂