Principlev1
Design every information artifact with explicit compression
Design every information artifact with explicit compression layers where each level provides sufficient context to decide whether to drill deeper, following the pattern: executive summary (30 seconds), section abstracts (5 minutes), full detail (on demand).
Why This Is a Principle
This derives from Working Memory Capacity Limit (working memory holds ~4 items), Hierarchical Chunking Expands Capacity (chunking expands functional capacity), and Directed Attention as Depletable Resource (deliberate processing depletes finite resources). The principle follows: progressive disclosure through hierarchical compression reduces cognitive load at each decision point by presenting only what fits in working memory, allowing users to allocate scarce cognitive resources only where needed. The specific time targets (30 seconds, 5 minutes, on-demand) operationalize the axioms about capacity limits and resource depletion.