Problem

The user needs to know how their actions impact the system.

Solution

Communicate to the user how taking a specific action will impact future experience with the system.

Use when

• High-stakes consequences.
• No easy way to undo.
• User actions (explicit or implicit feedback) impact the decisions made by the AI.

How

Communicate through:

• Description
• Simulation/preview

Make clear the scope of the impact to:

• The individual user
• All users of the system

Describe consequences as specifically as possible, ranging from specific immediate changes to generic future changes.

Match the communication’s attention-getting characteristics to the severity of the consequences:

• Very severe/high stakes— stop the proceedings (modal dialogues).
• Lower stakes—interface indicators that don’t interrupt the interaction.

User benefits

• Enables the user to make informed decisions.

Common pitfalls

• Communication sets vague or misleading expectations.
• The system does not improve or does not improve fast enough.

Related patterns

Adapt related patterns G11-C: Present properties of system outputs, G11-D: Map system input attributes to system outputs, and G11-E: Map user behaviors to system outputs to explaining the user’s action instead of the system’s action.

Notes

Explicit feedback is information the user intentionally provides for system improvement.

Implicit feedback is information the system garners from user actions to improve itself.