Assessing Human-AI Interaction Early through Factorial Surveys: A Study on the Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction

This work contributes a research protocol for evaluating human-AI interaction in the context of specific AI products. The research protocol enables UX and HCI researchers to assess different human-AI interaction solutions and validate design decisions before investing in engineering. We present a detailed account of the research protocol and demonstrate its use by employing it to study an existing set of human-AI interaction guidelines. We used factorial surveys with a 2×2 mixed design to compare user perceptions when a guideline is applied versus violated, under conditions of optimal versus sub-optimal AI performance. The results provided both qualitative and quantitative insights into the UX impact of each guideline. These insights can support creators of user-facing AI systems in their nuanced prioritization and application of the guidelines.