Aglet

Verify search result snippets across content and screen widths

Verification should prove that a person can judge a result from its title and snippet without losing the context that made the match relevant. Test representative query fields, destination alignment, and narrow wrapping. Keep the result order separate from the snippet claim.

Check whether the outcome improved

  1. Check matching context

    Run queries against each selected content type and confirm the excerpt explains the match with useful surrounding words. Compare result title and destination heading. Record a pass only when the snippet supports a choice, not merely because it contains the term.

  2. Check truncation and no-match

    Inspect narrow width, long title, missing excerpt, and a query that matches a different field. Confirm truncation preserves the essential noun or qualifier and that a missing context state is honest. Avoid adding filler that implies relevance.

  3. Review the result contract

    Check highlighting, labels, links, and destination return behavior. State tested templates and omitted types in the closure record. Leave a partial result open if one content source cannot provide a stable context or if mobile behavior differs.

What to carry forward

Verification passes when snippets preserve decision context across tested content types and widths and align with the destination. If one template or locale is untested, state that boundary. A matching keyword alone does not prove a snippet communicates relevance.

Technical background: Digital.gov guidance.

Keep the decision with the work.

Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.

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