Status — Published as a design exploration
Short-form definitions versus long-form explainers
Question
Do glossary entries need a second paragraph of nuance, or does the one-line definition do the work?
Hypothesis
The one-liner answers the lookup; the second paragraph is what prevents a confident misuse of the term.
Who it concerns
Mixed technical and non-technical readers.
Intervention
Every glossary term carries a definition plus a short 'what this actually means in practice' note.
What would be observed
- Whether readers expand the detail
- Whether the detail changes how they use the term in their own writing
What would count as a useful signal
Readers cite the nuance rather than the definition.
Notes
Twenty terms live. Consider linking terms inline from guides.
glossarycontent structure
This entry records a design intention. It does not report measured results, traffic, rankings, or customer outcomes.