Apply phenomenological methods including bracketing (epoche), lived experience inquiry, and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to uncover the essence of human experience.
SkillScore96Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/28/2026
What it changes
Passed 23 of 24 test cases with the skill, and 16 of 24 without it.
Without skill67%
With skill96%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Uses ### Phenomenon as the section header.
Formats the implications section as a numbered list.
Formats the essence statement inside a Markdown blockquote element.
and 8 more in the full report
7 fixed16 passed either way1 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+29 pp
Tokens
+17%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-21%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/28/2026v123 of 24 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 7 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 7
Prompt
Create the opening Phenomenon section for a phenomenological research synthesis on 'becoming a first-time parent'. I want to ensure all metadata attributes are correctly formatted according to standard phenomenological analysis output rules.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Uses ### Phenomenon as the section header.
Missed
Passed
Formats metadata under ### Phenomenon as bullet points specifying Definition, Participants, and Approach.
Missed
Passed
case-17 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/28/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md100 linessingle file
Phenomenology
Overview
Phenomenology is a qualitative methodology that seeks to describe and understand the essence of lived experience as perceived by those who experience it. Rooted in Husserl's philosophy, the researcher suspends (brackets) preconceptions to let the phenomenon reveal itself. Two major traditions exist: descriptive phenomenology (Husserl, Moustakas) focuses on essential structures, while interpretive phenomenology (Heidegger, van Manen) and IPA (Smith) emphasize hermeneutic interpretation of meaning-making.
When to Use
Understanding the essential structure of a lived experience (e.g., grief, learning, chronic illness)
Exploring "what is it like to experience X?" from first-person perspectives
When existing theories do not capture the experiential dimension of a phenomenon
When idiographic depth (individual meaning-making) is valued over population-level patterns
When NOT to Use
When the research question is about behavior, systems, or processes rather than experience
When the phenomenon has not been experienced by the participants firsthand
When causal explanation or prediction is required
When the researcher cannot bracket their assumptions (e.g., strong advocacy stance)
Assumptions
IRON LAW: Phenomenology studies LIVED EXPERIENCE as described by those
who live it — the researcher's theoretical preconceptions must be
bracketed (epoche). If you impose your framework on participants'
experience, you are doing thematic analysis, NOT phenomenology.
Key assumptions:
Consciousness is always consciousness OF something (intentionality)
Lived experience has an essential structure that can be described
The researcher must suspend the natural attitude through epoche (bracketing)
Meaning is constituted through the relationship between person and phenomenon
Methodology
Step 1: Identify the Phenomenon and Bracket Preconceptions
Define the phenomenon precisely. Conduct epoche — write down all presuppositions, theories, and expectations about the phenomenon, then consciously set them aside. In IPA, acknowledge that bracketing is partial and iterative.
Apply public choice theory to analyze political decision-making as rational self-interested behavior. Use this skill when the user needs to evaluate government policy failures, rent-seeking costs, voting outcomes, or bureaucratic incentives, especially when the assumption of benevolent government is questionable.