# Chart Annotations

Pin dated notes to the results chart — like a deploy or a campaign — so you (and anyone you share with) understand the bumps and dips later.

Pin a dated note to your results chart — a deploy, a campaign, a traffic spike — so the bumps and dips in your data come with an explanation instead of a question mark.

Test results are a line on a chart, and lines have surprises in them — a sudden jump one Tuesday, a dip over a weekend. **Annotations** let you pin a note to the exact date something happened, so when you (or a teammate) look back later, you know whether that wiggle was your test working or just the real world getting in the way.

They're purely notes laid on top of the chart — they never change who sees which version, how conversions are counted, or your score.

## Add an annotation

1. **Open the Chart annotations panel.** On the test's results page, find the **Chart annotations** panel and open it. You'll see any existing notes and an **Add annotation** button.
2. **Fill in the details.** Pick the **date** it happened, choose a **type**, and write a short **label** — that label is what shows on the chart, so keep it punchy. You can add a longer description too, if you want more detail.
3. **Save — and edit anytime.** Save, and a coloured line appears on the chart at that date. To change or remove a note later, open the panel again and edit or delete it.

## The six types

| Type | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Deployment** | You shipped a code or design change. |
| **Campaign** | A marketing push, email, or ad started. |
| **Tracking update** | You changed how something is measured. |
| **Traffic spike** | An unusual surge of visitors. |
| **Seasonality** | A holiday, payday, or seasonal effect. |
| **Note** | Anything else worth remembering. |

> **Getting the most from annotations**
>
> **Annotate as it happens.** The moment you launch a campaign or ship a change, drop an annotation. It takes ten seconds now and saves you a confusing detective session later.
>
> **Flag bad data days.** If tracking broke or a bot wave hit, a Tracking-update or Traffic-spike annotation warns everyone not to trust that day's numbers.
>
> **They travel with shared reports.** Annotations show up on [shared report links](https://www.otterab.com/docs/analyzing-results/shared-reports) too, so external viewers get the same context — though they can't add or change notes. For team discussion rather than dated markers, use [comments](https://www.otterab.com/docs/analyzing-results/comments) instead.

## Frequently asked questions

### What are chart annotations?

They're little notes you pin to a specific date on your test's results chart. Months from now, when you look back and see a sudden jump or drop, an annotation reminds you why — "we launched a sale here" or "tracking was broken this day." They turn a mystery wiggle in the line into a story you can actually explain.

### Where do I find them?

On the test's results page there's a panel called "Chart annotations." Open it to see the notes already added and an "Add annotation" button. Any note you add shows up as a coloured vertical line on the results chart at that date.

### How do I add one?

Open the Chart annotations panel, click Add annotation, then: pick the date it happened, choose a type, write a short label (this is what people see), and optionally add a longer description. Save, and a coloured line appears on the chart at that date. To change or remove a note later, open the panel and edit or delete it.

### What are the types, and do they matter?

There are six, each shown in its own colour so the chart is easy to scan: Deployment (you shipped a code or design change), Campaign (a marketing push, email, or ad started), Tracking update (you changed how something is measured), Traffic spike (an unusual surge of visitors), Seasonality (a holiday, payday, or seasonal effect), and Note (anything else). The type is just a label and a colour — pick whichever fits best.

### Why would I use annotations?

Three big reasons. To explain a sudden change in your numbers (a spike or dip), so you don't mistake an outside event for a real test result. To remember context when you review the test weeks later. And to warn teammates — if you know tracking broke for a day, annotate it so nobody trusts that day's data.

### Who can add, edit, or delete annotations?

Owners, admins, and members can add them. To edit or delete a note, you either need to be the person who created it, or an owner or admin. Viewers can see annotations but can't add or change them.

### Do annotations change my test or its results?

No. They're purely visual notes laid on top of the chart. They never affect who sees which version, how conversions are counted, or the score. Add as many as you like with total confidence.

### Will people I share the report with see my annotations?

Yes. Annotations appear on shared report links too, which is helpful — they let an outside viewer understand the same context you do ("this spike was a campaign, not the test"). External viewers can see the notes but can't add or change them.

### How is an annotation different from a comment or the activity log?

An annotation is a dated marker on the chart about something that happened in the real world (a deploy, a campaign). A comment is a discussion thread for talking with teammates. The activity log is an automatic record of changes to the test itself (started, paused, edited) — you don't write those, Otter does. Use annotations for "what happened out there," comments for "let's discuss," and read the activity log for "what changed in here."

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Canonical page: https://www.otterab.com/docs/analyzing-results/annotations