{"id":730,"date":"2021-05-13T13:27:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T20:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/?post_type=pattern&#038;p=730"},"modified":"2023-10-25T07:46:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T14:46:41","slug":"g16-d-convey-the-consequences-of-user-action-in-help-and-documentation","status":"publish","type":"pattern","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g16-d-convey-the-consequences-of-user-action-in-help-and-documentation\/","title":{"rendered":"Pattern 16D: Convey the consequences of user action in help and documentation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"toolkit-heading-with-image-block\">\n\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pattern 16D: Convey the consequences of user action in help and documentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/uploads\/prod\/2023\/05\/green-header-bar-1536x14-5-23.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"problem\">Problem<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The user needs to know how their actions impact the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"solution\">Solution<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Make available information about how user actions in general impact experience with the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"use-when\">Use when<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>User actions (explicit or implicit feedback) impact the decisions made by the AI.\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Provide documentation that explains in general how user actions impact experience with the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Explain how the system uses both explicit and implicit user feedback to learn and adapt. For greater transparency, prioritize explaining how regular interaction with the system (implicit feedback) impacts experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make clear what changes result from user actions and how the system might behave differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make explanations specific (e.g., consider illustrating explanations with examples).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use documentation to complement, not replace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g16-a-feedforward-convey-the-consequences-of-user-actions-before-the-user-takes-action\/\">G16-A: Feedforward: Convey the consequences of user actions&nbsp;<strong>before<\/strong>&nbsp;the user takes action<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g16-b-feedback-convey-the-consequences-of-user-actions-after-the-user-takes-action\/\">G16-B: Feedback: Convey the consequences of user actions&nbsp;<strong>after<\/strong>&nbsp;the user takes action<\/a>&nbsp;and\/or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g16-c-remind-of-consequences-of-a-past-action-and-ask-for-reconfirmation\/\">G16-C: Remind of consequences of a past action and ask for reconfirmation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Facilitate the user\u2019s discovery of documentation by pointing to it at appropriate points in the user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"user-benefits\">User benefits<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enables the user to understand how their actions influence the system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"common-pitfalls\">Common pitfalls<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some users might not read documentation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is hard for the user to find the documentation when they need it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentation is too generic and doesn\u2019t help users.&nbsp;&nbsp;understand consequences of their actions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentation becomes outdated if not maintained.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-patterns\">Related patterns<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Adapt patterns&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g11-c-present-properties-of-system-outputs\/\">G11-C: Present&nbsp;properties of system outputs<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g11-d-map-system-input-attributes-to-system-outputs\/\">G11-D: Map&nbsp;system input attributes to system outputs<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/haxtoolkit\/pattern\/g11-e-map-user-behaviors-to-system-outputs\/\">G11-E: Map&nbsp;user behaviors to system outputs<\/a>&nbsp;to explaining the user\u2019s action instead of the system\u2019s action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"notes\">Notes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explicit feedback is information the user intentionally provides for system improvement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Implicit feedback is information the system garners from user actions to improve itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":164,"template":"","meta":{"toolkit_pattern_number":"16D","ep_exclude_from_search":false},"application-type":[68,61,57,96,60,99,56,55,69,29,58,30,59],"goal":[114,123],"guideline-term":[18],"product-category":[71,70,23,64,62,26,66,28,65,31,32,63],"class_list":["post-730","pattern","type-pattern","status-publish","hentry","application-type-classification","application-type-facial-recognition","application-type-filtering-and-ranking","application-type-gen-ai","application-type-image-recognition","application-type-llm","application-type-natural-language-processing-text","application-type-natural-language-processing-voice","application-type-prediction","application-type-recommendation","application-type-route-planning","application-type-search","application-type-text-generation","goal-appropriate-reliance","goal-transparency","guideline-term-convey-the-consequences-of-user-actions","product-category-advertising","product-category-chatbot","product-category-e-commerce","product-category-email","product-category-health-and-wellness","product-category-navigation","product-category-media-entertainment","product-category-productivity","product-category-search-engine","product-category-social-networks","product-category-voice-assistants","product-category-writing-and-editing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - 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