Invisible Expertise Field Study
Most expertise is never written down. Experts make hundreds of judgments, notice subtle patterns, and solve problems without consciously explaining how they do it. Those invisible decisions shape performance, yet they rarely appear in training, documentation, or AI systems. The Institute for Invisible Expertise conducts private field studies to document those hidden cognitive processes. Each participant contributes to an expanding research archive exploring how expertise develops, how it transfers, and why so much of it remains invisible.
Respond to a series of guided prompts in writing or by voice. There are no right answers. Work at your own pace. The goal is to capture your experience as you naturally think, decide, and work.
After your session, Shannon will examine the transcript for recurring patterns, tacit knowledge, hidden assumptions, decision strategies, and expert judgment that often go unnoticed—even by the expert. The focus is not simply what you know, but how your expertise operates.
Insights are catalogued within the Institute's growing archive of invisible expertise. Personal information remains confidential. Findings are synthesized across studies to advance research on expertise, learning, knowledge transfer, and human performance.
The Institute is currently conducting a field study on invisible expertise. Participation is by invitation. If your work relies on experience, judgment, or decision-making that is difficult to teach or explain, submit a brief introduction below. I review every submission personally and will contact you if your expertise aligns with the current study.
The most valuable knowledge is often the knowledge its owner no longer notices.