As plankton counts in the water, measurement of ocean temperature, and trace magnesium level of the water are to navigation, so microphenomenologies are to the diagnostic process that we use at our practice (the integrative diagnostic model). Particular vocal microphenomenologies may include such things as jitter, shimmer, electroglottography measurements, transglottal airflow rate, and so forth. Microphenomenologies such as these, even when taken together, tend to be non-specific and do little to narrow the list of possible diagnoses.

By contrast, see macrophenomenology.