specificsintended

Specificsintended is a neologism used in information design and requirements engineering to refer to the intended level of specificity in a statement, specification, or data model. It describes how precisely a communicator intends to convey details to a reader or system, and how much granularity the reader should assume.

The term fuses specifics and intended, signaling a meta-level about communication. It was popularized in early 2020s discussions around agile documentation and API contracts, though it has no formal standard.

In practice, specificsintended functions as a label attached to documents or messages to clarify needed precision. It helps teams manage ambiguity by making explicit whether a requirement aims for a high level overview or a detailed specification.

Examples include product requirements, user stories, and API schemas. A user story might note specificsintended: high detail for acceptance criteria, while an API spec might require precise data types and validation rules as the intended level.

Reception and status: Specificsintended remains an emergent concept with limited consensus. Critics argue that it overlaps with existing notions of specificity and documentation quality, while proponents see it as a practical shorthand for alignment across disciplines.