Cognitive Task Analysis

Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) is a method used to deeply understand how people think and make decisions while performing complex tasks. It involves studying their thought processes, problem-solving strategies, and decision-making steps to improve training, tools, or systems. By examining what experts do mentally, CTA helps identify the skills and knowledge needed for tasks that are often intuitive or difficult to observe directly. This insight supports designing better support systems, training programs, and workflows, ultimately making tasks safer, more efficient, and easier to learn.