How much detail do you need to adequately describe something to someone?
A lot of variables in that last sentence:
- something: how complicated is the thing in question? It is part of a totally new area or does it build off of some fundamental knowledge?
- someone: what is their expertise? Why are they looking for this description? What are their goals?
- adequately: This one is tough. What is the bar for adequacy? Is it self-reported, or does it depend on being able to do something you previously couldn’t as a result of the interaction?
Levels, Jerry. Levels of description based on the what, the who, the how, and the why. A description is only meaningful when placed in context.