The Perfect Document is Like a Well Curated Museum Exhibit
A well-designed museum exhibit shares some common attributes that help to tell a story:
The artifacts (display objects) are displayed in a logical order, walking the observer through the story
The artifacts are presented without adornment, without drawing attention to the display itself; allowing the artifact to be examined clearly on its own
Descriptions of the artifacts are clear and generally unbiased; having just enough description to allow the viewer to put the artifact into context
Descriptions highlight key aspects of the artifact that are not visible at first glance; deepening the reader’s connection to the object
Only the key representative examples are put on display, reserving other similar or less illuminating examples for the archives in the back of the museum.
Often, museums possess many more examples of the artifacts, but displaying all of them would lead to information overload and would dilute the museum goer’s experience and understanding of the exhibit. It is important that the museum understands its audience. Scholars requiring more information and who could benefit from a flood of additional information can gain entrance into the museum’s archives.
It’s worth noting that the same attributes can apply to good scientific writing.
The data (artifacts/display objects) should be grouped in a logical order; meaning thinking through the architecture of the document before you start writing
The data should be shown without adornment; meaning presenting only the key data in as simple a manner as possible (avoid fancy formatting and colorful graphics)
Descriptions of the data should be clear and unbiased, but informative enough to allow the reader/reviewer to interpret on her own and draw the appropriate conclusions
Descriptions of the data should highlight relevant connections or relationships that may not be apparent on first viewing
Only present the key data; avoid trying to shoehorn in all the analyses that were performed
Clogging the document with too much may have the unintended consequence of distracting from or diluting the intended key message. Most regulatory and scientific documents have appendices that are the perfect areas to use like the archives of a museum. These spaces are where the reviewer/scientist can dig deeper to ensure displayed data in the main body of the document are indeed representative.
Justin McLaughlin, CEO