a technique for encouraging users to talk about their experience of health care in subjective terms, thereby enabling providers to reflect on their practice and improve care delivery. Users are asked to talk about certain key moments of contact with the service (e.g. arrival on the ward, waking after an operation) and to characterize their experience using a selection of emotional words. The goal is to help staff to understand how users felt at these moments and thereby to develop more compassionate, holistic, and insightful care.