Informationalshould

Informationalshould is a proposed normative principle in information design and ethics that describes how information ought to be presented to meet user needs. The term is not widely formalized in law or standards, but it appears in scholarly discussions about transparency, usability, and responsible communication. It functions as a heuristic rather than a binding rule, guiding producers toward audience-centered information delivery.

Definition and scope: Informationalshould holds that information should be tailored to the audience’s capabilities and context. It emphasizes clarity, relevance, and accessibility, while acknowledging the need to balance completeness with cognitive load. The principle also advocates clear labeling, disclosure of uncertainty, appropriate metadata, and mechanisms to reduce bias in presentation. It does not claim to resolve all truth claims but aims to faithful, useful, and comprehensible representation of data and claims.

Applications: The concept is invoked in journalism, public records, policy communication, education, and user experience design. It informs practices such as plain-language writing, transparent data visualization, contextualization of numbers, accessibility for people with disabilities, and the presentation of uncertainty or error margins. In software and information systems, informationalshould guides interface design, documentation, and help resources to be more user-centered.

Criticism and limitations: Critics note that the term is vague and culturally contingent, potentially conflicting with other goals like privacy, legal obligations, or strategic communication. Measuring adherence is difficult, and the principle may be used superficially without substantive changes in practice.

See also: information ethics, transparency, user-centered design, data visualization, accessibility.