Observation notes that travel
How to write field observations so another analyst can reuse them without sitting next to you.
Good notes separate what you saw from what you inferred. “User clicked retry twice after a spinner stalled” is observation. “The API is flaky” is inference—and it needs evidence.
Include time, environment, and what the person tried next. Those details travel; vibes do not.
In the field observation practicum we rewrite messy notes into a form another teammate can pick up Monday morning.