FrontendHaltPerformance·Intermediate·Conceptual·1 min read
Why does INP report the worst interaction rather than the average?
Short interview answer
Users remember the janky interaction, not the smooth ones. A page that responds instantly ninety-eight times and stalls for half a second twice feels unreliable, and an average would hide that. INP approximates the worst-case experience over the page's lifetime.
Key takeaway
Explain the underlying mental model clearly, then support it with a concrete example and its trade-offs.