Documentation is still in your Mum's filing cabinet
4 days ago
- #information-foraging
- #documentation-structures
- #knowledge-graphs
- Traditional documentation uses folder structures based on physical office metaphors, which may not align with how knowledge is interconnected.
- Information foraging theory suggests people follow clues rather than browsing hierarchies, leading to behaviors like searching first or asking colleagues.
- Knowledge, such as design system decisions, often spans multiple categories, but folder structures force a single location, making other paths harder.
- AI retrieval systems expose the limitation of folders by accessing information through meaning and context rather than location.
- Modern documentation should enable multiple discovery paths, like search, tagging, and cross-linking, similar to knowledge graphs or tools like Obsidian.
- Accessibility principles emphasize not relying on a single path, which applies to making documentation discoverable through various methods.
- The goal is to create connected knowledge systems that are easy for both humans and AI to navigate, moving beyond rigid hierarchies.