Pattern 16D: Convey the consequences of user action in help and documentation

Problem

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

Solution

Make available information about how user actions in general impact experience with the system.

Use when

User actions (explicit or implicit feedback) impact the decisions made by the AI.

How

Provide documentation that explains in general how user actions impact experience with the system.

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.

Make clear what changes result from user actions and how the system might behave differently.

Make explanations specific (e.g., consider illustrating explanations with examples).

Use documentation to complement, not replace,

Facilitate the user’s discovery of documentation by pointing to it at appropriate points in the user experience.

User benefits

Enables the user to understand how their actions influence the system.

Common pitfalls

Some users might not read documentation.
It is hard for the user to find the documentation when they need it.
Documentation is too generic and doesn’t help users. understand consequences of their actions.
Documentation becomes outdated if not maintained.

Adapt 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.