Critical Incident Technique
A research method proposed by John Flanagan that collects data by having respondents recall and describe specific events in detail; it is widely used in user experience research and product research.
Timeline (last 90 days)
The Critical Incident Technique was proposed by psychologist John Flanagan in 1954, initially to analyze pilot operating errors, and was later widely introduced into user experience research and product research.
The core of the Critical Incident Technique is to have respondents recall and describe in detail a specific event that actually occurred and has a clear beginning and end, rather than offer general evaluations.
In the StareBrain case, "the most recent experience where you felt something should have been done automatically" is a typical critical-incident question: it anchors the time in the past and the scenario in specific operations, thereby bypassing hypothetical bias.
When using the Critical Incident Technique, probing for details (which apps were opened, the order of steps, what they were doing at the time) is more valuable than probing for feelings, because only details expose the real operational chain and friction points, and they also help determine how often the problem occurs.
All Facts (4)
The Critical Incident Technique was proposed by psychologist John Flanagan in 1954, initially to analyze pilot operating errors, and was later widely introduced into user experience research and product research.
50%UnverifiedThe core of the Critical Incident Technique is to have respondents recall and describe in detail a specific event that actually occurred and has a clear beginning and end, rather than offer general evaluations.
50%UnverifiedWhen using the Critical Incident Technique, probing for details (which apps were opened, the order of steps, what they were doing at the time) is more valuable than probing for feelings, because only details expose the real operational chain and friction points, and they also help determine how often the problem occurs.
50%UnverifiedIn the StareBrain case, "the most recent experience where you felt something should have been done automatically" is a typical critical-incident question: it anchors the time in the past and the scenario in specific operations, thereby bypassing hypothetical bias.
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