NOT.1:4.4 - Try a design choice through use

Propose a small change capable of supporting the selected operation. Examples include marking operand groups, adding a reference to a shared component, exposing event duration, or making an unresolved alternative visible. Construct the contrasting cases with that change and carry out the operation using the proposed reading rule.

Where modification matters, change an input, component or relation and follow the resulting edits. A notation that displays one finished example well may make the required family of changes error-prone or laborious. Include a contrasting case that challenges the same rule, rather than polishing the first example until it looks convincing.

Separate the notation’s contribution from supplied subject knowledge. In a diagram for composing functions, arrows can expose the order of application; the functions and the ability to apply them supply the numerical result. If the result cannot be obtained because an algorithm or physical law is missing, return that question to the corresponding practice.

An expert walkthrough can establish an explicit loss or a useful candidate change. When it remains uncertain whether the intended reader can recover or perform the operation, use C.2.8 to choose a bounded reading probe with the intended preparation and access. Obtain further evidence only when its outcome could change the design or the permitted use.