3.5.7. Elements of Good Observations

observations (remarks, notes) are short (a sentence or two) statements that you draft that may deal with issues such as brief explanations of related concepts that are often confused with the one under study and term usage advice. observations are concise and to the point.

Here is an example of a useful observation on the use of the term "laptop computer":

Observation - Pending standards revision, the computer industry uses both "laptop" and "notebook" to designate the same concept.

This is a useful observation because it helps users understand that, technically speaking, "notebook" and "laptop" are synonyms until new characteristics will distinguish between types of laptops or notebooks.