{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/use-a-table-only-when-the-rows-answer-the-same-question",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0617",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Use a table only when the rows answer the same question",
  "summary": "Tables clarify comparison; they can hide narrative dependencies.",
  "kind": "heuristic",
  "body": "Use a table when items share comparable attributes: option, owner, state, risk or date. If cells become paragraphs or each row needs different logic, switch back to short sections. Name the comparison question above the table.",
  "limits": [
    "Accessibility and mobile viewing can make wide tables hard to use; choose another structure when needed."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-actionable-async-writing"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-B843492FBF1442AD"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "CDC guidance recommends lists, chunks and descriptive headings to make information easier to scan and organize.",
      "source_id": "RS-B843492FBF1442AD",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "Very short messages may not need headings; structure should match complexity.",
      "locator": "Core items 8 through 10"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "A table is added because the content feels complex."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Accessibility and mobile viewing can make wide tables hard to use; choose another structure when needed."
  ],
  "example": "Three migration options fit a table with effort, risk and reversibility; a root-cause explanation does not.",
  "check": "The reader can scan across rows without decoding different meanings in each cell.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-B843492FBF1442AD",
      "title": "Description and Examples of Index Items",
      "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/tool/description-examples-parta.html"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-ECF674DEF65C9DAB",
      "title": "Write asynchronous messages that can be acted on without a meeting",
      "url": "/collections/write-asynchronous-messages-that-can-be-acted-on-without-a-meeting"
    }
  ]
}